Valve problem I think

[cpetronis]

Yes, another sob story from me. I broke my own rule of thumb and let my vehicle sit for about a month without starting here in the freezing Upstate NY winter. Well yesterday I had to move the White to allow room for a dumpster to get in so I can start clearing out my house. (Thinking about moving South, away from the winters, etc) So long story short, after using my salamander heater to blow hot air on the oil pan for about 20 minutes the engine turned over fast enough to start. That was the end of the good news. I immediately heard a tapping noise coming from the engine. It's very distinctive and regular and I'm thinking it's some kind of stuck valve or something. The engine idle seems to be a bit off.
I know it's hard to anybody to trouble shoot without hearing it but does this sound like a possibility? Stuck valve after sitting too long? If so, does anybody have a miracle cure for that? If I run it for short periods of time with some sort of possible valve issue is it going to have permanent negative affects on the engine I wonder? I'm in uncharted water here as this engine has always been perfect so I never had to deal with this before. Any thoughts would be great.

Thanks,

Chris

[spec4don]

Chris, I would do a compression test first. If you have a stuck valve you'll have one cylinder with no compression or very little. If you don't have a stuck valve you may have a collapsed lifter. The lifters on these engines are hydraulic. being it's been sitting the oil may not have warmed up enough to presserize the lifter. Kinda like the old chevy's. maybe try warming it up some more then let it idle for a bit longer.

The only cavat is if it is a rod knock but not being able to hear it, it's hard to say. You might go down to your local NAPA store and see if they have automotive stethascope and try to isolate the sound if it is up high around the lifters or down low in the engine.

I'm not much of an engine man but that is what I would do first. someone with a little more knowlage can chime in. You might post over on the "G" too. Someone might have an answer for you. 

That's my 2 cents

Don G.

[cpetronis]

Roger that Don, thanks for your thoughts. I think I'm going to also put some of that Dr. Marvel's stuff in my oil, some people swear by it. I'm figuring it can't hurt. We're supposed to get up into the low 40's later on this week so that may be the time to try it.
I've got a compression tester somewhere, now I just need to find it.

Regards,

Chris

[yd328]

Chris,
Try some marvel in your gas, it will help lubricate the valves.

Gary