330 help

[Old Red]

i own a 1966 olds f-85 with the 330 in it. every time that i fire it up there is a loud clicking noise. i think it might either be a hole ,or something of the sort, in the drivers side header or possibly a sticky valve. the noise sounds like its coming from the bottom of the car.

this clicking noise also makes my driver side exhaust rattle badly and spit out white smoke.

any help is much appreciated. i can post a video if requested.

[Oldsmaniac]

White smoke is usually caused by coolant getting into the cylinders. A bad head gasket or cracked head would do it among other things. An exhaust leak can make a clicking noise but so can a lot of other things....your problem is very hard to pinpoint in a forum like this...

[Old Red]

yeah i realize that...but no mechanic around where i live will even touch my car. its really weird what my car does because some days its very audible and some days (like today) there is no sound at all. thanks for the help

[Oldsmaniac]

Yeah, It would be hard to find a mechanic to work on an old car. Today's cars are diagnosed on the computer for the most part. I would say you should become as familiar with your car as possible and learn while doing when it comes to some repairs. It may be helpful to join an old car club if there is one in your area....talk to others and they can maybe lead you to good mechanic for old car problems.

[Warhead]

Speaking of bad head gaskets...(this is how I bought the car)
The steel shim head gaskets on my 65 330 were soooo badly corroded, the cumbustion pressures were leaking between the head and block, cracked the exhaust manifold, and there was a cracked cylinder (due to water seepage) on the pass bank.
The previous owner just kept driving it/dumping water in the rad.
The damage was extensive.
There is a reason for these composite head gaskets.

I have a sweet std/std steel crank for sale from it, if anyone is interested.
Jim in Phx.