... I would sure recommend this before you start taking things apart that you may never get back together again.
Ken, I'm gonna definitely repeat this advice to myself every step of the way...
And I will put the oil in and start the soaking as soon as I have time to pick some up, hopefully today.
I'm just not sure I have the patience to wait a week without doing something... On top of that, I'm at the point I really want to see this noise... As much as I want it to be varnish that will disolve and be gone with a magic cure, the sound and vibration that occurs really seems to have more to it than that... I even freed up the top of the push rod so I could actuate the rocker/valve manually, and no noise when just the valve moves. The noise still happens though when the cam/crank/pistons move without the valve...
I seem to remember people referring to an interference problem between the connecting rods and camshaft lobes if there's a slight out-of-time problem on the cam.
That sounds like something I will be able to spot, without taking anything more apart, and it explains all the facts...
Thanks again every body!
Keith
