engine tapping

I need to replace hydraulic lifters on my brothers jeep wrangler 1998 6 cylinder 4.0 Liter 4x4 Is this a hard process to do for a backyard mechanic. I have never attempted it and have not looked at any books yet. any tips or advice before I attempt this would be greatly appreciated. The tapping was produced from low oil which was later filled to requirements. Tapping is heard when cold engine starts in mornings or anytime. Please give me any information that could help with this problem that would make my job easier.


Also he recently put a 4 inch skyjacker lift kit on his jeep and the shifter slips out of second when he drives. Everything else is stock what should we do to eliminate this problem.

Replacing the hydraulic lifters is not all that difficult if you are fairly experienced, take your time and by all means have a repair manual ( I use Haynes ) handy. The cylinder head will have to be removed so it will take some time. Make sure to label all wires and make note of things that might be confusing ( accesory brackets, etc...) when reassembling. As far as the tranny problem, it sounds like the lift has caused interference somewhere. I would remove the rubber shift boot and check to make sure the shift lever isn't hitting the floor pan, trimming may be needed. Also check to make sure your transfer case engages, this is even more common with lift kits because the shifter attaches to the body. Quadratech makes a bracket that will attach the shifter directly to the case instead of the body. Hope all this helps...

can't you just remove the rockers and push rods and pluck out the lifters with a removal tool?

Yeah, you should be able to do that without removing the head, and there are tools for plucking the lifters out.