Name that sound 32 B motor...

[jim1932]

I am sure it's not good. Seems to come from the back of the engine but my ears are bad....... talking about the clunk at start that is there, but less when running.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKp8F177nm4

[1931 flamingo]

Crankshaft front pulley?? What if you disconnect the fan belt?? Timing gear??

Get a long screwdriver and use as a stethascope and start moving it around on the block and tranny.
Paul in CT

[Brendan]

just a guess, is the flywheel loose? because it seems to get quiet as it starts moveing

[jim1932]

Originally Posted by Brendan

just a guess, is the flywheel loose? because it seems to get quiet as it starts moveing

That seems to be the likely culprit other than the flywheel and motor have been together for 50 years. Granted, with minimal miles. it does seem to come from that area. I don't get any noise turning it by hand with plugs out. will try taking plugs out and spinning on starter to see if I can pin it. Was hoping it was one of those obvious sounds to someone who knows more than I do.

[Frank Miller]

Friend had a ring gear come loose on his Model A causing a noise. Ended up putting a couple of tack welds on it.

[jim1932]

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Originally Posted by Frank Miller

Friend had a ring gear come loose on his Model A causing a noise. Ended up putting a couple of tack welds on it.

yea but wouldn't that cause issues with the starter that would be obvious?

[petehoovie]

Babbitt bearings? Had the same sound/symptom ("clunk at start") many years ago from the Babbitt engine in my '34. Turned out to be bad main bearing....Purest that I am, I had new Babbitt poured....

[Frank Miller]

Jim 1932, It just walked slightly off the seat and was hitting the bell housing. My description was not accurate. Still tight enough to spin but was not seated. Not a real common occurrence.

[jim1932]

Any way to check this out with out tearing it down? Seems next step is to pull the oil pan? I assume if it is bad enought to clunk like that I should be able to see excessive movement? I did change the oil recently and did not notice any metal in it, but it was pretty thick.

[Kahuna]

Jim
Can't you remove the starter & check the flywheel that way?

[Mart]

I must have bad ears too, I can't really pick out what you are describing. I'd be looking at the starter and making sure it is bolted up tight and not moving as it kicks in.

Mart.

[jim1932]

starter is tight. Pretty easy to remove, but then need someone to hand crank the motor around

[jim1932]

Originally Posted by Mart

I must have bad ears too, I can't really pick out what you are describing. I'd be looking at the starter and making sure it is bolted up tight and not moving as it kicks in.

Mart.

loudest at about 4 seconds into the video. Sounds like someone hitting steel with a hammer.

[John R]

Originally Posted by jim1932

loudest at about 4 seconds into the video. Sounds like someone hitting steel with a hammer.

Jim,
I didn't hear it when I first viewed the video. But now I do hear it by listening intently at just about the 4 second point. A definite clunk, but only a couple of times before it seems to fade away or get drowned out by other, normal engine noises. No way to identify a source from the video. Also, hard to say whether it's significant or not.
John

[V12Bill]

Maybe my hearing is off, but the noise I hear sounds like the engine is missing. bad plug, stuck or sticky valve?

[jim1932]

Was realizing the only difference between tis video and the clunk is it was trailered several times and had the head off once. Thinking the loose starter ring is getting more logical.https://youtu.be/oaCZVH9deNY

[jim1932]

Hust following up. Turned it over with out spark. No noise. Changed timing ... runs like sh_t but no noise. Bad timing?

[Frank Miller]

Here is another experience. My dad chased a noise in his Model A. Turned out to be the spring on the oil pump collapsed and was spinning it but the looseness at the drive end was causing it. I think your timing manipulation is a coincidence as that would affect pinging. Shorting out cylinders one by one can detect a rod knock. Which brings up another story. Guy had A engine rebuilt and swore there was a rod knocking. Took it back to rebuilder and it was a loose fender bracket. Good luck, I do not do well with noises either.

[jim1932]

sorry for slow posts. Due to real work, I only get to mess with the car once a week or so. Going to reset timing per the book, and if the noise is there, try removing spark from a cylinder to see if it goes away.

[jim1932]

Latest time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwKEveIyckU

[Bob C]

Don't know about the knock but it sure has a bad miss, is that because
the vacuum line is disconnected??


Bob

[jim1932]

So going to pull the oil pan tomorrow. Any common culprits to look for? Not the flywheel ring gear. Much louder when running, can barely hear anything turning it slow by hand but with compression. Thinking maybe a chunk of Babbitt gone or connecting rod loose? Plan is to pull pan and plugs and turn it by hand to see if I can locate it. Will screen the oil to see if there is anything in it.

[Happydaze]

You might get lucky as I did! I thought I'd destroyed my engine but it turned out the dipper tray had sprung free and was catching the crank. Admittedly I'd had the pan off for an oil change and clean out and clearly hadn't clicked it into place properly as I should have. There was minor evidence of the interference. I can't imagine this occurring on an engine that's been together for a while though, but you never know!

Chris

[jim1932]

Damn! That fits.... it was quiet, then was shipped twice on country roads. Then made the noise..... will post tonight if I find it.

[jim1932]

So.... oil pan was fine but snubber nut was falling off and everything was loose. Could that do it?

[DavidG]

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Depending on how loose, that could create a fair amount of metal-to-metal noise once the two big star spring washers (one in front of the snubber bracket and the other behind the bracket) lost their tension.

[jim1932]

Loose like only a couple threads holding the nut on.

[Flathead Fever]

I got here too late, you already pulled the pan. I was going to say try pushing in on the clutch to see if the noise changes. Maybe some pressure on it would hold a loose flywheel tight?

Also have someone push on the clutch while you watch the front pulley to see how much it moves. The thrust bearing surface might be gone?

Its hard to hear with all those rattling lifters. It sounds like too heavy of a knock to be a rod bearing. But you can check the rods by removing one plug wire at a time. If its a bad bearing it should get quieter when the cylinder is not firing.(That was already mentioned).

I heard one of those factory small block Chevy diesel conversions in a Cadillac Seville make a horrible sledge hammer knocking noise. When it was torn down nothing looked wrong? No metal in the pan. We were beginning to think we had torn in apart for nothing. The only left to do was remove the main bearing caps. The crank was snapped in half but it had driven into the shop that way.


This is Bernie Couch's motor from his '32 roadster. Photo was taken around 1947? It was a bad photo but I copied it anyway from his his album. This is why the hot rodders loved those 1932 V8 billet cams to regrind. I saw an original reground one at Clay SmIth's a week ago. It was a thing of beauty. Now I want one.

[Brendan]

Originally Posted by jim1932

So.... oil pan was fine but snubber nut was falling off and everything was loose. Could that do it?

whats a snubber nut?

[DavidG]

The 7/16-20 castle nut that attaches to the drilled shank 7/16-20 x 2 1/8" hex bolt that attaches the two snubber arms, two star-shaped spring washers, and two felt pads to the snubber bracket on the firewall of all but very early '32 four-cylinder engine-equipped vehicles as shown in the photos below.

[Frank Miller]

A friend of mine, whose mechanical skills I respect, had an engine rebuilt years ago for his Model A. It was making a kncking noise and he swore it was the motor. He drove the car to the rebuilder, who listened to it and agreed it was making a noise. He then grabbed onto the front fender where there was loose bolt and all was well.