No worries Rick. Just trying to have a little fun with Chanmadd! I need help. Here is more of the saga.
I changed the entire spring set with a general theory that there may have been a quality issue with the lot of inner springs used in my heads. Then recalibrate my REV limiter down to 5700 RPM, problem solved? I agree with Phil, no small task to change a complete set of springs, especially working over the fender of an aluminum car. Using 100 psig of shop air pressure to spark plug hole and a lever fork spring compression tool, I successfully very carefully replaced all the inner and outer springs. I also re- shimmed a couple of the rocker arms on the Erson rocker banks to better center the roller tips over the valve stem ends. Let's get back to the springs later. Here is the problem that evolved. So I broke two of the lifters with the push rods not properly centered in the lifter cups. When I realized what happened, I was able to fish out the broken metal with a magnet. Inspecting the broken lifter, the main body and snap ring was still intact even though the edge was broken, so I adjust the rockers and decided to fire up the engine. Now as the engine warms, I have a lifter tap. More monkeying and it seems like the tapping lifter is not pumping-up. Valve covers back off, I was able to fish out one of the affected lifter pairs and replace with a used Crane hydro roller lifter from a friends engine. He had broken lifters in the same fashion and replaced all his lifters; I was obviously not the first to break these Crane lifters. Back together again, same lifter tap and same lifter is not pumping up. Now I’m really ticked off…I walk away for a month. Back to trouble shooting, I borrow a cut open valve cover to run the engine with valve train exposed. I was able to determine the lifter affected would stop ticking if I adjusted down to the bottom of hydraulic travel, down to solid lifter. Now I decide to fish the affected lifter back out and try to swap with the lifter pair next piston over not ticking. Long story short after significant surgery, I was not able to fish the other lifter back into place. Since I can’t reinstall the lifters, time to pull intake manifold. I’ve done that in this engine…again, no small task. I walk away again.
Theory 1: I replaced a bad lifter with another bad lifter. What are the chances?? It was a used lifter with no working history??!! Possible??
Theory 2: The second broken lifter (still in place) was causing the other lifter not to pump up and therefore the tapping lifter. Not very plausible since I assume all lifters in one side would not pump up due to low
oil pressure to hydro lifters.
Due to
oil leaks and a very dirty engine and engine compartments, I decide to pull the engine, fix
oil leaks (I know, its, an FE). Pull the intake and replace lifters. I want to know I have replacement lifters before I take the engine completely out of the car. Now I have trust issues with the Crane Lifters from what I‘ve heard from you guys and will probably replace them all with Morels. I did not have a ticking lifter before changing the valve springs, but then broken lifers and who knows what else. Thoughts on what you have read before I proceed?
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