Hi all.

After selling my last KE11 in 1994 due to getting married, I just replaced it with a new one (the car, not the misses).  It is a KE11 SL model.

Can I kindly ask some questions regarding it on this thread?  Yes, I have searched for answers already.

 

Firstly, what options did the SL model have compared to the standard model?

Is this centre console part of the SL upgrade or is it from something else?  

 

Secondly is this noise lifter/tappet noise from under the hood?  Engine hasn't been run much in last few years (5K engine) 

Here is the noise: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GFoUQQ5pViQN1NF2ySTeCh2Rq3dedJ04/view?usp=sharing

 

Thank you in advance to anyone who can provide any help.

 

Paul.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 8, 20205 yr by Greenhaven

I can't get the google drive file to run, but for tappets I usually lean my ear against a long screwdriver and move it around the engine.  Its quite educational for all sorts of noises you don't hear when you stand there, and will show you which end of the tappet cover is noisy..

You could take the tappet cover off and turn the motor over with a spanner while checking each rocker for a tappet gap. As they're hydraulics none should have any gap, but if one has become jammed or run out of adjustment it might show up.

 

You could try a flushing oil in it when you next change the oil, I've used a mixture of diesel & kero in the past, and just let it idle for 10minutes then dump it out again. The clearances in the hydraulic tappets are very small and tar can build up & jam them.

Hi Paul,

              Welcome aboard.   Hope we can assist you. I was able to run your audio file, but it was general engine noise; not that tick/tick tappet noise.  Your best friend when chasing & isolating engine noises, is an automotive stethoscope.  They have the advantage that they block out a lot of the "background" noise, and amplify the sound at the point on the engine where the tip of the probe is.  They are less the $ 12 on ebay, with free postage.  I swear by them.

I have a 5K with hydraulic lifters,  that had something similar to what you are describing.  Being hydraulic, the lifters rely on oil pressure passing from the block to the lifter, through quite small oil holes.  The problem is that if the engine has been sitting for a long time, the oil & sludge harden up, & the holes get smaller, & the hydraulic lifters don't pump up enough, to  reduce the tappet clearance to zero.  A common finding is that when the engine has run a while, & the oil becomes thinner, when it is easier for the oil to get into the lifter.  A common example of this, is a 5K sounding like a bucket of bolts, when you start it up cold, but slowly quietens down after 5-10 minutes.  The diesel & kero solution, could work, but a better way is to whip the head off.  Lift out all the hydraulic followers (& keep them numbered in order, so they return to the same spot).  Then you can take the little spring out of the bottom, & clean them out totally, paying attention to the tiny little oil feed holes in the wall of the lifter.  While you have the rocker gear off, it is an ideal time to reface the rocker area, where it wipes across the valve stem.

Even a fine sanding disk on a drill can assist in this action.  I've even heard of people that have put up with the noisy hydraulic / tappet noise, for a couple of weeks, only to have them all progressively improve.

There are those on here who have replaced the hydraulic lifters with solid ones, (landcruiser I think)& put adjustable rockers in.  However, after saying that, none of the 3 x 5Ks that I have had, ever gave me any tappet noise problems, once I had cleaned the oil ways out.

Where are you located ?  If you are in Brissy, you can PM me, & come around, & we'll run my stethoscope over your engine.

Cheers Banjo

 

 

Edited November 9, 20205 yr by Banjo

Thank you to both of you!!  I am awaiting for the car to arrive from interstate but might take you up on that offer Banjo.

I have had modern cars for a while so perhaps it speaks more about me, but can you hear the tat, tat...tat. from the motor?  Is this just normal for these motors?

Thanks again,

Paul.

Hi Paul,

             As the 5K engine is a transplant in your new KE11-SL, have you been given any idea from the previous owner, what the history of the 5K is ?   Is it original ?  Has it ever been overhauled ?  How many klms it has on it.

Do you live in S.E. Qld ?   They are a great transplant for any 3K or 4K, in a Rolla, as they rev more freely, being nearly perfectly square, & have that better torque at the low end.

Cheers Banjo

 

Hi Banjo.

The previous owner is deceased and therefore the family were not able to provide too much info.  Yes, I live in Brisbane bayside.

Welcome Paul.  i meant to reply earlier but have been caught up.  I have a KE15SL, however my understanding is that there a differences between what would have been a KE17SL and a KE11SL sold in Australia at the same time.  

KE15/17SL's were imported from Japan and came with 10:1 compression, longer duration camshaft, twin down draft carbs and a different twin pipe initial branch exhaust configuration.  Also a SL steering wheel in fake wood, similar gear knob, tacho dash, a different console to yours and front discs.  And an "aerodynamic, sporty appearance."

I'm no authority on KE11SL's but think they were an Australia dealer effort without the engine changes or interior additions noted above.

The console you have was a made in Australia model and a hard to find now.

The brochures I have are not Australia specific, and also list a 2 door sedan SL equipped the same as a KE15/17 SL, but they didn't come to Australia.

 

Happily I do have a newspaper cutting from 'The Sun News Pictorial' from Aug 1968 with a review of what would have been a KE10SL

If doesn’t come up well, I’ll scan it tomorrow and repost

 

Edited November 11, 20205 yr by parrot

That is absolutely brilliant Pete !  I saved your pic, rotated it 90 degrees, & read it by enlarging it. It is full of beautiful phrases.

"The choke is a typical piece of Japanese ingenuity:  Instead of a pull out knob, you slide a lever recessed into the facia."

Cheers Banjo

P.S.  If I've got the time in the next 24 hours, I might transcribe the complete review.

Yeah we're going to require photos when it arrives mate.

The noise could be a manifold gasket leak(can sometimes present like a metallic tick), but like altezza mentioned hydro lifters can stick when left to sit for years.