The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop noisy lifter

When the engine is cold I get a loud clacking sound from what I believe to a lifter. Maybe a bit of dirt or something but until it warms up it is embaressing. Silly question but how much trouble to remove it and clean it up? I guess side cover and valve cover will come off, loosen the rocker arm shaft and pull out the push rod, then pull the lifter. What is the best way to determine which lifter? Anything I missed out or is there a simpler way?

What engine?

Oops sorry! 1956 vintage 235.

How many miles on engine?

Does it do it every cold start up?

I'd do the simplest thing first. Take off the valve cover and re-adjust your valves. They also have several products that you can add to your oil that may help. Sticky lifters usually refer to hydraulic lifters not solid ones. I have a feeling your oil is getting to dirty and or to thick. When it warms up the oil thins and the oil flow more freely thus no noise. Once you take the valve cover off, you'll see how much gunk you have on the valve train. Cecil...

Thanks to Dave and Cecil. There is about 40,000 miles on the rebuilt motor. The oil is changed every 1000 miles and there is no sludge on the head or in the pan when I pulled it last year. I blew a head gasket a few years back and after putting it all together is when the noise started. When the motor warms up the sound is almost impossible to hear. However when the outside temperature is around 35-45 degrees or the truck has not been driven in a few days, the clicking is very loud. The truck does run smoothly throughout this time however.

If you haven't re-adjusted the lash since you've put in the new head gasket, it's time. You might consider running a 10-30 oil. If you want to stay with a single wt oil(30wt), then your probably stuck with the noise until warmer weather arrives. Cecil...........

We've got a 1960/235 with hyd. lifters that I had trouble with. I agree about checking the adjustment-might want to make sure the adjuster screws are not worn to a point. But since you said it had been rebiult I would think they're OK. Anyway-On ours I found that alot of the noise was from the rocker arn assembly when it was cold. Once it warmed up things got better. We ran an additional oil supply line from the by-pass filter housing around the engine to the side of the head. There's a 1/8 plug directly above the distributor and just below the valve cover that feeds into the oil gallary to the rockers. Made a lot of difference for us. Just make sure you use GOOD material to make this line with. If it breaks your oil is going to be pumped out of the engine.

Forgot to say that the lifters are hydraulic and I only use 10W30 oil. I like the idea of running the oil line from the filter by-pass to the head. I need a bit more of an explanation about its routing. does it come out of the rear bottom of the block where the oil pressure line and oil filter hose exit? I will check the head to see if I can see the oil hole. thank you.

Right or wrong: I ran put a tee in the line where the oil pressure gauge connects. One line runs to the oil filter and the other around the back of the engine and up to the plug on the head. I know this does not filtered oil to the rockers, but it's a by-pass filter anyway so all the oil doesn't go through the filter. I felt the rockers where short on oil and wanted them to have whatever I could get them. I heard there is a kit that you can buy---but why buy when you can build?

Ryan - thanks for the hints!

use a two foot piece of broom to listen to the noisy lifter to give you an idea of which lifter,an ol trick the ol man tauhgt me.