[weq92f]

.
Drove the truck open headers and with no O2 sensor to the exhaust shop on Tuesday morning. It was about a 6 mile trip on two lane black top back roads, across and onto one main 6 lane for a bit to the shop. The truck made it all the way there but it was super loud and just a choppy slow drive. I was worried about so many things including, because I couldn't hear it, the valve train flying apart because it was mal- adjusted!

Pulled up there just fine though and had the shop install the 02 bung in the appropriate spot, reduce the 3" flanges to my 2.5" pipes and install an H pipe behind that.

With that, I was able to hear that I've got one, maybe two tapping rockers that ~may~ need attention. Maybe, but overall that initial adjustment was pretty good! Also very apparent was a massive single cylinder exhaust leak at the head on the passenger side.

Unfortunately something else became immediately obvious, somewhere near the front of the engine a noise indicated contact of a worrisome sort. The sound was cyclic as if spinning and encountering more, then less 'resistance' over and over again and varying with engine RPM. High pitch and scratchy sort of grinding sound.

Slow and easy drive back to the shop...

Tried to pinpoint the sound using a couple tricks but was not successful so I removed the belt and fired it up....bamb! the sound is gone!!!

I was real worried that my button troubles were about to come back, I was going to find that the sound was the cam sprocket eating the block.

Only thing I can find that has any sound at all when I spin it is the water pump so I'm going to swap that out tomorrow and we shall see. The idler, tensioner, alt and ps pump seem OK to me.

-klb