I'm looking at buying a '63 Electra. The owner says it runs good but he can hear the lifters tapping. The car is out of state and I haven't seen it yet, but I'm wondering if lifter clatter is normal for a 60,000 mile nailhead and just needs adjusting, or is it a sign of something serious to come? I appreciate all comments. Thanks Pat
Hi Pat. I can't beleive nobody fielded this. To the best of my knowledge, the valvetrain on a nailhead is not adjustable. Lifter noise is never a good thing. Could be lots of things, and most of them are easy fixes, but they are fixes to be made, after all. 60,000 miles on a '63 car doesn't sound quite right...how many times has the odometer turned over?
Thanks Chris, I was wondering if and when someone would say something. It's suppose to be an original 60,000 mile car, and judging by the pictures, I would say it is, but who knows. I'd like to know what the fixes are, and if it's safe to drive it 200 miles as is? Pat
Ticking lifters could be a sign of low oil pressure, or just plain not enough oil in the pan! Possibly a bad lifter or 2 mixed in the bunch...if it's been sitting. Stuck lifter? Broken lifter? Most of these problems can be fixed by pulling the intake and valve covers. I would definitely check out the oil situation though. Get a pressure guage.
The oil passages in the heads leading from the camshaft and going to the rocker shafts are likely plugged with sludge, and the valve guides are probably worn and making the noise due to a lack of oil.:bglasses:
I have had several engines that did that after sitting for years. Most cleared up after running. I used additives in most of them to clear them up. If it is a low mileage car, I would not expect it to be worn out. With low miles like that, you would think it was taken care of too. Who knows, it might be 160 K miles though.
I saw this over on Bill S's site, buickstreet.com. Could be worn rockers/shafts. Here's a link http://www.buickstreet.com/buickstories.html#technicalinfoforolderbuicks
i'd like to offer some things to look for to determine a cars mileage as, say, 60,000 ORIGINAL (as in unrestored) or 160,000 I bought a '69 Skylark that had 47,000 one-owner, little old lady miles and after having quite a few other 69's over the years, little things "talk" to you.....telling you they are not worn out like on a high mileage car. Here are some examples...... * Turn signal Operation - On a low-mileage car, the lever should "Snap" into the left or right turn position, and back to neutral. On worn cars, the "Snap" is gone * Brake Pedal wear - On a low mileage car there usually isn't any wear on the rubber ridges. On a high miler, the top or bottom of the right side edge of the pedal usually show wear-down of the plastic.....like the heel of an old pair of sneakers * Interior Door Handle Play - on Low-Milers, there usually isn't any side-play, just a nice tight up and down movement * Wear of paint off of the dashboard switches * Exterior door lock play - In a low-miler the key engages the lock mechanism as soon as you start to turn it - on high milers, there is usually play before the mechanism engages. * Keys themself - If they have the original keys, the highpoints shouldn't be rounded off too much These are just some general guidelines and things to look for - Not having them does not mean its NOT a low mile car.....If the car was used often but only for very short trips these things could wear with the odometer showing little mileage Hope this helps some.....
