lifter tick, please help i can't find the right info!!! :(

ok, so i put the 99' lifters in and started it up. there were lots of ticking for awhile but most of them had died down. but its been almost 3 weeks and they are still ticking. from what i have read, u r supposed to submerge the lifters in oil and push in on the check valve to get all the air out. but this makes the lifter (lash adjuster) rock hard...is that right? (side note, i did not do this...i just bled out the packaging oil and threw them in. i know this was prolly a bad idea, because they were dry, but to me putting in a rock hard lifter sounds dangerous and could possibly bend something. that is my opinion but i am no expert). please, any help asap would be great!!! thanks

The lifter may be rock hard to you but its nothing for the valve train to compress. There is a reason why that method is recommended.

i did try to do that on the first one but i couldnt get the rocker back in anyhow...so i bled it all out and made it so i could get the rocker in. but i just ordered the tool so hopefully that will be here shortly and i will re-do them all the right way :). should i switch to a thinner oil or am i ok? im running 10-40. thanks

i just soaked mine in oil for a while before installing them. No ticking and no problems.
To be honest...i didnt realize they compressed :shrug:

You did them without removing the cams or anything? I strongly recommend against that method, too many problems can occur. We used to put them in right out of the box all the time, they will prime themselves and quiet usually in like an hour. No reason they should still be making noise unless something isn't seated right or you have other issues.

Seth why do you recommend against changing lifters without removing cams? Its been done probably hundreds of times with that method with no ill effects.

Seth why do you recommend against changing lifters without removing cams? Its been done probably hundreds of times with that method with no ill effects.
Well its just kind of sketchy, especially from a business stand point I would not cut corners that much on a customers car. And on my own I just don't like that, any dirt or debris can fall in and score up a lobe and cause issues later on. I have seen rockers come unseated that probably looked ok to the person when they originally put them on, and it takes surprisingly little to bend a valve slightly if you slip off.

Kind of the same reasoning I don't change out bearings in a car. Its just not the correct way, the crank its self must be addressed, etc.

Now granted one of the guys is supposed to come show me this new tool he found that he says will make it fool proof to change out the lifters. I guess meaning that it holds everything completely secure. So maybe I will change my opinion then.

Basically for someone with not much mechanical experience this is not a good idea but I can see the argument for more experienced people. I guess for many its worth it to not have to take the timing belt off.

Makes enough sense.

I definitely agree with you on not doing bearings in the car though. That would just be foolish.

did mine w/o removing the cams. Made it a day job instead of a weekend job. I was extra careful not to scratch any cam lobes. the first few were a pain in the ass but once you figure it out you can do it easily and safely. All i used was a big-ass flat blade screwdriver to get the arm on part way, then the closed end of a wrench to push it on the rest of the way(as described on stealth316). Wrap everything in duct tape to theres no unintended metal on metal contact, and your good to go. Honestly, for all the time you save by not removing and reinstalling the cams, then setting the timing, the only drawback is a bit more effort with the arms and a bit and some extra care not to scratch anything.
Not criticising your methods, and i can see why i'd want a hired mechanic to remove the cams, but for working on your own car i'd definitely save the time.