Hello all! I am needing some instruction on how to clean my lifters. I recently rebuilt my engine and it had no ticking or tapping until the 500 mile break in. I broke cam in for 20-25 mintues and changed oiled. I drove engine 250 miles changed oil. the lifters on one side started tapping right a 500 miles. I want to take them about to see if any trash or debre is in them. Also what do I need to look for to tell if a lifter is bleeding down correctly when I got the intake off and turn the engine? Thanks Julian
Julian, you said the lifters on one side have gotten noisy? Is it by chance the driver's side? If it is, you probably have the dreaded cam bearing melt down problem. As to your original question, you would remove each lifter individually and compress the plunger a little and remove the retaining clip. If the lifters have oil in them, which they should, you will probably need a way to compress the pluger with something other than just your hand pressure. Don't mix up the lifters, they need to go back exactly in the same spot they came out of. Jim Burek P.A.E. ENTERPRISES
Cam melt down problem. If the cam bearing was missing teeth wouldn't the engine mis real bad and the oi pressure drop. I am sitting at 50 to 60lb engine hot and my engine runs with no quivers, just an anoing ticking sound from the front driver side. I have had the valve covers off and lessoned it sounded like the front lifters on the driver side. I replaced the one I thought it was, and the sound quiten down some but is still there. Please clarify cam bearing melt down and other symptoms besides noise.
I doubt the front cam bearing is gone. I just put new one's in when I rebuilt the engine. The engine bearly has 500 miles on it. The engine is still tight. I have had the intake off, its oiling fine.
I don't care if the engine has only 5 minutes on it, it still could have melted out the front cam bearing. If you are only having trouble on the driver's side lifters, this is the first thing I would suspect. Jim Burek
Thanks for information, I will keep that in mind after I replace all the lifters since rebuild and put my stock solid ball pushrods back in. I am so going to replace any rockers that have worn tips. If this does not stop the ticking sound, the next step is to pull the cam and check the bearing. There is was plenty of oil on the driver side head bank, so I am under the impression if the front bearing burns then I would have no oil pressure on this side and the cam gear would be toast. Call me crazy but I think its a lifter that not holding it prime. I will update once I am done.
Cuz, I've burned 4 cam bearings in only a couple hundred miles a piece. It happens almost immediately. Was this engine rebuilt recently? Changing lifters won't do anything except cost you $$ and time. Give it a shot, but I'm betting front cam bearing. How far past flush with the front of the block is the passenger-side galley plug that is behind the cam gear? It must be flush and no deeper. What valve springs are you using? What oil pump do you have? I hope not a high volume/hi pressure pump.
1) What is an immediate time frame for this? 2) Yes the engine was put together in Feb. The ticking started in March right at 500 miles. 3)Stock 340 Valve Springs 4) Yes I am using Hi Volume Pump with a Pressure Plate 5) What do you mean about the passenger-side galley plug. More detail please, so I know what to look for when I replace the lifters. Thanks
