roller lifters

[stevesLX]

Anyone here ever have problems with roller lifters being noisy when you rev the motor or drive it? If so how did you fix it? I am about 5 seconds short of blowing this thing up and buying a VW beetle. It ticks and chatters because its suppose to. I have a 89 LX stock motor and heads and a F cam. I had some head work and block work done and for 2 months now I have yet to be able to get this valve train noise to go away. I have had my preload anywhere from ,.020 to .080 and it doesn't change the noise at all. I have replaced lifters and valve springs and still no results. I dont know what else to do. If the car is just idleing its quiet but as soon as you give it gas or you drive it it just ticks away until you come back down to an idle. The parts aren't getting any cheaper and I am sick of parts chasing and nothing changing not to mention spending all my evenings in the garage for 2 months replacing valve train crap and starting the car back up to hear the same thing. I have been told so many differn't things from Crane and comp and have tried it all and nothing. The only thing I haven't done is spend money on new heads but I shouldn't have to. When I changed the lifters about a month or so ago I had gas getting into my oil which I was finally last weekened able to get that straightened out. I have been told that the gas ruined the roller lifters that I had put in there but I talk to someone else and they say no when you changed the oil that would of cleaned that out. So I need some help here if possible.

 

[68keyblr]

Have you checked for exhaust leaks? I had sworn that I had spun a bearing from the sound I was hearing but it turned out to be an exhaust leak at the header from the header bolts backing out. Might be an easy fix

 

[stevesLX]

yes I have

 

[getusummm]

You are running pedestal mount rockers, correct? The may have not set all the valve heights the same when doing the head work. You may have to add shims or remove material from the bottoms of the rocker pedastals. Unless you want to pull the heads and have them redone. I have run across this on just basic ford rebuilds. If the machinist just grinds the valves and doesnt set the valve length, they will be all over the place and rattle or never fully close. You could always convert to stud mount and have the adjustability you need to fix it.

 

[stevesLX]

I understand thats possible but with the preload I have right now I shouldn't have any noise at all. I put longer push rods in today and it doesn't sound anydifferen't than with the shorter ones. I have been told that the high volume oil pump thats on the car is whats causing all my problems. People tell me get ri of it and put a stock one on there. Dont know if thats true or not. I do know my oil pressure sits around 70-80 on the interstate and 90 if I run really hard. At idle it sites around 40-50.

 

[BlownFiveLiter]

The only problem you might see from the high volume pump is you may actually suck the pan dry and starve the engine of oil if you still have a stock pan. You didn't mention if the rockers you're using are rollers or not? If they are, they can be slightly more noisy than the stamped steel rockers, and that could be the issue in your case. I'm running stud mounted rockers, but the additional noise was enough to cause me to set the lash on them again, just to ensure I did it correctly.

 

[stevesLX]

I am using the original factory rockers. I put a set of roller rockers on there and it was just as noisy as the factory ones with the valve covers off and with them on. I have since put the factory ones back on. I give up I dont know what else to do. I have replaced pushrods, springs, locks and retainers and lifters and it doesn't sound any differen't. You can hear the ticking inside the car as well as outside the car. You can really hear it if you are along side other vehicles or a guard rail or concrete divider on the hywy. But like I said just let the car idle and no noise at all but rev it up or put it under any load light or heavy and it sounds like a locomotive. CHOO CHOO CHOO CHOO