My 340 has developed some valve train noise on #6 or #8, so I'll be tearing into it soon. The noise is not real bad at startup and idle, but I can still hear it. At speeds it's worse, especially when you give it a little gas. If I don't find an issue with the rockers or pushrods (adj. Smiths) then I have to consider changing the lifters and possibly the cam (TA-284-88). I had the valve covers off last fall and I couldn't find any abnormal clearances when the valves were closed on the heal of the cam. As I recall the lifters were holding pressure so everything was tight. I didn't remove the rockers to inspect them but I did start the engine without the valve covers on. I did notice that some pushrods rotated faster than others. I figured that was due to slight differences in length from my original adjustments. My question is... Can I remove a lifter, clean it and reinsert it without worrying about disturbing and loosing the cam lobe later? I do know that I can't change lifters because each is mated with it's cam lobe, and to do so would wipe out the cam. Also, if I do have to change the cam/lifters then I'm going to change the head oiling through the pushrods and I'm thinking about going with Rhoads lifters. Has anyone here used Rhoads in a 340, and how was the results? By the way when I did the rebuild I used OEM lifters. As I recall... When I originally adjusted the pushrods I expanded them till I could just feel/see the lifter spring compress and then I gave it a quarter turn more, making sure the pushrod could still spin freely with little friction. I just don't remember if my pushrods were hollow or not. Will find out soon enough.
Yes you can remove a lifter at a time to clean, then re-install over the same lobe. Double check your pushrods to make sure you have the correct ones, AND your lifters too, as far as proper oiling (hollow or solid)
