legacycentral bbs

I have a ticking noise coming from both sides of the block. Drivers side is much louder. I believe the passenger side just sounds normal.

I remember seeing somewhere there was a guide on how to replace the HLA's. I am a person that can't have a lot of down time on the car so I check to make sure I am doing everything correctly so I don't mess anything up.

Anyways I was wondering if anyone know where the link was to replace the HLA's and/or check them to see if they are bad.

check Josh's site (legacy777). he seems to have a little of everything technical w/respect to the 1st gen. also, there is an endwrench publication that describes the 2.2 rebuild. it's available on the net, just do a search.

or, just look a few posts down. there is a thread "ticking noise" or something along those lines. it will describe the HLA inspection and replacement. it's pretty easy to do.

My first course of action would be to run engine flush through the motor first and then change oil as normal.You want to first rule out any obstruction or reduced flow before replacing parts.The HLA's are a very simple mechanism and are not likely to wear out,I have ones with over 200k and my motor is one of the quietest subies ive heard.

gijonas wrote:My first course of action would be to run engine flush through the motor first and then change oil as normal.You want to first rule out any obstruction or reduced flow before replacing parts.The HLA's are a very simple mechanism and are not likely to wear out,I have ones with over 200k and my motor is one of the quietest subies ive heard.

Engine flush such as Sea Foam or the like? Which I did about 6-7k miles ago. Should I do it again? Also I just changed the oil and it got louder since then. Been maybe 2 weeks since I changed the oil. Probably also didn't help I was putting Full synthetic in there and then this last time I just put in Synthetic.

I used Valvoline oil. I think I will use a better oil this next time. Any suggestions before I change the oil?

The stuff I use I get at NAPA and its more like a solvent that you let it idle with in the iol for a few minutes before draining,always amazes me what comes out after doing that.

gijonas wrote:The stuff I use I get at NAPA and its more like a solvent that you let it idle with in the iol for a few minutes before draining,always amazes me what comes out after doing that.

Engine flush is solvent and is HIGH RISK!!! I've pesonally witnessed the aftermath of an "engine flush". On a sbc, the engine lost oil pressure after the solvent loosened miles of carbon/varnish build up. These chunks went to the oil pan and then plugged the oil pickup screen. In another instance, a high mileage jeep began burning oil after "engine flush" removed the ring buildup allowing the rings to slip out of their sweet spot....

You've been warned.....

I see your point but if the engine has been reasonably maintained and doesn't have so much sludge that cleaning it causes problems then it will be a benefit.Also Ive never seen a boxer engine accumulate as much sludge as an sbc is commonly capable of.

The HLA's will get noisy when you need an oil change. That how I actually gauge my oil changes on the beater wagon, lol.


If they still wont shut up, then swap in some other ones that are not stuck. New valve cover gaskets are obviously in order.

What would you say the pricing on all of this is?

About the engine flush I decided to pass on it because I what you had said 93forestpearl, they advise against it. I bought the car with 143k on it and it's at 158k. I don't know how it was maintained before that. Oil change was just done a few weeks ago.