Hello,

I got the Dart running this weekend. I bought it with 74,000 miles from older couple, and they said they couldn't start it. Turns out the starter switch was stuck, easy fix. She started right up after 3 trys, with the ignition key turned on and a screwdriver on the starter. It idles great, but when I took it for a ride, above 2500 rpms (I think) it sounds like the valves are rattling. Didn't sound healthy. Is this common? What should I do?

Your description sounds like the valves need adjusting pretty badly. Buy a new valve cover gasket, and if you need one, a feeler guage set. Pull the valve cover, (with the engine warmed up), and adjust the rocker arm nuts/studs to .010 on intake and .020 on the exhaust valves. (Measure between valve top and rocker arm) You will have to rotate the engine until the valve you're going to adjust is fully closed. (No tension on the rocker or pushrod)

You'll probably get a better response or two before this thread is done.

Oh....and welcome to the board.

Roger

Hi, guys. Sounds like a typical slant, having rattley valves. Easy fix. The older Chilton used to have a 3/4 page tech tip, probably the most remembered one in the whole book; the valves are meant to be adjusted with the engine running, and warmed up, now this takes a little getting used to, but the part I remember most, was the one that they said to go to the boneyard and get another valve cover off a junker, cut it in half, (lengthwise) toss the half that would go to the manifold side and bolt the distributor side to the head , start it and adjust away, with less oil slopping over the head, now just let it idle, to further keep the oil spray to a minimum. I once had a 69 Dodge D100 truck, I bought it from 2 mechanically challenged 18 year olds, that just bought it to get them home to Illinois from the Carolinas, and they told me that they thought it had a clutch problem, even though it was a freshly replaced clutch. Seems that whenever the trans was placed into 3rd (3 on the tree), the truck fell on its face, and any shifting had to happen with the engine screaming near the red line. Upon checking it out, 4 of the 6 cylinders had NO compression. It seems that whoever adjusted the valves had done it with the engine COLD, and when it would warm up, the parts would swell to a point of not letting the valves close completely As soon as I readjusted them, it ran like a million bucks! You could pull up to any Mopar in the days before wrong wheel drive and underpowered 4 bangers, and instantly tell that the car next to ya was a slant because of the valve noise... You'd be surprised how quiet they can be, and how much better they run when adjusted right. C ya later, Don

Had one so out of adjustment it bent all the pushrods and to boot all the adjustment bolts were rounded off! After replacing rocker arms and pushrods (strange, brand new set in trunk when I purchased the car..hmmm?) all its ills disapeared at least mine dosen't sling oil all over the nearest acre. Remember safety first DO NOT WEAR LONG SLEEVES WHILE ADJUSTING.