stuck lifter replacement

[Anonymous]

hello, i was wondering what steps i have to go throught to replace on of my lifter on my 250. heres what i think i have to do, tell me if im wrong

1. remove head andvalvetrain all as one piece
2. use magnet rod to remove old lifter
3. add new lifter
4. lube with oil
5. replace with new head gasket
6. torque down bolts to stock specs( does anyone know how many pounds that is?)
7. allow engine to heat up,
8. tourque bolts again.
9. enjoy no more ticking



iare these all the steps or am i in over my head? any help would be greatly appreciated.

~Dave

 

[66 E100 Pickup]

that sounds like waaayyy too much work for a lifter.

1) pull valve cover
2) loosen valve rocker for lifter you are replacing
3) pull pushrod
4) remove pushrod cover (and anything else in the way)
5) remove lifter
6) put in new lifter and reverse it all.

You may need a good lifter tool, sometimes they varnish up and don't want to go the last inch or so.

John

 

[addo]

You have to pull the head off, on the small sixes. A replacement lifter really needs breaking in, as when fitting a new cam.

 

[kukm66]

First, try to free the lifter by using chemicals.

If that does not work, you will have to pull the head and try to extract the lifter. The problem with old lifters is that they have a tendency to mushroom and extracting them from the top is not easy.

You may want to consider a valve job while the head is off and replace all of the lifters if they have a lot of mileage on them. They do not cost a whole lot and it is money well spent.

 

[CZLN6]

Howdy Dave and all:

First a few questions- Have you removed the valve cover to-
*check that oil is getting to all rocker arms and pushrod balls? A plugged oil passage will hasten the wear on the rocker and pushrod ball, causing a lifter like ticking sound.
*Check to identify which lifter(S) is stuck. Using a stephoscope or piece of vacuum hose, listen to each pushrod for the loudest tick.
*With the valve closed, make a tool to manually depress to pushrod side of the rocker to free up the stickiness. The lifter will depress only .125" so don't overdo it or you're risk bending a pushrod.

IF you can free it up this way follow up with some high detergent oil or an additive to continue the cleaning process.

IF none of these solve your problem, consider acquiring a set of adjustible rocker arms and pushrods. This may be cheaper in the long run. Then you can adjust to tick away.

FYI- you MAY be able to extract a hydraulic lifter from the top! IF you can't, you are now into a block rebuild, so that you can remove the lifter from the bottom.

FYI- If you are replacing a stock type OEM steel shim head gasket with an aftermarket composite type, you will lose compression unless you mill the head to regain the difference in thickness. A head gasket alone is about $20.00. A valve job gasket set is about $50.00 and includes new valve stem seals and all the other gaskets you're likely to need.

I'd suggest you do some more assessment and diagnosis, report your findings back and then decide what to do.

Adios, David

 

[Anonymous]

well, what i have done so far is............

i removed the valve cover and listened to the ticking it only does it some of the time, usually during startup and for the first lik 5 or 10 miles then occasionally comes back, i noticed on the pushrod side of the rocker, it spurts oil out the little hole on one of them, my friend thought tit shoulkd be spitting oil out of all of them to lube the valvetrain, i believe it is the number six cylinder, last lifter..... i have also tried numerous things prior to this..

1. seafoam through oil, ran for 100 miles then changed oil. oil came out like hershey syrup so i know that helped. then i ran some solderseal valve quieter, it helpoed a bit, then i added rislone (oil thickener) because the tick came back, so then just about a week ago i added another thing of valve quieter, it seems to be getting better but not perfect. i believe it just needs a good valvetrain cleaning, what chemcials would you suggest to make sure that the oil is making through the valve train and is properly lubricating my engine? also i am running cruddy oil, (murrays auto parts oil) which is packaged by citgo so its citgo oil which isn't the best. should i run full synthetic and see if that helps at all? thanks again to everyone for your help

~Dave

 

[66 E100 Pickup]

also i am running cruddy oil

I wouldn't use syn on your engine. Chevron Delo 15W 40.

Do NOT get the "LE" version. Some Napa stores still sell the good original stuff, but you may only find it in 1 gallon and 5 gallon containers.

