loud engine noise

[honerboys]

working on a car that is new to me - an 83 na - PO said engine would run but made a lot of noise - well he was right - belts were intact - i checked the marks and re-tensioned the belts just so i could turn it over and see what was what - it turned easily by hand 2 turns - so i hit the starter and the car started up - the noise is very loud - a slower than engine speed clacking - it might get a little quieter for a second or two then back to really loud - scary sounding like something is going to fly out of the block at any moment - i put my hand on the cam cover but i really couldn't feel anything - sounds like it's up top - took off the cam tower - all valve stems are about same height so i don't think it's a bent valve - 6 of the lifters i can push in with very little pressure - 2 i can't push in at all - i'm assuming the 2 are good - the car sat for a long time so is it possible all the oil ran out of the lifters and they could be refilled? - also i don't know why it sat so long so it could also be something internal - are clacking lifters this loud

[968 GUY]

I guess there is oil pressure in the first place?
Put the lifters in oil and try to pump them up.

[honerboys]

jrboulder - i didn't get that at first - funny - hey blame it on my son he started it - i'll be retiring soon so i need a hobby right? - anyway yes there was oil pressure - i can't seem to get these lifters to "pump up" - i put them in oil and compressed them - no bubbles came out and they didn't get any less soft - i'm still not sure it's them making the noise but if 6 of them are soft that would have to make some noise right - i tried filling them with a syringe - how much oil will they hold - even after filling them that way they still are soft

[tlechner]

when my 944 sounded really loud - clacky.. i found that the key in the camshaft that holds the timing belt pully had been damaged - thus actually had a bit of movement... New Camshaft, Key, and Pully and all was good again.

[looneybin]

when my OPRV went out, the car still had oil pressure, but made an awful clacking noise from the valve train

[AA_Ezra]

Originally Posted by tlechner

when my 944 sounded really loud - clacky.. i found that the key in the camshaft that holds the timing belt pully had been damaged - thus actually had a bit of movement... New Camshaft, Key, and Pully and all was good again.

same thing happened to me, made me thing i had a bad lifer, rod knock.. and it was the actual woodruff key for me too. but for me the camshaft were the woodruff key sat was worn out, so put in a used cam. its been smooth ever since.