289 pulley issue / knock

[RRTEC]

I have been working on my 1965 with a Mustang 289 and c4, and I have been trying to track down a "knocking noise".. PO told me it was the mechanical fuel pump which I replaced only to still have the same sound. I spent some time with a mechanics ear and was unable to locate the sound anywhere on the block or oil pan while running. I did however notice that the crank pulley had a broken bolt connecting it to the harmonic balancer. I am going to take the belt off and see if the noise goes away.

If it is the broken pulley bolt while I wait on a new HB and pulley would it be ill advised to just square the pulley up and weld that one broken bolt section to the HB?

The other issue is the alternator seems to be set back about 1/2 inch from the other pulleys. I am assuming this can be remedied by spacing?

Thanks in advance.

[unibody madness]

I had the same problem with my 292 y block and found the engine rebuilder left off a spacer behind the fuel pump eccentric. I do not know if the 289 was built the same way but an easy check would be to remove the fuel pump and attempt to wiggle the eccentric with a long screw driver. if it wiggles you may have found the issue

[LM14]

SBF doesn't have any spacer behind the fuel pump eccentric. There are 1 piece and 2 piece eccentrics. Don't use a 2 piece. If the bolt is broken in the middle of the eccentric, it can let the eccentric hit the back of the timing cover and make awful noises. You would also see aluminum in your oil. The only thing that locates the eccentric on the end of the cam on a SBF is the 3/8 bolt in the center and a dowel pin that is offset. If the cam has been changed it's possible they used a short dowel instead of one long enough to go thru the timing gear (most cam kits come with a short and a long dowel) and eccentric both. I've seen that happen a couple times and it will let the eccentric move around a lot. Usually breaks the cam/eccentric retaining bolt.

Do NOT weld the pulley back together or to the balancer. Steel pulley Just asking for trouble. Get the correct parts.

Unless it's really loose on the balancer, I doubt it is your knocking sound. Check torque converter and flex plate bolts. Also a cracked flex plate will make a lot of noise. If the pulley is cracked it can make a lot of noise as it moves back and forth against the crack.

Simple spacers behind the mouts should line up your alternator with no problems.

SPark

[tomrooster]

I had a wrist pin knock on a fe a while back , very hard to find out that it was a wrist pin. Tom

[RRTEC]

I took off the belt and the knock went away. Ordered a new balancer and pulley.