John

 

[JackFish]

Marvel Mystery oil has shown results with sticky lifters, but it won't cure something that's out of spec or adjustment.

 

[fordconvert]

What worked for me on a crusty 78 Cadillac I bought last winter was 6 oil changes over about a 3 month and 3000 mile period. I think the degergents in the fresh oil and the frequent changes to get the crap out did the trick. A couple of times I dumped a quart of ATF in the morning before change day and put a few miles on.

 

[Anonymous]

also i am running cruddy oil

Chevron Delo 15W 40.

Do NOT get the "LE" version. Some Napa stores still sell the good original stuff, but you may only find it in 1 gallon and 5 gallon containers.

John

ive been using 10w-30 thats because the first time i got my oil changed at valvoline they put that in there so i thought thats what i was supposed to use. should i use 15w-40?

 

[x21]

I had to replce a couple of lifter - although in my 200- before. I figured as long as I had it all apart- may as well replace all of them. However, it should be noted my the bad lifters were actually broken. I knew just because 2 of my pushrods were A LOT lower than the other 10. Hope this helps some- good luck!

 

['61 Draggin Wagon]

I would continue to run a cleaner in the oil & change it frequently until it comes out of the engine a more normal consistancey.
You may need to remove all of the pushrods & clean them out, too. You should have oil coming out of all the rocker arm holes....

 

[CZLN6]

Howdy Back Dave and All:

Sorry to be late in response. I've been off to an Appaloosa Horse horse show in Bozeman, MT over the weekend. It's a great drive from Idaho Falls to Bozeman.

Your friend is right. All rockers should be oozing oil out of a hole on each side of the center. If plugged they typically have to be removed to reopen. If the oil channel through the shaft is plugged, no detergent cleaner/additive will open it. Oil has to be able to flow for the cleaning agent to work.

If oil is not getting through to each rocker tip where it contacts the pushrod, if you don't have excess wear now, you soon will.

Did you remove the rocker arm assembly? When you do, inspect the tops of each pushrod for excess wear. Wear usually shows up as a nipple (if the pushrod is still able to rotate) or a mohawk ridge (If the pushrod is not able to rotate) on the top of the pushrod. There is a good sticky at the top of this forum on cleaning the rocker arm assembly and modifying the rockers so they are less likely to plug up again.

The ATF recommended above is a very light weight, high detergent oil. It is a good flushing agent, but should not be used long term. Personally, I like the commercial flushes that you mentioned, but that's not to say that I haven't flushed a crankcase with a quart of diesil fuel or AFT in the past.

Lighter weight oil is better at getting through tight clearances. I use a 10/30 rated oil in the summer month and a 5/30 for the winter. In general, use the lightest oil you feel comfortable with. A high quality oil with the latest rating ("J" I think) is the best idea for keeping the inerds clean.

I'll be anxious to hear what condition your pushrod balls are in (I had to think carefully about how to word that one).

Adios, David

 

[fb71]

I'll be anxious to hear what condition your pushrod balls are in (I had to think carefully about how to word that one).

Adios, David

HA!! :rolflmao:

 

[Hot 6t Falcon]

Howdy,

I am going to chime in with my brother.

First read (and look at the pictures) http://fordsix.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=29111

The "ticking" may be entirely in the rocker shaft assembly and NO ADDITIVE WILL EVER CLEAN IT. In my experience, if the shaft and rocker orifices are clogged, it will take a drill bit to clean them. I have soaked a rocker shaft and rockers (disassembled) in parts cleaner for days to no avail. Then I put them into carb solvent to no avail... the drill bit did the trick.

When you have the rocker shaft off, look down the rear most stanchion to see the oil passage in the head that goes to the head bolt. Spray carb cleaner in that passage.

You might be able to use the drill bits with the rockers on the shaft by aligning the rocker holes with the holes in the shaft. The rockers should slide (push hard against the spring) to be able to see the shaft holes.

If the shaft is severly grooved to the point the rockers won't slide sideways, it is from lack of oil.

Let us know what happens.