Update: With help from my father, and brother-in-laws we got the van up and running this afternoon. Just need to put some water in it, and put the floor back on where the drivers seat mounts. That is a project for tomorrow, as I am hot and tired after a long weekend camping with the family,and driving home 2+ hours. The good news it runs, and the new to me Suburban tows the camper like a beast with the AC on and no over heating problems.
Hurray! 
I was out your way this weekend Tony, or at least I think I was. We were camping in Philipston,MA, and also visited my wife's cousin in Gardner.
Congrats!! Not much is more satisfying than completing a project that kicked your butt.
Toyman01 wrote: Congrats!! Not much is more satisfying than completing a project that kicked your butt.
Maybe not, but lighting it on fire and pushing it off a cliff comes pretty damned close.
That was next, poop!! I swear this thing has been the most irritating project so far.
hat an odd vehicle this is. I just realized when going over my next steps to getting the van back roadworthy that my last step is to bolt the drivers seat back into position. How many cars have that as a last step?
forget the seat a 5gal pail will do... Yes you were right out my way!
Alright guys, now I have a question. I got the van all back together, and took it for a ride. Seems to run good, but it sounds like it is knocking pretty bad. I have a question though as to setting timing. I spoke with the guy who sold me the head and I have the factory shop manual for the engine and body, but not the electrical. The van guru told me to pull a cap off of a connector in the engine bay so that I could ground it out to have the ECU remove all advance from the distributor. Well I did this and set it to the TDC mark or the mark that was most clockwise in the marks on the timing cover. I think it was marked "T". The van guru thinks the knocking may be due to the timing being too advanced. Does anyone know what I should set the timing to other than the TDC,or "T" mark with the connector grounded out?
Chris
I haven't a clue, but you might look under the hood or under the engine cover, see if there's a decal which tells you how and what to set it to.
Set it at TDC any go from there.
according to my old Chilton book. 5 before.
I set it at 5* BTDC with the wire shorted to ground like your supposed to, and the noise is still there. I'm actually not sure it is the engine now, but it is dependent on throttle input, and load. It is louder with the window open if that makes any sense.
Maybe valvetrain related? Never made this noise before the new head was installed.
Okay this is odd. This morning before work I took the van around the block to see if the noise was still present,and heard nothing odd at all. Now this was less than a half mile round trip, but I would think I should still hear the noise. Could it be I only hear it when the engine is hot? I will take it for a much longer drive tonight after work. If it is related to engine temp, any ideas?
Oil gets gets hot, pressure drops. Is it a solid knock like some one hitting the block with a hammer.? Can you play a "tune" with throttle application.?
All of these do not bode well.
Does it have hydraulic lifters? They may just need some run time to fill with oil and quite down. Mitsubishis of that era seem to all have noisy lifters on first start up.
Yes hydraulic lifters. Not a solid knock like someone hitting the block, but yes it does vary with throttle application. I don't think it is with the botom end though as it never made this noise before the new head went on. Would noisy lifters only make this noise under load, because in neutral or park the engine sounded fine yesterday, but not under load?
Mazdax605 wrote: It is louder with the window open if that makes any sense.
The engine cover is insulated, right? That would account for the difference. Can you run it for awhile with the engine cover off and someone else driving while you sit in the passenger seat and figure out where the sound comes from?
Grab a length of 5/16 steel fuel line slip some 5/16 rubber hose over the end stick hose in your ear and probe for where the sound is coming from. A long screw driver works too but in a van even the longest might be too short. Or buy cheap stethoscope from HF
Isuzus used to make a gawdawful rattle if the timing belt tensioner damper leaked all the oil out. Sounded awful, like a rod knock, and was definitely engine load dependent.
I guess it is more a clickity-clack noise that a knock. The timing belt tensioner is not hydraulic on this engine. It is really concerning me, but I am not smart enough to figure out what it is, but I can say it is only when loaded and not in neutral, and very much comes on louder with more application of throttle.
clickity-clack sounds more like lifters.
Noise will only vary with rpm. load has no bearing .
Could it be trans related, and just a coincidence that it appeared after the head was installed? I wonder because it is only when the car is in gear and moving that I get the noise. Maybe teh flexplate?
Chris
could be did you have to remove any engine mounts to pull the head do to lack of room? Like drop the front of the motor to be able to get out the head bolts etc? If so you could have stressed / bent /moved something.
Check over the exhaust real good something might just be close enough that T'ings off it when under power.
Did you loose any nuts / bolts? One might have fallen in side the exhaust and bounces around?
Automatic transmission ? Broken flex plate will make quite a racket.
Do what others have said and locate the area of the noise. Yard stick, broom stick. screw driver, stethascope, what ever.
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