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Lifter Noise 454

J

johnathan

1/2 ton status
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Sep 26, 2005
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Location
Ocean Springs,MS
I have a tapping lifter. I have adjusted away the tap twice but it keeps returning after 20 or so miles. Is this a bad lifter or is there another culprit? Anything I could check or test without tearing into the motor. It is a 73 454 stock cam.
 
If the same lifter continues to loosen a lobe on the cam may be wiping out. Do you have any evidence of metal in the oil?
 
I have issues with a near new set of lifters, adjust them, tapping comes back in short time, lifters just not holding pressure is my bet, had it happen in a few motors in the past when growing up, I remember dad replacing a few now and then.

Lifters aren't that expensive, just everything needed to do the job gets alittle pricey.
 
I bet a cam lobe is going flat myself....if the rocker arm on that valve doesn't appear to move as far as its neighboring ones do--start saving up for a cam & lifter replacement....just about every Chevy V8 I've had ,needed a cam after 50K miles..
 
I'll pop tha valve cover and watch it. There is a very fine dust of metal in the oil. I broke in the cam with the right oil and additive, rpm etc. The engine is fairly new. When I adjusted the rocker nut it only took a nudge to shut it up. For the next week and a half this is my only ride. Is it going to hurt to drive it?
 
OH,its already had a cam put in it!..:doah:...

Then I'd be sure the lash was adjusted properly--how far past zero lash did you go??--a half a turn is all most aftermarket cams & lifters need,though GM says 1-1/2 turns after zero lash (the point where the ticking JUST stops) is the correct setting--but I've seen many cams wipe the lobes off quick if you set them to stock specs...the oil is important too,few oils today are good for flat tappet cams now,they took most of the zinc out,which helped the lobes live...many guys use only certain brands of racing oil or diesel rated oils with more zinc in their older engines due to that..

As for hurting it by driving it,I cant say,but some damage is already done maybe,so its a toss up whether it will make things worse...probably not,but I'd at least put a new oil filter on it and stick a magnet to it to catch any more metalflakes in the oil,you certainly dont want them circulating all thruout the engine...its possible that some other part shed the metal bits and THEY clogged a lifter too,and made it collapse and start ticking...some lifters never do pan out too,as stated before--I've had some that clattered like crazy one day and were silent the next!..
 
I run Valvoline VR 1 racing oil. It contains the zinc and phosphurus. I went 3/4 turns past zero on the initial adjustment but as far as adjusting the lash on the bad one I did it with
the engine running. I just gave it an eighth of a turn or so. This is the second time I have adjusted it. Is there any way to test to see if it is a bad lifter/collapsed lifter?
 
Not that I know of,other than it continuously ticking on and off or collapsing..sounds like you did everything right,and still are getting greif!..:doah:....perhaps that lifter isn't getting oil pressure as well as the rest are due to a blocked oil passage???..watch how much oil flows from the push rod on that valve with it running if possible...

I have squirted carb cleaner fown the push rod hole before to clean a sticky lifter....also dont overlook the rockers,perhaps one is about to fail or has been cutting a groove in a rocker arm stud ...one 454 I had lost several cam lobes and the rocker actually wore down the valve stem,mushroomed it badly and was slapping against the valve spring retainer--was lucky it didnt let the keepers fall out and drop a valve!..
 
Well I checked everything over and the pushrod is worn bad at the rocker end. It is pretty well galled up. The lifter end looks great. I checked two more and while they are'nt as bad they don't look to be wearing right. If I recall the pushrods are crane cheapo's and the rockers are the comp magnum roller tip. The rockers look fine, no wear at all at the pushrod seat and the rollers look to be wearing fine. Also the rocker stud s look fine. ?????
 
how do the valve stems look? good wipe pattern?
sounds like it may just be weak pushrod material, and as it wears, its getting some lash into the valvetrain.

get a pushrod checker and order some p-rods to size.

thats being hopeful at least... itd be nice not to have to replace lifters or the cam.
 
Standard hollow pushrods, right?

Is the oil getting all the way through? Almost sounds like its not oiling at the top.
 
Maybe you'll luck out and it'll be just the pushrods that were wearing ---or bent possibly--roll them on a peice of window glass and listen ,if they go clunk-clunk-clunk ,then they are bananas!...Pushrods oten get tweaked when the valveas are being adjusted,tightening the rocker arm nuts too quickly without allowing time for the lifter to bleed down often results in a bent push rod--valve heads can hit the pistons too,doing that...
 
I talked with someone at Comp Cams about my situation. He said if it were an oiling issue I would likely have discoloration. He says it may be the softer material of the pushrod and I should go with some good chromoly rods. I'm going to double check the length order up some rods and hope for the best. I would like to thank everyone for your help!
 
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