Desperate help/ only vehicle

[Don S]

Some times it's a total coincidence, completely unrelated. Some times..
Fingers crossed it's something minor..

Agree on checking starter/flexplate..
I don't imagine no oil to top end causing a smack and not starting...

Could the ticking been the starter not retracting and starter gear got wedged at engine stop? (or next crank)

IF your starter is original, you'll want a new one. Mine sounded like a case with loose bits at 200k..(still worked, but once I felt it in my hand.. I was unwilling to re-install it..)

I tried to turn engine over with key since I turned crank a lot by hand and seems fine but when I hit key all I get is loud humming and fuel smell. Since I have so much up top unhooked should it still crank over or not?

 

[Chris2144]

I would put it all back together make sure you’re fuel line is connected.

 

[mikez71]

Hope that loud humming is your starter!
Dunno about the fuel smell, injectors shouldn't inject without crank position signal...

 

[rdezs]

I'm leaning towards it being a coincidence.... And yeah, the starter is suspect....

 

[MrMonte]

I just tried to crank it over with key and I hear fuel and smell it but it didn’t crank over any. Is it possible that since I have everything unhooked like airflow tube, ignition packs, etc that it wont crank or would that matter?

None of that should matter. If not getting a security fault I would suspect the starter being the issues.

 

[Don S]

I would put it all back together make sure you’re fuel line is connected.

Never disconnected it

 

[donjetman]

@Don S
Hopefully you did NOT hydraulic the engine? You can't compress a liquid.

If you did it bent a connecting rod and the piston skirt hit a countrweight thus the noise. Engine will need some major work.

If you didn't
With spark plugs out, with the main fuel injector harness plug UNPLUGGED on each side, crank the engine over to make certain no liquid is in the combustion chambers.

 

[Don S]

@Don S
Hopefully you did NOT hydraulic the engine? You can't compress a liquid.

If you did it bent a connecting rod and the piston skirt hit a countrweight thus the noise. Engine will need some major work.

If you didn't
With spark plugs out, with the main fuel injector harness plug UNPLUGGED on each side, crank the engine over to make certain no liquid is in the combustion chambers.

Thx for input. I never disconnected fuel. No reason to. Think I’ll pull the fuel pump relay before trying to crank. I tried hooking battery up and hitting the key and the starter is not trying to crank engine over. I want to crank it some before I go back with everything, valve covers, new plugs, wires, etc. Should it still crank over with all kinds of electrical stuff unplugged?
My only guess in all this is that the new screen I put in is not seated properly and blocking an oil passageway and didn’t allow oil to go to lifters. I assumed just by dripping the screen in the hole that the new sending unit would seat the screen down where it needs to be. I guess I could crawl under there and cross the solenoid posts and manually make it crank over.
Engine turns over very easy and smooth with no hard spots and all the rockers are moving great, no dead ones.

 

[thefrey]

Do you have AFM disabled at all?

I believe that little screen is not needed if you have AFM disabled and have no intent of using AFM again. I am not 100% sure but do some more research of your own if you are going to take this advice.

I think the screen is mainly there just to protect the AFM solenoids on the valley cover. If you think that the screen is the issue and you have AFM disabled, it might not be a bad idea to keep the screen out. They get plugged up often from what I hear.

IMO, this thing sounds like it was just a coincidence and an issue with the starter perhaps. How long did you wait to restart your engine after you shut it off the first time? I wonder if the starter smacked the flex plate and made a noise.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Thx for input. I never disconnected fuel. No reason to. Think I’ll pull the fuel pump relay before trying to crank. I tried hooking battery up and hitting the key and the starter is not trying to crank engine over. I want to crank it some before I go back with everything, valve covers, new plugs, wires, etc. Should it still crank over with all kinds of electrical stuff unplugged?
My only guess in all this is that the new screen I put in is not seated properly and blocking an oil passageway and didn’t allow oil to go to lifters. I assumed just by dripping the screen in the hole that the new sending unit would seat the screen down where it needs to be. I guess I could crawl under there and cross the solenoid posts and manually make it crank over.
Engine turns over very easy and smooth with no hard spots and all the rockers are moving great, no dead ones.

I don't think that oil on the motor's top end flows through that screen, but instead, the screen is just there to keep potential contaminants in the oil from reaching the pressure sensor, and giving false pressure readings.

I could certainly be wrong on this. @Doubeleive @swathdiver

 

[thefrey]

I don't think that oil on the motor's top end flows through that screen, but instead, the screen is just there to keep potential contaminants in the oil from reaching the pressure sensor, and giving false pressure readings.

I could certainly be wrong on this. @Doubeleive @swathdiver

I think that this is a benefit of the screen, but I believe the main point of the screen is to stop contaminants from reaching the AFM solenoids. I don't think any non DOD motors have that screen installed.

