The squeaking throws me off.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQNW94OUFTc

It's got good oil pressure.
I have a Vengeance racing vindicator cam (.605 .596 240/244), LS7's, 7.325" PR's, stock rocker arms, AFR 205's milled to 62ccs.

I never measured for lifter preload just went by what someone told me to get.

I can also push some of the lifters down by hand and the rest are solid. All parts have less than 5k miles.
Thanks

 

With these engines its critical the PR are the correct length. Have you checked the length or just going by what people are saying? Whats your preload? Kinda sounds like stock SBC rockers when your adjusting the lash with the engine running and not at 0 lash.

 

Just went by word of mouth. I know it sounds like valvetrain but the squeaking is throwing me off!!!

 

It could all be related somehow. I know what you mean. Nothing is rubbing on the valve cover?

 

Nope, stock rockers stock covers.

 

Check your PR length... NEVER go by word of mouth. Even from someone that has the same set up as you. never know what little differences could cause you trouble. Preload is in .005 incriments. Not .5 inches or large numbers. So any little change between your motor and the "word of mouth" motor could change what you'd need.

An adjustable PR checker is cheap, and easy to use.

Did you replace the lifters or are they stock lifters? Dont forget, any lifter you get new from GM will be an LS7 lifter. So the preload is different than the older style LS1 lifters. And they also have a little more height I THINK. At least last time I checked thats all they were selling now.

The LS motors make a good bit of noise. Im sure you've heard the "sewing machine" referance? But your sound seems louder, and more specific to one area. The headers amplify sounds like that under the car a great deal too...but I would def be taking my valve cover off and checking things out.

Im not convinced your issue is PR length, but pulling the cover, checking the parts, and checking the length is just good procedure anyway. You might just have bad roller bearings in that rocker back there. You might try moving #6 and #8 rockers to the other side temporarily and seeing if the noise moves. Dont leave em there. Just long enough to start it and see if the noise moves.

J.

 

I was about to say, it sounds a little louder than the normal sewing machine tick from a set of aftermarket rockers that I've heard in a few built machines.

 

Had a friend have an odd chirp sound occasionally and excessive valve train chatter. turns out the front plug was in the block but not the back so it was saying he was getting good oil pressure but one head was pretty much bone dry. just food for thought.

 

What do you mean by "plugs"??

 

Sounds like it could be an exhaust leak

 

i just helped a buddy put in a cam a little bigger than that one. we used the stock pushrods. i guess a good way (or rough way0 is to remove 1 intake and 1 exhaust rocker.clean off the top of the valve where they ride. then color them with a marksalot marker. reinstall the rocker and turn the engine over by hand. remove the two rockers and see where on the valve they are riding. if it is in the middel you should be good. but if it is off from front to back then you need different pr length.

 

This does not work with with saddle seated ( LS1 rockers ) or shaft mounted rocker arms. pushrod length does not change the swipe of the rocker tip because regardless of pushrod length the rocker is always seated in the same position. A longer or shorter pushrod only affects preload.

The rocker swipe method only works on floating seated rocekrs like sbc and bbc

Point of the story? In order to determine LS1 lifter preload its best to use an adjustable pushrod length checker

 

sure sounds like thats one of the loudest noises I could hear

get that fixed and try recording the noise your hearing.. mine has a tsp cam and it has the classic sewing machine noise but no squeek.. Ive seen several stock rockers fall apart and the bearings comming out of the arm

 

Sorry, shoulda been a little more clear on that.... I meant the oil plugs. He bought a rebuilt ls short block and it only had the front plug in it but not the back so the oil pressure sending unit was getting pressure but the passenger side head was bone dry.

 

Yup, use the tool and get the appropriate PRs. The sound doesnt seem to be valvetrain related, but its a youtube clip and sounds are different in person vs video

Also, top left of the #8 primary looks to have the black exhaust leak smudges. You can see exhaust leaks on a scanner tool as well. Watch the sensor values move around, if theres a leak one will be pretty stagnant

 

It was leaking a little now that I think about it. But exhaust leaks sound more like a ticking than a knocking. This is a distinct metal on metal slapping noise....

 

Pop the valve covers and wiggle the rockers. Side to side movement suggests lifters on their way out

 

I already tore the engine down. Half the lifters I can compress by hand, the other half are rock solid. Texas speed says this is normal, that some will bleed off and some wont......
All bearings look perfect, cylinders look perfect, rocker arms are fine....I cant find the culprit.

 

How did you determine the rockers were fine? Did you pull the rockers apart? The only reason I say that is that they might feel nice and smooth now, but once you put the pressure of the valve springs and pushrods on them, they might get noisy.

It sounds like a squeaky rocking chair with someone rocking back and forth really fast haha.

I listened again, and it almost sounds like a sticking lifter. The way its sort of sloppily slapping. Doesnt sound like bottom end issues, its not rythmic or heavy enough.

One thing you can try is get it back together, and fire it up without the valve cover on. See what the rockers look like.

I still advise getting a length checker and just sort of starting with the basics. Make sure your parts are correct. Then move onto the next possibility.

J.

 

i disagree. if the push rods were to long (even though they stay solid mounted) it will pull a pattern toward the back as the lift is pushing it to far. i have seen it. to you maybe it wont work. but to me and many on ls1tech it will work. but to each his own. oh and i have the comp cams push rod checker as well. i think the pushrods are to shrt causing them to not have much pressure on the bottom of the lobe.

 

Indeed there is misinformation everywhere and this has been argued to death. Call Tony Mamo of AFR and get his input if you dont believe me. Think about it... If the rockers seated position is constant how can the swipe pattern on the valve change? A longer or shorter pushord makes no difference on how the rocker arm swings in these engines. Push rod length only affects how much preload it pushes the plunger into the lifter and thats it. The rocker arm is in a fixed position.