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i need help! engine ticking?? 3800

thanks so much.... im off work tomorrow so i think ill go pick the lifters up tomorrow and the intake manifold gasket and have at it....
 


While I'm 99% sure since it sounds familiar, I'm gonna say wait and see if anyone disagrees. Don't want any wasted money on my conscience. :th_winking:

While getting the intake gasket, get the newer design made from aluminum. You'll never have to do it again if you use those.
 
I'm going to agree with Sabre and say that it's a lifter. You may want to see if you can get a nice low-mileage set of lifters from Ed Morad. It'll be a bit cheaper than getting new ones if you're on a budget.
 
ok so i just couldnt take it anymore and went ahead and tore it down today... im gonna go to auto zone and buy the lifters tomorrow but went ahead and got most of everything taken apart today... will i be able to see anything visibly wrong with the lifters once i take them out??? if so ill check them out before i go and buy new ones.... and how many should there be..... like i said this is all new to me.... from what i counted i think there should be 12 just wanted to double check before i get to putting it all together and may have forgotten some.....
 


Yep, 12 valves so 12 lifters.

Depends on how it collapsed on if you'll see a difference. I'd just keep comparing each to the rest and you're bound to see something a little different.
 
When you pull the lifters out, look on the bottom side, opposite the end with the roller. You'll see a retaining clip on the bottom side. Try and push in on that end of the lifter. If it pushes in easy, its likely the one that was collapsed or not pumping up properly. You can disassemble them but I dont know that it would be worth trying to repair it since they can be replaced so easily.
 
ok now that ive gotten all the way in there.... ive pulled all the lifters out and they dont seem to look any different from each other to me..i did notice something that i thought may not be right... however i really dont know what im talking about...... lol ive uploaded a pic that kinda shows what im talking about.... notice the lifters on each end seem to be sitting up quite a bit higher than the others.... and its only that way on that side... are they supposed to be that way and im just being paranoid or could there possibly be something deeper??
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v713/imbangnurchik/IMG_0199.jpg
 
Yup that's normal, remember they go up and down along with the lobes of the cam shaft. If the lifter is on the highest part of the cam shaft the lifter will also be at its highest. If you manually turn the engine and push on the lifters you will see that they will go down while others will come up.
 


Seeing as how they are suspect and you already have it apart and have the parts, yes go ahead and replace them. Remember to refer back to one of my earlier posts on how to adjust them. Have you taken them out and inspected all of the lifters yet?
 
yes ive taken them all out and inspected them..... they dont seem to look any different to me and when i tried pushing in on the clip part they seem to be firm....
 
Make sure to put a little oil on the bottom of them before you put them into the engine, this will prevent galling the cam and the lifters. Before you put the push rods back in inspect them too and make sure that they are straight. Keep us informed!!
 
the push rods seem to be straight i did oil the lifters up before i put them in.... however a couple of the lifters i just bought arent sitting too well with me.... i pushed in on the side with the clip and i have a couple that are giving way pretty easily.... so im gonna take them back and get different ones.... id be pretty pissed if i got it all back together and a couple of the new lifters were damaged before install..... i also forgot to get a torque wrench while i was out earlier today as well..... i should get it all back together by tomorrow evening... ill let you all know how it goes.... thanks so much..
 
I wouldn't be worried about new ones giving, they have not been pumped with oil. This happens after the engine has been started. After that they will be just as hard and even harder to compress then the ones you can't compress now. Yeah you need a torque wrench for sure.
 


Lifters that have not been soaked in oil will give some as Blown97 indicated. You're supposed to let them soak in oil overnight but Ive also seen info from Crane Cams I believe it was that said you should put them in as is without soaking. But its generally accepted to soak them in oil.

Since all the old ones were nice and firm Im wondering if that is really the issue. However, there is always the chance that once they were warmed up they could have been expanding enough to open up clearances to such a point that perhaps that caused an issue.

Anyway, good luck with putting it all back together and be sure to take your time and double check everything, including and perhaps especially torque specs.
 
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