I heard tapping noise coming from my valve cover. Sounded like metal to metal contact. I got home frmo work and pulled my valve covers. One of my rockers arms had no preload on it and was just flapping. So today, I pull the head, with the thought of it being a collapsed lifter so I bought another lifter for replacement. I go to pull out the lifter in the area where the rocker arm was flapping, and the lifter comes up a little and then stops. It is stuck in the lifter bore. I tried pulling it out with pliers and it didn't work. How do I get this lifter out???

 

Well first off, I'm sorry to hear of your loss.

Had a problem with a customer engine this spring.
The pin for the roller decided to exit out one end of the lifter, gouging it into the lifter bore. I managed to remove it with a slide hammer with an expandable end that can grab the inside of the lifter body under its upper most edge.
This technique will guarantee damage to the length of the lifter bore as you are pulling it out the top. I don't know any other way to remove it other than engine disassembly first and try to push it down from the top. There will likely still be some degree of damage to the bore.

I pulled the motor, stripped it down and sent it off to be bored and sleeved with some fairly special mill/fixture (in a different city)
They also need to remove the cam bearings for the fixture.
Took a month to get it back, was expensive and the engine is still not re-assembled.

If you end up with similar damage, it may be cheaper/faster to just buy another new or used block.

BTW,
These were Comp-R lifters with very little time on them. Quality control?
You be the judge.

Condolences,

T

 

where can i find this slide hammer with an expandable end tool?

 

can you describe the sound a little more? ive been trying to figure out the noise on my buddys ta for a little while now, i finally pulled the valve cover yesterday to check the torque and all were tight, the noise was quiet and only made the noise when hot now it does it all the time, i was thinking maybe worn rocker and hoping that the tsb i saw for rocker needle bearings falling out wasnt this

 

If you need a slide hammer to get it out you're going to wind up pulling the engine....if you can't coax it out, pull the cam and see what you have. Which lifter is it? (guessing #3 cylinder)

 

+1, No need to cause more damage by removing is through the lifter bore. You MAY also be able to see if ther is a loose roller pin by looking through the lifter bore next to it.

 

Passenger side, the 4th lifter from the front (counting back towards the cabin). I don't know which cylinder it is.

 

So I should pull out the lifter next to it?

 

You amy as well give it try. the #4 cylinder shouldn't be too bad to work with once the cam is out also. Try the lifter next to it first and if you have no luck pull the cam.

 

My buddy and I had a lifter failure a while back and it wiped out a lobe on the cam and we just pulled the cam and used a telescopic magnet pen and pulled the lifter out of the camshaft hole. no slidehammer on damage to the block

 

Don't pull if from the top, pull the cam and slide it out the bottom otherwise you may are facing much more damage.

 

I agree

 

cam is coming out and Patrick G spec'd me a custom cam thats going to provide more power throughout the rpm band than my current ms3 cam.

 

Sorry for the bad news but you gotta pull the heads to get'em out.

 

"Don't pull if from the top, pull the cam and slide it out the bottom otherwise you may are facing much more damage".

Good time to upgrade that cam like you said..

 

That's exactly what I'm doing. I'm going for more area under the curve this time instead of just top end, it should make for a faster ride.