I am not 100% either, but I think that any oil that reaches the top end is what I would call "secondary" as it is there to pressurize the lifter towers rather than pump up the lifters in any capacity.

 

[mikez71]

I guess I could crawl under there and cross the solenoid posts and manually make it crank over.

Yes! Please!

Then, let us know how that starter feels in your hands when you remove it... (disconnect battery first)

I'm thinking the gear reduction jammed considering all the looseness I felt in my old starter..

 

[Doubeleive]

pull starter-bench test, easy to do....

 

[j91z28d1]

I think that this is a benefit of the screen, but I believe the main point of the screen is to stop contaminants from reaching the AFM solenoids. I don't think any non DOD motors have that screen installed.

I am not 100% either, but I think that any oil that reaches the top end is what I would call "secondary" as it is there to pressurize the lifter towers rather than pump up the lifters in any capacity.

Yes no oil to the lifters flows thru that screen. Just the vlom and the ports in the afm lifters that release the locks so they collapse to go into 4 cyl mode.


this one is a bit baffling. at first I was thinking with the old dead pressure sensor, afm wasn't turning on and then new sensor, afm would work again and the first time I did, bam a lifter gets stuck down. but afm never comes on at idle and not till it's up to temp. so that doesn't seem like it.

so I'm guessing timing chain just happened to break, or the starter did. fingers crossed it's a simple starter.

coils I don't think could be plugged in wrong, but maybe the injectors can if you tried really hard? shouldn't really cause that thou.

 

[OR VietVet]

40+ years in the shops and I have never seen a timing chain break in a driveway or at start up, especially if was running just fine when shut off, and no previous noises.

Doesn't mean it cannot happen.

 

[Marky Dissod]

40+ years in the shops, and I have never seen a timing chain break in a driveway, or at start up, especially if was running just fine when shut off, and no previous noises.
Doesn't mean it cannot happen.

Ever HEARD of it happening, from a reputable source?

 

[Doubeleive]

Extremely doubtful given he has turned the engine and all the parts moving as intended

 

[Don S]

Do you have AFM disabled at all?

I believe that little screen is not needed if you have AFM disabled and have no intent of using AFM again. I am not 100% sure but do some more research of your own if you are going to take this advice.

I think the screen is mainly there just to protect the AFM solenoids on the valley cover. If you think that the screen is the issue and you have AFM disabled, it might not be a bad idea to keep the screen out. They get plugged up often from what I hear.

IMO, this thing sounds like it was just a coincidence and an issue with the starter perhaps. How long did you wait to restart your engine after you shut it off the first time? I wonder if the starter smacked the flex plate and made a noise.

Removed starter and had it tested 2 different places. Turns out to be fine. I installed it and cranked engine enough to see cylinder 2 rocker not move. Now I do t know what I’m going to do. I’m homeless and sleep in my vehicle. All I did was change my oil sending unit and now I don’t have a vehicle. Back to watching YouTube videos on repairs. I still don’t get it.

 

[West 1]

Sorry about the tough situation. AFM cylinders are 1,4 6 and 7. #2 is not an AFM cylinder and typically will not fail at least not like the AFM cylinders can fail.

I would verify for sure that you are testing #2 and not Number 1 cylinder.

Cylinders 1,3,5 and 7 are on the DRIVER side of the engine. 2,4, 6 and 8 are on the Passenger side.

1 and 2 are at the front, 7 and 8 are back by the firewall.

If you are actually having trouble with #1 it is an AFM cylinder.

If the lifter is stuck down the rocker arms will be very loose and very noisy.

The only real repair is to remove the cylinder head and install a new lifter.

There is a company, Crazed Performance, I think out of Texas that makes a tool to unlock the bad lifter and let it open or pop up into proper working position again. I own one of these tools and have used it twice now. It works to unlock the AFM lifter. You still have to pull the manifold and valve covers off to reach the stuck lifter and fix it. There are Youtube videos out showing how. After releasing the stuck lifter you would need to have the AFM disabled or it might stick again soon after the repair. There are many options to disable the AFM system available.

Hope this helps or at least gives you an option. The two I fixed using this tool and a AFM disable are still out there running well 2-3 years later.

 

[Doubeleive]

Removed starter and had it tested 2 different places. Turns out to be fine. I installed it and cranked engine enough to see cylinder 2 rocker not move. Now I do t know what I’m going to do. I’m homeless and sleep in my vehicle. All I did was change my oil sending unit and now I don’t have a vehicle. Back to watching YouTube videos on repairs. I still don’t get it.

if possible for clarification mark the rocker in some manner and upload a photo of the general area.
cyl 2 is passenger side front.