Capri Technical Forum:

Hi, this is my first post so bear with me and my incompetence.
I have a 1986 2.8i with 147k on the clock (but she has been rebuilt after the 100k mark). I drove it back to uni last week and just before i got to campus i noticed a strange tapping/rattling sound. When i stopped there was some smoke. I've had a listen and the tapping is to do with the 3rd cylinder and its periphery; i took that plug out and it was black so i put a new one in and ran it for a couple of minutes and that went black aswell, the rest are fine. The smoke was from a bit of oil that is leaking from the rockerbox at the same place. She runs fine at start up but after driving about half a mile the tapping starts and gets progressively worse. It has plenty of oil. I'm gunna look at it over easter so could anyone give me an idea of what it might me? i was thinking rocker arm or tappets, hopefully not camshaft.
Thanks
Pete

hi mate i would go with checking the tappet clearances first,

cheers buddy, i'll have a look on the weekend.
Pete

Thanks, i have looked at the rocker arms and they all move fine so i dont think its the tappet clearance. Theres no longer the tapping noise but it keeps evaporating all the water. Turns out it had the wrong expansion tank cap so i replaced that hoping it would stop all the water escaping after 5 miles but its just as bad. Any suggests?

I had the same prob

It turned out to be the end rocker arm was flapping around due to the retaining washer/pin loose at the end of the rocker shaft, so the rocker arm was not working at all.

It sounded like a bad cam.