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MG MGA - tappet noise

Can anyone tell me if fitting an alloy rocker cover will lesten the tappet noise, thank you, Vin.
Vin Rafter

Vin, there was a discussion on tappet noise a little while ago and the best advice I received was to run the engine with the rocker cover off and place a feeler guage under each tappet. This quickly identifies which tappets are very noisy and they can then be adjusted down a little. B series engines do tend to have noisy tappets its part of their charm as long as its not excessive but if you want a really quiet engine then yes an ali' cover will reduce the noise level and as you suggest its one of the reasons that owners fit them.
J H Cole

Hi Vin, I took the alloy rocker cover off mine when I bought it and replaced it with an original cover - I cannot say I noticed much difference in tappet noise between the two .
Cam Cunningham

I succombed to the same snake oil pitch when I put an aluminum cover on my 1500 during restoration. My 1st running MGA was a 1600 and I was not impressed hearing the valve clatter all the time. I have to admit I didn't notice much difference once I got the 1500 up and running.

Unless you want the shiney bits for looks, stay with the stock cover.

Chuck
Chuck Schaefer

Vin, check for wear on your rocker shaft and rockers by giving each one a twist and seeing if they move adversly. I had a lot of 'tappet' noise on mine but cured it (as much as you can on an MGA) by replacing the worn shaft plus two rockers.
Lindsay Sampford

This thread was discussed between 17/05/2010 and 18/05/2010

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This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGA BBS is active now.