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Temporary Fix?
BACKGROUND
Well, the “GM SBC Direct Shot High Performance Roller Lifter Chevy Hylift Johnson HA2148SE lifters” are at their life’s end. After about 12,000 miles and two years #4 exhaust lifter is ticking. I checked the preload a couple weeks ago and it went from .075” to .052”! [too narrow valve seats? ]. It is just about quiet at idle but off idle there is a definite tick that can be heard and with a stethoscope it is coming from the #4 exhaust. The noise is loudest by the #4 injector which is over the lifter and on the #4 header. It changes the noise level slightly with RPM changes. It did push the spring down when tightening the bolt and had to give it time to move the dial indicator needle, I removed a shim under the rocker to set it at .070” preload but did not change the tick.
Was using Castrol Edge Titanium 5w-30, tried 10w-30. Just tried off brand FVP 10-40 with a quart of Marvel Mystery Oil with no change of the tick. The motor never had dirty oil in it.
TEMPORARY FIX?
Since it is my daily driver, to give me time to order new lifters, lifter guides, heads gaskets------------
I have some Comp Cam Pro Magnum roller 1.75 ratio rockers. I am thinking to using them and setting the preload at the bottom of the lifters kind of turning them into just about a solid lifter with about .150 preload leaving about .030” more travel at the bottom. I should be able to tighten the adjustment to the bottom of the lifter travel and loosen back up for the clearance.
So that is the question, use the adjustable rockers to see if that quiets down the lifters by setting the preload at the bottom?
If that works, I will order one step stiffer springs, PAC 1218 springs and keep the heavier Magnum rockers. With some new Morels—lifters. By the way the Magnums worked fine will my old cam with Z06 valve springs.
Thanks in advance for your consideration.
Last edited by Metalchipper; Jul 2, 2023 at 11:15 PM.
The amount of time you're gonna burn trying to fix things with a bandaid, why not just fix it properly and be done with it??
Good Question, It is my daily driver and I have made a commitment to haul some stuff on a road trip this Wednesday. So I am trying to mitigate any possible damage from having too much valve train clearance. If this does not work I will need to figure out another means of transportation. I will get the parts on order.
I think I’d be concerned that the roller wheel or needles are failing. The lifter appears to be sinking into the bore.
Have you cut the oil filter?
I have the same lifters if you remember. Way less miles, but way more spring.
3/8" diameter, next step, taking the heads off
Thanks RonSSNova,
You nailed it. I jacked up the rear of the truck and added two more quarts of oil and the slight ticking was still there. Checking the oil ring on the pick up tube.
Next I dumped the oil, second time in a week and found this ring in the drain pan. The noise has not changed over the weeks, I just hope the cam is not toast.
I cut the oil filter apart and just found 4 small flicks of metal. Pushed in a magnet in the oil pan drain hole and found a couple small filings.
I can not tell from online photos that there is a ring on the lifter roller pin, it looks staked.
Planning putting the heads back together with more spring. Either PAC 1218 or Cammotions LS premium .625 Beehive # vss111303. Maybe I running with too light of spring?
Plan on putting in Morel MM7717 lifters.
Now I have to figure out how to fit my truck into my small garage. I have a 1953 308" flat head motor taking up space. My brother and plan to put that into our Dad's 1946 Hudson Coupe. Our dad put in a 1951 308" but it has a stuck piston. I never thought that retirement was so much work!
Thanks again
Well, shoot. I’ll have to listen to mine carefully. And do an oil change. Cut the filter etc.
I haven’t changed the oil since I dumped the break in oil. Been over a year, but not very many miles. I don’t drive it all that much.
being a brand new short block that I built, I don’t need to have that happen.
When we bought those things, there wasn’t much available. There are now, they just cost a lot more.
As does good oil…..
Well, I pulled the head off the noisy side. Lifter looks good, no missing parts on the lifters. That 3/8" ring does not belong to the lifters! The cam looks good. Stock rockers look and feel good.
Going to look at the oiling system charts, only place I can think of is the oil by-pass in the oil pan?
Side notes: I used Felpro head bolts, when removing them most only took about 45 lbs. break away torque, then about 25 lbs. to remove them. I used a thread caser made out of a old head bolt, brake cleaned the holes and air blowed them out with a long skinny blow gun. Second time when removing Felpro head bolts the torque was low, even used the fancy torque to yield pointy gauge. Should of bought ARP head studs long time ago!
Felpro head gasket looks brand new, no leaks.
Every time I remove the heads the alignment rings are stuck in the heads? They start out in the block!
Here are some pics.
Everything looks good! Mystery part circled. mystery ring, not broken, made that way? Part does not belong to the lifters cam ok, cross hatching is there, just did not show up in the pic. The funny pattern on the pistons are from the light . Red exhaust valves 2002 5.3 piston and a Hudson Hornet, count the rings!
