Tensioner sound.....was: RE: [Shotimes] Rod Knock or Tensioner Slap?

[George Fourchy]

On Wed, 12 Nov 2003 17:37:16 -0500, Ron Porter wrote:

>I'm not familiar with the tensioner noise,

It is a fairly high pitched rapid rattle...almost a sort of hiss....usually heard
for just a fraction of a second just after 'light-off' during the first start of the
day.  By the time the engine has reached the high point of the start, around 2500
rpm or so, before it comes back to idle, the noise quiets down, as the oil gets to
the tensioner pistons.  If one isn't listening for this noise, it is easy to miss. 
I noticed it (after being nagged by Kegel) while I was keeping close tabs on the
bearings in the Lowrider prior to my adventures in 2001.  You can tell the
difference between the sounds by listening to two consecutive starts, one...the
first one of the day...then after 30 seconds or so of cold idle, shut it down and do
it again.  The second start will be much quieter. 

You'll hear loose rods (if you have them) at the same time during the first start as
the tensioners, but their frequency is a lot lower than the tensioners, as the crank
is what is resonating, and it's a lot bigger than the links in the chains.

After its new rods, Lowrider's lower end quieted down nicely, but the tensioner
sound is still there.  I run STP in it permanently now, due to the high mileage all
the rest of the engine has.  That has quieted a LOT of extraneous noises the engine
used to make.

All of this is to my best recollection.....a SHO engine hasn't run around my house
since April of this year.  (...except for one way trips to paint shops and extended
storage.)

George