valvetrain knock!

Piranahbite

Active Member
Jan 21, 2022
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American canyon
ok so my 2.3L mustangs valvetrains knocking, i pulled a spark plug and the knock got quieter but didn't go away. yesterday i asked one of the guys at a local machine shop what he thought and he said its definitely a valvetrain issue and I was wondering if any of you guys knew anything about the valvetrain on the 2.3! because I have to replace a valve cover gasket and thought why not kill 2 birds with one stone and try to eliminate the knock aswell, ill try to attach a video or picture of some sort after school today incase you guys want to here what I'm talking about!
 
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Could be a HLA (hydraulic lash adjuster) failing.
With the valve cover off check all the cam lobes for gouges or heavy wear first. If they look ok changing a bad HLA is not that difficult but you will need a "on car" spring compressor to get the cam follower out of the way.
 
Hey! Been a while.

So today i replaced my valve cover and inspected the camshaft and lobes and anything else i could look at. Unfortunately i have some unsettling information.. my cam lobes are worn and grooved (ill send pictures aswell) and the followers under it have a little bit of play. I dont have the tools to check how much play there is or see if there messed up but i think that may be the reason i have a issue in the top end, cam and followers.
20220522_195845.jpg
 

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So im assuming ill need a new camshaft and followers if my current one is garbo, but im totally willing to replace it and other essential parts to this job. Maby even replace it with somthing slightly more aggressive (but still smog legal)
 
Kind of hard to tell in the pics but I have seen way worse.
As for the play, unless you have a bad HLA, the slack goes away once the engine is running and the HLA has oil pressure.
If you just want to go roller you can put a ranger cam/followers in. If you want a better cam then check out Boport's cams.
 
Kind of hard to tell in the pics but I have seen way worse.
As for the play, unless you have a bad HLA, the slack goes away once the engine is running and the HLA has oil pressure.
If you just want to go roller you can put a ranger cam/followers in. If you want a better cam then check out Boport's cams.
i have better pics but i have to get them off my camera, and would it be worth going to a pick n pull to pull a roller cam and followers? and would there be any disadvantages to doing it that way? like conversions and ordering specialty parts? or will it just bolt up no problem
 
You could go to the junkyard but it is a gamble whether the parts are any good or worn out.
You can also check out Big R Motorsports. He has cleaned/checked ranger cams/followers as well as other 2.3 upgrades.
man thanks for all this advice! beleive it or not your helping me out alot, and i think i will make a trip out to the junk yard and ill see if i can find a cam in good condition aswell as some followers
 
Years ago I pulled a Ranger roller cam and followers out of a Ranger pickup at Pick-N-Pull and slapped it into my 2.3 turbo motor. I've had the motor my avatar Mustang and it's currently in my '27 roadster. Got about 10K miles on it with nary a problem. The roller components simply don't wear out. Whereas the constant sliding motion on your slider cam causes the wear and damage you see. It's been awhile but, I believe the optimum cam and followers are in the pre-'95 Ranger pickups. Check out TRS or TurboFord for the details.

Also, you can make your own tool that makes it really easy to remove the followers. Just 2 steel bars with a couple of plates welded to the top to hold them together.

1DOyAsOl.jpg


And, while you're in there, replace all your HLA's (that's probably where your knock is coming from). They're only about $50. Good luck!
 
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Years ago I pulled a Ranger roller cam and followers out of a Ranger pickup at Pick-N-Pull and slapped it into my 2.3 turbo motor. I've had the motor my avatar Mustang and it's currently in my '27 roadster. Got about 10K miles on it with nary a problem. The roller components simply don't wear out. Whereas the constant sliding motion on your slider cam causes the wear and damage you see. It's been awhile but, I believe the optimum cam and followers are in the pre-'95 Ranger pickups. Check out TRS or TurboFord for the details.

Also, you can make your own tool that makes it really easy to remove the followers. Just 2 steel bars with a couple of plates welded to the top to hold them together.

