This weekend I finished up installing the following items:
TEA Stg 1.5 5.3
Rollmaster double roller
Thunder Racing ported oil pump
ASP underdrive pulley

When I started the car I heard all of the usual noises but I have a few concerns:

1.) I can hear a ticking noise that seems to be coming from the valve train on the drivers side only. I tried retorqing the rocker arms and swapping the exhaust gaskests from one side of the motor to the other this morning but the ticking noise continues. Is it possible that I may have a collapsed lifter? I know that the new double valvesprings might be causing the ticking (I previuosly had Comp 918's) but it seems strange that I really only hear the ticking noise coming from one side of the motor. Is this normal? The ticking is barely audible when sitting in the car.

2.) My oil pressure seems to be a little low. At cold start up it reads 45 psi but after the motor has been running for a few minutes and is completely warm the oil pressure drops to 20 psi at idle and it goes up to 40 psi at 2000 rpm's and from their the pressure goes up when the engine is wound up more. I noticed in the instructions for the timing chain it said to use a sealent on the oil pump spacers but I did not see a way to do this and not get the RTV in the pump itself while trying to get the pick-up tube inserted and every thing lined up properly. I did use a new o-ring when installing the pump but I suppose it is possible I might have damaged it. Does my oil pressure seem low enough that I should remove the pump and look at the o-ring or do you think that it is ok?

3.) When I first started my car it tried to overheat so I shut it off when it reached 240. I then waited about 30 min. and tried to start it again but it started getting hot again. I then decided to leave it alone and tried to start it the following mourning and the motor ran its normal temp without trying to run hot. Is it normal to have a hard time getting the cooling system to work properly after removing the water pump and draining the radiator?

Thanks for any help help or suggestions.
Darren

 

It takes a while to bleed the system. I let mine run and kept and eye on the open radiator and just kept adding coolant/water until it finished, probably about 15 minutes. Sounds like a lifter not pumping up.

 

If it is a lifter not pumping up do you think it may begin pumping up after I drive the car?

 

Did you change your oil before you started the car? Anti Freeze will wipe out a bearing in a heart beat. It will cause low oil pressure condition as well.

 

I have not changed the oil yet. I was planning on driving the car about 20 or 30 miles before changing it, but if you think it will make a difference I will change it before doing anything else.

 

I would guess the oil pump o-ring isnt on right, common problem. If the oil pressure is a lot lower then what it was I would suspect it. I messed it up on my old c5, I drove/raced and dnod the car for 3000 miles before I finally said to myself something wasnt right and sure enough I ripped the o-ring..

 

Well the ticking noise has gone away after driving the car about 20 miles. I guess it was a lifter that did not want to pump up at first for some reason. Now if I can only figure out why my new belt that came with my ASP pulley decided to come apart already. The pulleys all appear to be lined up properly. I hope it was just a bad belt.