should the VTC click if the motor has just been rebuilt (VTC also rebuilt) and i'm turning the engine with the crank pulley and oil in the motor? it happens once for every complete turn of the pulley..only turned it about 4 times but its a distinct click coming from the front head (maybe the rear too but i happened to be listening in the front) in the VTC area. should i be worried or see what happens when the motor actually runs?

 

If there is no oil in the heads/vtc assemblies it probably will. When I put my head back on with tne replaced vtcs, it clacked like a **** for a few seconds. Talk about heart stopping! I was mostly from the hydraulic valves adjusters. If there was a way to pump up the oil pressure before starting the engine, that would be nice but I don't really know of a way. After about 5 sec, the noise stopped and everything ran quiet after that.

 

I read about a product that raises oil pressure before the motor is even running. It's an aftermarket pump that gets oil to the top of the motor by just flipping a switch. Then, after 5 seconds, you can start the motor.

I forgot where i read about this product, but it sounded like the perfect idea for freshly built VTCs. Cause if your car sits for more than 12 hours, then alot of oil has left the top of the motor. I know when I let my car sit for 24 hours or more, when i crank it up, it clacks like CRAZY for 2 seconds. When I went on vacation for 3 weeks and started my car up when i got back... you would not believe what noises my car made in the first few seconds of startup. I almost crapped my pants. It was not good.

Ask around Jeff, I know this product exists.

 

the guy also told me to (if i wanted to make sure i wouldnt hear any scary noises) turn the motor over for a few seconds with the starter before actually letting it start to get the oil pressure up, i guess i'll add the rest of the oil tomorrow, turn the crank a few times and see what happens. just wanted to know if this was a normal thing..i'll post results when i start the motor.

 

Its called an oil accumulator, it stores oil under pressure from when the engine was running, then before you start the engine you allow that stored oil under pressure to feed the upper engine, then crank away. There are a few people selling them, its supposed to be a very worth while mod especially if your into prolonging the life of your engine.

Jeff, the oil pump is supposed to be primed before hand when doing an engine rebuild. Also lifters that have been starved of oil for a long period can get damaged when first starting them up. I think the FSM warns about the lifters.

 

Thing is the accumulator needs to be "charged" in order to have some pressure. If you are rebuilding etc... it won't be charged for the first run. The FSM states that you should store the hydraulic lifters in an upright position and in some oil. If you drain the lifter of oil, there's a chance that it won't prime when the engine is started. These aren't self priming so if it stays flat, you will probably ruin the cam lobe and have a noisy lifter. I don't know how to prime the lifter before hand. (other than dunking them in oil that is)

How do you prime the oil pump before hand anyway? In my case, I just had one of the heads off. I didn't see a way to turn the oil pump shaft before the engine is started for real. I think it's crank driven off the chain. In some cars the oil pump is cam or is driven off the dist. You can use an adaptor and a drill to prime the oil pump before starting

 

about the only way you can do it once you've got the chains on it is to pull the ignition plugs or the crank angle sensor, then crank the engine over with the starter. you'll usually hear the engine turn over easier when it gets oil to all the parts.. then plug the sensors back in and fire it up.

 

How much did your VTC rebuild cost you and did you do the work yourself? Mine have been clacking and it's to the point where I can't stand to let the engine idle. I've considered getting a new engine after hear some of the VTC horror stories of replacing and grounding.

 

honestly, i dont know how much the labor for just the VTC cost. i listed everything i needed done, and was given a price that sounded reasonable, so i went with it.
i did not personally rebuild the motor, but i pulled it, took it apart, put it back in....