1DOyAsOl.jpg


And, while you're in there, replace all your HLA's (that's probably where your knock is coming from). They're only about $50. Good luck!
glad to here! and unfortunately i dont have a welder so i dont think ill be able to make that tool but i may be able to do it with nuts and bolts since it looks simple enough and i am looking into replacing my HLA's as well, me and a couple friends are going to go to pick n pull on Wednesday and see if there's anything left to take on this ranger and if it all looks good ill pull it and install it when i get a chance and ill try to get the rollers off also so i have them all together...
 
glad to here! and unfortunately i dont have a welder so i dont think ill be able to make that tool but i may be able to do it with nuts and bolts since it looks simple enough and i am looking into replacing my HLA's as well, me and a couple friends are going to go to pick n pull on Wednesday and see if there's anything left to take on this ranger and if it all looks good ill pull it and install it when i get a chance and ill try to get the rollers off also so i have them all together...
https://www.picknpull.com/check-inventory/vehicle-details/1FTCR10A3RPA90511 <---- (ranger at the pick n pull)
 
You should be able to rent the special tool from Autozone or some other parts store (spring compressor for lima motor)
And if you position the cam on the base circle you can just pop the follower out to get at the collapsed HLA
Installing them is just as easy as the hla will have no oil in it yet
No problem with using used parts. Go get a cam and all the followers and HLA's for 30 bucks
Good luck
 
I have used a screwdriver in the past to pry the followers out, and in. Lots easier with Evan's tool though, and that tool is pretty easy to make. That design, though, can get challenging to use on some of the followers (brackets, coils, etc in the way). I actually made a tool that mimics the Lisle tool, hook on one end, goes over the follower. Can also compress valve springs with it.

yes, looks like you have the infamous 2.3L Lima ditched camshaft. Appears to be a slider cam (non roller). The changes made in engine oil a long time ago are not condusive to "life" of a slider (non-roller) camshaft and that's what you end up with, ditched lobes. When the lobes wear down the HLA's will come up out of their bores a little bit, and can contribute to valve train noise. Usually the noise from ditched sliders is more like a sewing machine noise rather than a slower frequency tap-tap-tap-tap.

The good news, find a 90-94 2.3 in a junkyard and rob the cam and followers. It works fine with speed density and MAF. 95 (IIRC) they changed the valve stem diameter and the followers were a little different and won't work on earlier 2.3's. Using the roller cam and matching correct followers rewards you also with a few more horsepower (like maybe 10hp) and a better/more stable idle. I like it.

yes to the Ranger gasket. Use the Motorcraft version, the aftermarket ones always seem to leak. F57Z-6584-A, as I recall.
 
You should be able to rent the special tool from Autozone or some other parts store (spring compressor for lima motor)
And if you position the cam on the base circle you can just pop the follower out to get at the collapsed HLA
Installing them is just as easy as the hla will have no oil in it yet
No problem with using used parts. Go get a cam and all the followers and HLA's for 30 bucks
Good luck
thanks man! and yea tomorrows the day
 
I have used a screwdriver in the past to pry the followers out, and in. Lots easier with Evan's tool though, and that tool is pretty easy to make. That design, though, can get challenging to use on some of the followers (brackets, coils, etc in the way). I actually made a tool that mimics the Lisle tool, hook on one end, goes over the follower. Can also compress valve springs with it.

yes, looks like you have the infamous 2.3L Lima ditched camshaft. Appears to be a slider cam (non roller). The changes made in engine oil a long time ago are not condusive to "life" of a slider (non-roller) camshaft and that's what you end up with, ditched lobes. When the lobes wear down the HLA's will come up out of their bores a little bit, and can contribute to valve train noise. Usually the noise from ditched sliders is more like a sewing machine noise rather than a slower frequency tap-tap-tap-tap.

The good news, find a 90-94 2.3 in a junkyard and rob the cam and followers. It works fine with speed density and MAF. 95 (IIRC) they changed the valve stem diameter and the followers were a little different and won't work on earlier 2.3's. Using the roller cam and matching correct followers rewards you also with a few more horsepower (like maybe 10hp) and a better/more stable idle. I like it.

yes to the Ranger gasket. Use the Motorcraft version, the aftermarket ones always seem to leak. F57Z-6584-A, as I recall.
DUDE THANKS!!!! ill get out there tomarrow and let you know how it goes