A part from the oil level sensor would makes sense. In the oil pan and not in the oil pressure system.
But that will have to wait until tomorrow. The front wheels are off and the truck is sitting on blocks.
Looking at pictures online I do not see a ring on the sensors, but who knows?
Well, good to know the lifter is ok. I have no idea what that mystery ring might be. I’ve built about 5 of these engines and that part is not familiar.
Thanks,
Tomorrow I will pull out the oil level sensor and see it it has parts missing.
Yup, the studs for Gen 3 cost more than newer models. Have to check around again. I wanted a excuse for switching out the lifters any way. They were OK with the extra preload, but lately they have been noisy on start up. Now I have gamble again on some different ones.
I have a set of Comp steel rollers that are adjustable, so I will put on some heavy springs and find out at lest what lifter preload works the best before ordering some new length ones.
Yup, the lost preload is strange.
Several years ago my LS1 developed a noise which got noticeably worse over about 1000 miles to the point it sounded like a pile driver. I was pretty sure it was a lifter but the engine ran strong. I had the lifters pulled and each one looked fine. Replaced the cam and added new lifters. The engine still has piston slap and is a little noisy but still runs great.
Several years ago my LS1 developed a noise which got noticeably worse over about 1000 miles to the point it sounded like a pile driver. I was pretty sure it was a lifter but the engine ran strong. I had the lifters pulled and each one looked fine. Replaced the cam and added new lifters. The engine still has piston slap and is a little noisy but still runs great.
What lifters did you end up using?
Yup, that is what I am hoping for, new lifters quieting the noise. When I overhauled the engine because of piston slap and oil usage, I was not expecting to change the after market cam I had but it was showing wear at the lobes so I put in a custom Cammotion which is working great with low end torque. But with the new and improved lifters it was noisy with the recommended preload. So i increased the preload. It started to use oil again because a previous head porting job, before the overhaul, the machine shop opened up the new valve guides too much and the valve seals came off the guides. So another valve job at a different machine shop, this time my valve stem install height was all over the place. So I had to mess with preload again.
So back to the mystery steel ring, I removed the oil level sensor and that looks good. I was hoping that I had a previous style that used a ring!
None of my tools are missing a ring, and I have good oil pressure.
Well, I pulled the head off the noisy side. Lifter looks good, no missing parts on the lifters. That 3/8" ring does not belong to the lifters! The cam looks good. Stock rockers look and feel good.
Going to look at the oiling system charts, only place I can think of is the oil by-pass in the oil pan?
Side notes: I used Felpro head bolts, when removing them most only took about 45 lbs. break away torque, then about 25 lbs. to remove them. I used a thread caser made out of a old head bolt, brake cleaned the holes and air blowed them out with a long skinny blow gun. Second time when removing Felpro head bolts the torque was low, even used the fancy torque to yield pointy gauge. Should of bought ARP head studs long time ago!
Felpro head gasket looks brand new, no leaks.
Every time I remove the heads the alignment rings are stuck in the heads? They start out in the block!
Here are some pics.
Everything looks good! Mystery part circled. mystery ring, not broken, made that way? Part does not belong to the lifters cam ok, cross hatching is there, just did not show up in the pic. The funny pattern on the pistons are from the light . Red exhaust valves 2002 5.3 piston and a Hudson Hornet, count the rings!
Don't know what the part is that you've found. What I do know is that Hudson piston has a LOT of skirt area compared to the LS piston. My $$$ would be on the LS having piston slap LONG before the Hudson will.....
Don't know what the part is that you've found. What I do know is that Hudson piston has a LOT of skirt area compared to the LS piston. My $$$ would be on the LS having piston slap LONG before the Hudson will.....
Yes, tall piston. I read somewhere that Hudson piston speed, exceeds the material used, but the large diameter of the crank throw slows-speeds up the piston so gentle that the piston does not come apart! My surviving bother and I inherited our father's Hudson from our youngest brother. Going to take much work.
Yes my truck had piston slap and started to use oil, so I OVH-ed it. I do not know what part I found is used for either. I cleaned the drain pan to save the oil because it only had 500 miles on it. So it did not come from a dirty drain pan. Might of come from the honing oil aperatice [ no help on spell check on that one!] that I use to circulate the oil when I bored out the block.
Might mix the oil with bar chain oil and spray it up into all the nice places the GM built to collect dust- mud-rust. Semi annual event----along with painting the frame. I just put in a new fuel pump for preventive maintenance. Dropped the tank so it was a good time for more Rustoleum paint.
Today I received a set of Neway seat cutters. Should of done that years ago--two times before paying shops for a valve job. I used both the Neway and Sioux before. Still need a shop to grind the valves.
I should of ordered some radius blades to blend around the sets, but i think I have some high speed steel blanks to make the various radius to cut the aluminum.
Thanks for your comment.
Temporary Fix? 
Thanks 
Yes, we have a winner 
oil level sensor? 
Still looking 
