P38A Got's me some ticking....

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Liner or Cam wear?

  • Liner

    Votes: 2 15.4%
  • Cam

    Votes: 3 23.1%
  • Fecked Follower

    Votes: 5 38.5%
  • Tick what tick? Wait, where's me hearing aid?

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Who cares? You bought a P38 cheap what do you expect?

    Votes: 3 23.1%

  • Total voters
    13

Saint.V8

Dyed-in-the-wool 100% RR Junkie
Full Member
As video:



I have been doing mucho miles for work in the last 5 weeks or so and I got's a bit of a tick, there is a flat spot in acceleration and on a moderate incline putting the foot down results in stunted acceleration and doesn't really want to go beyond 2-2.5k revs unless you kick down, and then all it does really is make more noise and a small acceleration increase - but is accompanied with a spot of popping backfire and missing every now and then.....

I am thinking worn Cam lobe(s) (or should I say hoping) - and the ticking seems to be valve gear speed.....only concern is it happens when warm (which is a classic slipped liner trait) - but in my ears, the ticking is valve speed not piston speed....maybe again I am hoping.

I will have to pop one of the rocker covers off when I get the time and take a goosey and see if the tick is valve speed or piston speed......I have all the parts (sans cam) for a top end rebuild (all gaskets, new rockers and shafts, springs, push rods, followers etc etc).

Those with a trained ear - what do you suspect?
 
wouldn't a slipped liner get worse when rev's are increased?

If she's lacking power and misfiring i would suspect the cam and followers..

I would renew all if it was me :):)
 
Last edited:
As video:



I have been doing mucho miles for work in the last 5 weeks or so and I got's a bit of a tick, there is a flat spot in acceleration and on a moderate incline putting the foot down results in stunted acceleration and doesn't really want to go beyond 2-2.5k revs unless you kick down, and then all it does really is make more noise and a small acceleration increase - but is accompanied with a spot of popping backfire and missing every now and then.....

I am thinking worn Cam lobe(s) (or should I say hoping) - and the ticking seems to be valve gear speed.....only concern is it happens when warm (which is a classic slipped liner trait) - but in my ears, the ticking is valve speed not piston speed....maybe again I am hoping.

I will have to pop one of the rocker covers off when I get the time and take a goosey and see if the tick is valve speed or piston speed......I have all the parts (sans cam) for a top end rebuild (all gaskets, new rockers and shafts, springs, push rods, followers etc etc).

Those with a trained ear - what do you suspect?

Blimey Saint, a P38? I thought you were in love with the L322:eek:
 
Valve train noise to me sounds like when the tappets need adjusting on an old push rod engine, ow hang on they are an old push rod lump just bigger than the A series or pre xflow I am used to:D
 
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Blimey Saint, a P38? I thought you were in love with the L322:eek:
We gots one of those too Keith...!!!

Long story short:

  • Last time you looked I had an L322, girlfriend had a 1991 Defender 110 with 300Tdi (Disco derived)
  • That needed some work - beyond my wallet
  • Sold that cheap to a member on here with full disclosure of all that was needed doing with projected costs (Feb 2017)
  • Bought a 1989 110 with a 300Tdi (Disco derived) as my daily driver
  • Girlfriends 110 needed welding work, so took it off the road, lifted it up striped out the rear end - chassis was cracked all the way through (June 2017)
  • Beyond my welding ability and a replacement chassis or paying someone else to do the work was beyond my wallet
  • Sold her 110 to an enthusiast who was going to do a rebuild with a Richards Galv chassis (as the rest of the car was tops)
  • Girlfriend took on my 1989 110 - I bought a super cheap (£300) BMW 318iSE Auto to get me around for a while, as we figure out what to do next
  • Bought myself a very nice BMW 740i Shadowline Sport in Titan Silver - lovely car (June 2017)
  • 4 months later we went on holiday to the IoW in the 110 and I missed driving a Green Oval
  • She reluctantly agreed to let me sell the 7'er and get a P38
  • Bought the P38 from a well known auction site, unseen, and with one bid for £1k (Sept/Oct 2017)
  • The P38 is a Limited Edition in Charleston Green with the County Pack, 18" Hurricanes etc etc
  • In the next month - we found out the girlfriend is preggers with baby no.2 (Oct 2017)
  • After much contemplation and discussion, we deduced the 110 was great for space, but it was noisey, cold and impractical with a new baby on the horizon
  • Girlfriend says she will only swap her 110 for another L322 as when we had Summer, our first L322 was a God send
  • Much discussion takes place- she insists it must have 8 cylinders in a Vee - be it an LPG'd V8 or a TDV8 - it had to have 8-in-a-vee...(love her to bits I do)
  • So, borrowed some cash from my dad to buy the current L322 - now just need to get the 110 ready to sell to pay my dad back! (March 2018)
  • So to summerise, we currently have: L322 - Girlfriends, P38 - Mine, BMW 318iSE - Spare car for when one of them breaks down and the 1989 110 - to be sold.
Such fun!!!
 
