Lifters

[Shep69 149]

My motor has started to make some ticking and rocker noises from the drivers side. I’m suspecting a lifter may be the issue.

Any recommendations on what replacements brands I should go for. 

Cheers Mark.

[barnett468 418]

you need to try and determine the exact cause of the problem first. in some cases, it is as simple as the lifters being varnished and sometimes some seafoam or rislone or lucas oil additive will clean them out and the will work again. the lucas product works well.

if they are adjustable, i would try to adjust them first and determine which ones re noisy. also remove the rockers from the noisy ones and look for wear on the valve tip and rocker and rocker ball area etc but keep the rockers in order so you can put them back on the same valve.

if they are not adjustable, you can try slightly longer push rods in the noisy ones.

if they are press in rocker studs, lay a straight edge across the top of them to see if any are higher than the others. if any are, the studs could be pulling out of the head. this frequently happens when bigger cams and/or stiffer valve springs are installed in heads with press in rockers.

if you remove the lifters and there are actual scratches on the bottoms of any that you ca easily feel with your fingernail, the cam is junk.

crane anti pump lifters and crower col face cam oiler lifters are some of the best ones. johnson is also making lifters again but you need to make sure you are getting the real johnson lifters from the real johnson company. comp cams lifters are complete crap.

[Midlife 814]

A leaking exhaust can sound very similar to lifter noises...I'd check that out first.

[Shep69 149]

7 hours ago, barnett468 said:

you need to try and determine the exact cause of the problem first. in some cases, it is as simple as the lifters being varnished and sometimes some seafoam or rislone or lucas oil additive will clean them out and the will work again. the lucas product works well.

if they are adjustable, i would try to adjust them first and determine which ones re noisy. also remove the rockers from the noisy ones and look for wear on the valve tip and rocker and rocker ball area etc but keep the rockers in order so you can put them back on the same valve.

if they are not adjustable, you can try slightly longer push rods in the noisy ones.

if they are press in rocker studs, lay a straight edge across the top of them to see if any are higher than the others. if any are, the studs could be pulling out of the head. this frequently happens when bigger cams and/or stiffer valve springs are installed in heads with press in rockers.

if you remove the lifters and there are actual scratches on the bottoms of any that you ca easily feel with your fingernail, the cam is junk.

crane anti pump lifters and crower col face cam oiler lifters are some of the best ones. johnson is also making lifters again but you need to make sure you are getting the real johnson lifters from the real johnson company. comp cams lifters are complete crap.

Thanks for the info Barny. I don’t know that much about the motor as it was in the mustang when I purchased it . It looks to be pretty stock build with a mild cam. Stock heads with roller tipped rockers. 

I will try a flush first. Failing that I will have to pull the cover and determine what lifter it is.

Would I just replace the noisy lifter Barnett or replace the lot?

cheers 

[Shep69 149]

6 hours ago, Midlife said:

A leaking exhaust can sound very similar to lifter noises...I'd check that out first.

I wish it was an exhaust leak Midlife. Definitely sounds like a rocker noise. 

[barnett468 418]

3 hours ago, Shep69 said:

Thanks for the info Barny. I don’t know that much about the motor as it was in the mustang when I purchased it . It looks to be pretty stock build with a mild cam. Stock heads with roller tipped rockers. 

I will try a flush first. Failing that I will have to pull the cover and determine what lifter it is.

Would I just replace the noisy lifter Barnett or replace the lot?

cheers 

the cam may be pulling the stud out.

if it's a lifter i would replace them all and be done with it. i would still break them in also.

 

 

[fvike 173]

I once had a bad lifter. It was a hydraulic lifter that had collapsed. I bought one new lifter of same brand and type, swapped the internals of the new one into the old lifter body, and didn't need to break it in again. That lifter is still in the engine. Might be the cheapest fix for you if it's only a lifter.

The way to identify it is to push down on the pushrod. A healthy lifter will bleed out the oil, and offer resistance. The bad one will go straight to the bottom.

[Ridge Runner 1,112]

I like comp cams 280 H, but the comp lifters usually seem to rattle after a bit so i run crane lifters ,never have a problem with them 

[Shep69 149]

12 hours ago, Ridge Runner said:

I like comp cams 280 H, but the comp lifters usually seem to rattle after a bit so i run crane lifters ,never have a problem with them 

I know my motor has a crane cam but I don’t know what lifters were used. I’m going to put a flush through the motor as Barny advised next week and see what happens. 

[Vicfreg 771]

Shep, what kind of engine is it....?  Windsor, Cleveland...?

Before you go to all the trouble to pull the intake off, I would check the rocker studs, as Barnett has suggested.  Also, make sure none of the rocker arms are loose. 

Then, with the valve covers still off, rotate the engine by hand to see if there is anything that seems odd with the movement of the rocker arms and pushrods.  (pull the plugs out, makes it easier).   Do a few rotations by hand cranking it.  During the rotation, when each cylinder's rocker arms are not moving (valves closed, on base circle of cam), stop the rotation and try to spin/rotate the pushrod between your fingers.   If the pushrod spins freely, then you are not at "zero lash", and the rocker arm nut needs to be tightened.  If you get to a pushrod where you can't get the zero lash right, you could have a lifter issue, or your pushrod may not be long enough.