stick with the rotella, dont run any" detergents" just good oil.
Get the valve covers off and run the engine untill the tick starts.....with the valve cvrs off you should be able to isolate the offender(s)........mine ended up being a loose steel pushrod cap inside 2 of my rockerarms.....
cleaning out the oil pan and pick up screen are good insurance no matter what

 

And here is another for not running anything other than motor oil in your engine.
I am going to switch it up on you with the motor oil though, Rotella HD-30 or HD-40, it does not break down like a multi weight oil does and it is super cheap and highly detergent.
Multi weight oils thin out faster than mono weight oils, mono weight oils are what is used in air cooled engines which run super hot.
So it is a great choice for your climate.

If you are hell bent on a engine flush, then use a 5w-20 weight motor oil, pour it in, idle for 30 min, drain and then remove the oil pan, clean the screen and whatever else you are going to do.
Then refill with the HD-30.

 

OK, ok....no detergents for now. The MMO did nothing in the previous combo.

Spike.....thanks for taking the time. I know you've been busy polishing your nuts.

OK..does anyone else support going to a HD-30 or 40? And if so, which one. Don't want to get into an oil debate as my conditions are different and specific. Why can't I tell from the site if these are synthetic or not and are they gonna be better than the 20/50?

Jake...probably the cam that is still in the engine for the forseeable future. If I have some extra cash sometime in the future, I may look at it more closely.

Xceller...no byspass solutin for me here? What did you do when you isolated your problem? Tighten them up? Replace them?

Danny. I hear you on all that and I'm with you. The rum - which has now turned into a jug - was going to be sent in lieu of a favor I was gonna ask you....just didnt happen but it should. I was drinking some of the homemade variety yesterday....some canepa and some guaynabana. Might have some more as we wait for the turtles to hatch and pilgrim at the end of the block.

 

[QUOTE=slanginsanjuan;332506]OK, ok....no detergents for now. The MMO did nothing in the previous combo.




Xceller...no byspass solutin for me here? What did you do when you isolated your problem? Tighten them up? Replace them?

with the engine cold....remove the vlv cvrs, reinstall the plenum so you can start and run the engine. listen for the tick....you should be able to pinpoint which valve (s) is making the noise...it only takes one...but there may be more.

there are a lot of things that can make that noise.....lifter / worn cam / push rod worn / rocker arm worn beyond spec / loose pushrod cap in rocker arm / worn rocker arm shaft.

before you open up a "cam" of worms you may only need a rocker arm( this is fairly common on these) .....figure out which one may be making the racket and then remove the rocker arm shaft for better inspection..you cant tighten them as there is unfortunately no adjustment available

I chased a tick for a long time...my prob turned out to be a loose pushrod cap in a rocker arm......only happened after everything warmed up and the alluminum rocker expanded and allowed the steel pushrod cap insert in it to rattle....in my case no amount of heavy oil would quiet it down.......even tried 30w with STP...notta .

take your time and you'll find it , oh and sorry.... no bypass here

 

You need to dig in and figure out what your problem is.

A ton of sludge in an engine - excessive wear and thats why my first guess was cam/tappets.

Crower cams are usually cheaper than genuine rover replacement since they are made for 215 buick. Call Mark at D&D and he can get you prices on all of it. Nobody in the states knows more about our engines than those guys.

 

Not only might the cam and lifters be bunged but what about the rockers, shafts and pushrods which are by design the single most reason these motors tick, even when new. Your rocker shafts are held by four bolts, only a zipper would make it easier to undress.

Not only can access the top end block drillings through the heads but you can disassemble the rocker assemblies down to single pieces. I've posted a pic of my motor with 155+k so that you can see what yours should look like inside. Diesel or kerosene, carb cleaner, few wire and plastic brushes, stainless single strand wire of 16ga (thin coat hanger works for block) and voila', no more tick. Once cleaned up take your measurements and compare with the Rave for tolerances. Clean your pushrods too.

For lifter and cam wear replace as a set. You'll be lucky to get your lifters out from the top anyways, probably mushroomed and will go out the bottom once the cam is removed.

Get busy! It takes maybe a couple of days if your thorough.

 

I had a tick along with intermittent low oil pressure.

One of the bolts on the oil pickup had fallen out and was in the oil pan. I dont know if the tick was caused by the loose pickup rattling or something in the engine being starved of oil, but after loctite-ing those pickup bolts back on, the tick is gone.

 

im going to unzip (or dig in) the cover and see how i feel about all that. it's obviously way beyond anything Ive ever done but not unimaginable. you may be hearing from me. thanks scouts.

encouraging pinky...i grasp at all straws offered.

 

Slang,

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Your picture does not really show any sludge build-up, but I do like the idea of runing it with the valve covers off to see what that reveals. Also the idea of pulling the oil pan off and doing the oil pick-up tube and screen especially since you said you got a leak there anyway.

Then I would try what Spike said regarding the HD 40W Rotella and see what the results are unlesss the first test showed a significant problem.

I wish you were a Golfer, I would send you some sweet clubs for a barrel of rum. See how it went from a jug to a barrel. Maybe I will send you a pair of vintage putters, you can sell them and use that money for a jug of rum to send me in return.

Any favors you want, go ahead and ask. I got all the time in the world and am crazy enough to do just about anything as well.

I gotta get a few small parts for my Disco so I can get it inspected and get it back on the road. Now the Local Cop have me on their Radar I am getting tired of it just sitting in the driveway. But I am saving a fortune on gas. I am sorta waiting for my son and daughter in law to move out again so I do not have to listen to my son want to drive the Rover. He is hell on anything with wheels on it! Don't know where he got that trait from.

 

IMHO 40 W single would be better, the shop manual says 10W30 is only good to 95F, so why would single weight 30 do better? And if it is the valve train making the racket, won't you hear that reallly good with a stick before cover removed? Just sneak and borrow one of SWMBO's spares. Agree with isolate, tear down, and clean and repair. You can run engine with valve cover off, it is not that messy. Then you can also push down on suspect items with a stick to see if noise changes.