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Lifters

gettinbetterXJ

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Great Lakes IL
1988 I6 with what sounds like bad lifters. I did the stethoscope trick and narrowed down the noise to what I think is the second set of rocker arms area. I went and bought the new lifters and was all set to remove and replace them...at which point it occurred to me that I hadn't seen anything that looked like lifters. Do I really have to pull the head off and everything else associated with that job to get to them? Besides intake manifold power steering pump, compressor and heater hoses and vacum lines is there anything else I need to think about while doing this? Also the engine is brand new from Marshall engines only around 3500 miles on it. Would it be easier to just call them and see if they'll pay to have it done? The parts were all cheap enough. Thanks in advance for any help or opinions.
 
Before you go pulling everything apart, try a can of Rislone oil additive. It can help loosen up sticky lifters. I have an old trick that I do, but don't necessarily recommend it to everybody. I take two quarts of diesel, a quart of transmission fluid, and a quart of oil. I run that for about 10 minutes with a new filter, change the filter, run it for another 5 minutes. Then drain, put in new oil and filter. Run it for a day or two, then change the oil again. This stirs up all the crud and hopefully flushes it out. It can be nasty on an engine, but it also can fix the problem.

Changing a lifter on an old cam can be tricky. The surfaces of the cam and lifter work harden during the breakin process. They wear to match each other. Placing a new lifter on an old hard cam can lead to a fast failure of the new lifter. It is especially bad to put old lifters on a new cam, less so for the new lifter on an old caml, but never the less, it is an iffy proposition. If you are going to pull the lifter, I would recommend taking the lifter apart and cleaning it, then replacing it. Most times, the lifter is just fine, but clogged and stuck in the collapsed position. Another problem can be a valve spring that is shot.
 
It certainly seems strange that a low mileage engine should have lifter problems already. I would see if there is any warranty or compensation from the rebuilder. Perhaps they didn't get the cam bearings lined up right, hence little / no oil to the lifters.
Yes, the head, and all associated peripherals have to come off to change the lifters. Not a pleasant job.
 
fuel in oil

On reading some old posts about lifter problems I read Eagle asking somebody if there was fuel in the oil, but didn't sya anything else. I recently changed my oil and it smelled strongly of gas. I also just replaced the exhaust pipe hanger and noticed a lot of carbon build up on the tail pipe. Is this an indication of other more serious or maybe even easier to fix problems?
Thanks for the replies folks.
 
Certainly oil that is diluted with gas might cause noisy lifters. I can't imagine how gas would get into your oil, tho... on older engines with mechanical fuel pumps, the diaphram would sometimes rupture and allow gas into the crankcase, but with an external electric pump ???
I agree that you might try an additive like Rislone, maybe its just a lifter thats a bit sticky. It worked for a while on mine, but I finally ended up pulling the head.....
BTW, old_man is right about old cams and new lifters. Sometimes you can get away with it, sometimes not!
 
Fuel in the oil will thin the oil, which will inhibit the ability of the lifters to retain a little pressure and "pump up" - which is what happens to take the "lash" out of the valvetrain ("lash" is the free space at one or both ends of the pushrod - and our valvetrains are non-adjustable, so the lifters MUST be able to pump up with oil under pressure!)

How could fuel get into the oil? Blowby - do a compression check if you are worried. There isn't much in the way of contamination paths otherwise for fuel to oil.

Before you start the job, check the studs holding the head down (driver's side of the block) for paint spots. If you see paint on the head bolts, get a new set. They are a variation of "torque to yield" as used on Diesel engines, and can only be torqued twice before they lose their usefulness...

5-90
 
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