Last edited:
I wouldn't say slipped liner as there is sometimes a multi click??!!
A liner would have to move quite freely to click on the up and down stroke.meaning it would click like a bugger regardless of engine speed?
 
wouldn't a slipped liner get worse when rev's are increased?

If she's lacking power and misfiring i would suspect the cam and followers..

I would renew all if it was me :):)

Valve train noise to me sounds like when the tappets need adjusting on an old push rod engine, ow hang on they are an old push rod lump just bigger than the A series or pre xflow I am used to:D

I wouldn't say slipped liner as there is sometimes a multi click??!!
A liner would have to move quite freely to click on the up and down stroke.meaning it would click like a bugger regardless of engine speed?
My thoughts (and hopes) are with worn Cam lobes causing flat spot on acceleration due to lack of valve lift, popping and backfire due to lack of ability for a cylinder or two to keep up with things due to lack of valve clearances - which can happen with a worn cam on the V8's so I have researched, and the ticking is a follower or rod bouncing around due to cam lobe wear creating larger than spec gaps....
 
My thoughts (and hopes) are with worn Cam lobes causing flat spot on acceleration due to lack of valve lift, popping and backfire due to lack of ability for a cylinder or two to keep up with things due to lack of valve clearances - which can happen with a worn cam on the V8's so I have researched, and the ticking is a follower or rod bouncing around due to cam lobe wear creating larger than spec gaps....


the lack of ZDDP in modern Oils is what i would blame for accelerated valvetrain wear especially with Flat tappet cams.

definitely sounds cam related, to me atleast..
 
Quickish way to look into liners is to whip the sump off and look for coolant deposits round the bottom of cylinders. Don't get this symptom in all cases 100% but a lot of times you do.
 
Is it loosing water? Little end bearing?piston skirt slap? The lack of acceleration suggests valve/ cam. Interesting double click there mate. I have a new 4.6 cam if your interested.
 
Sounds similar to the old ford pinto OHC when the cam lobe or lobes had worn due to blocked oil drip feed pipe, I agree flat spot could be due to insufficient valve lift, get stripped off and you’ll soon find out what’s in store :rolleyes:
You’re the man who can :)
 
Is it loosing water? Little end bearing?piston skirt slap? The lack of acceleration suggests valve/ cam. Interesting double click there mate. I have a new 4.6 cam if your interested.
No water loss, the ticking is quite irregular to be a rhythmic skirt slap....as you say the flat spot and lack of oomph with a bit of popping and farting would point to Cam/Valve issues.

Maybe you could drop me a PM regards the details of your spare cam - price part number etc....I would appreciate it!
 
We gots one of those too Keith...!!!

Long story short:

  • Last time you looked I had an L322, girlfriend had a 1991 Defender 110 with 300Tdi (Disco derived)
  • That needed some work - beyond my wallet
  • Sold that cheap to a member on here with full disclosure of all that was needed doing with projected costs (Feb 2017)
  • Bought a 1989 110 with a 300Tdi (Disco derived) as my daily driver
  • Girlfriends 110 needed welding work, so took it off the road, lifted it up striped out the rear end - chassis was cracked all the way through (June 2017)
  • Beyond my welding ability and a replacement chassis or paying someone else to do the work was beyond my wallet
  • Sold her 110 to an enthusiast who was going to do a rebuild with a Richards Galv chassis (as the rest of the car was tops)
  • Girlfriend took on my 1989 110 - I bought a super cheap (£300) BMW 318iSE Auto to get me around for a while, as we figure out what to do next
  • Bought myself a very nice BMW 740i Shadowline Sport in Titan Silver - lovely car (June 2017)
  • 4 months later we went on holiday to the IoW in the 110 and I missed driving a Green Oval
  • She reluctantly agreed to let me sell the 7'er and get a P38
  • Bought the P38 from a well known auction site, unseen, and with one bid for £1k (Sept/Oct 2017)
  • The P38 is a Limited Edition in Charleston Green with the County Pack, 18" Hurricanes etc etc
  • In the next month - we found out the girlfriend is preggers with baby no.2 (Oct 2017)
  • After much contemplation and discussion, we deduced the 110 was great for space, but it was noisey, cold and impractical with a new baby on the horizon
  • Girlfriend says she will only swap her 110 for another L322 as when we had Summer, our first L322 was a God send
  • Much discussion takes place- she insists it must have 8 cylinders in a Vee - be it an LPG'd V8 or a TDV8 - it had to have 8-in-a-vee...(love her to bits I do)
  • So, borrowed some cash from my dad to buy the current L322 - now just need to get the 110 ready to sell to pay my dad back! (March 2018)
  • So to summerise, we currently have: L322 - Girlfriends, P38 - Mine, BMW 318iSE - Spare car for when one of them breaks down and the 1989 110 - to be sold.
Such fun!!!
Glutton for punishment with a 4.6 P38, I'll stick to my reliable diesels.
 
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