Big lifter problem..

robertpaige · Post by **robertpaige** » Fri Jan 31, 2014 9:29 am

My SS sat for about a year before I bought it. Since I got it running driver side lifers have been ticking. I have done everything.. I replaced every dead lifter I found (3), I replaced all the O-rings, I even replaced the rocker assembly, and ran engine cleaners.

Today I took every lifter and bled it with fresh oil. I put then into a known good rocker arm assembly. I put it back in and it was quiet on startup so I was happy about that and thought it was fixed. I then turned it off after a minute, and when I started it again about 30 mins later the lifters were ticking, then it got really loud. 30 mins on the freeway home and it STILL is ticking.

So do it have a bigger problem like the Oil Pump? I'm really at a loss, it's driving me insane. Only thing next I can thing to do is to replace EVERY lifter with a brand new one. They all felt smooth and then they were rock hard after I bled em but I dunno.

Any help is appreciated.

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alexandermf · Post by **alexandermf** » Fri Jan 31, 2014 4:17 pm

I thought I had major lifter noise for months.... Same with my buddies Tleg and we both kept planning to bleed them manually and get it over with. Well we recently did a huge tuneup on ours cars and both our spark plugs looked like crap when we replaced them. Since then no more ticks on cold starts or while driving. Only reason I say it was our plugs because we both had tick and both did plugs and now both of us no tick!

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robertpaige · Post by **robertpaige** » Fri Jan 31, 2014 8:59 pm

This is definitely an HLA issue. It's like hard ticking. It went away when I bled all the lifters and put in the new rocker arm, but now it's back. I think it's getting starved of oil, so the lifters aren't getting an oil supply. I tried to check for blockages and everything. Not sure where else to go at this point other than check the oil pump?

-_-

subytech · Post by **subytech** » Sun Feb 02, 2014 7:40 pm

I'm inclined to say its not your oil pump since its only happening on one Cylinder head, and if your pump is having trouble getting oil to the rockers I would bet you would have a seized cam by now, but from what your saying it dose seem to sound like your not getting oil into that rocker assembly. It's almost as if the rocker shaft has possibly been installed backwards so that you aren't getting any oil through the shaft? Also when we had dead lifters at the shop I worked at, we would bleed them then hit the free way in third gear for about 10 min, just wring the engine out to really get some oil pressure to the heads to blow out the passages, even if we had ticking lifters. I never had a lifter tick when I got back to the shop : ) Hope this helps!

robertpaige · Post by **robertpaige** » Sun Feb 02, 2014 9:29 pm

I drove this piss out of the car. I am guessing I need a new O-ring for my oil pump at this point. It's probably getting pressure to the bottom and not to the top. I don't think it's possible to install a rocker arm backwards is it? :O

mike-tracy · Post by **mike-tracy** » Sun Feb 02, 2014 9:38 pm

You can't install the assembly backwards, but He's talking about the tube the arms go on, I think.

robertpaige · Post by **robertpaige** » Mon Feb 03, 2014 6:52 am

The only thing left to try would be to replace all 8 lifters on that side with brand new ones, just to rule that out. I am gonna install a new oil pump when I do my timing belt and water pump. Engine has 212k so i'm sure a new oil pump wouldn't hurt. If the new oil pump doesn't solve it, then there must be something blocking flow or one of the lifters is just dead.

If a lifter is dead like how do I tell? I bled them all and they all seem fine, smooth when pumping them up and when bled they were rock hard.

jefferson · Post by **jefferson** » Tue Feb 04, 2014 9:00 pm

I think it might be a good idea to take the rocker assy. apart and clean all the passages. Sounds like something is restricting the flow of oil to that side and it could be in the assy. itself.

Jeff

robertpaige · Post by **robertpaige** » Wed Feb 05, 2014 1:59 am

I replaced the rocker with a known good assembly. Bought a new oil pump and I'm installing it Thursday.

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Post by **Legacy777** » Sat Feb 08, 2014 9:47 pm

Robert,

Let us know how the new pump works. I'd suggest doing only the pump or the new rocker assembly at a time so you know which one fixed the problem. If I had to guess, I'd say the screws on the oil pump backing plate have backed off and the pump is not making the necessary oil pressure to keep the lifters pumped up.

robertpaige · Post by **robertpaige** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 4:03 pm

Josh,

I pulled the pump off, sealed it correctly and used a new O Ring. Before I fired it up, I pulled the rocker off and checked lifters on the driver side. ALL 4 on top were soft... I'm guessing something is blocked up, and I know the rocker arm is good so it's probably just somewhere inside the head. I already bought two new lifters so I put them in (was expecting to see 1 or 2 soft ones and just replace em) so then I bled them all and they were rock solid and I put the arm back on. Started it up and it was faintly ticking.. Thought maybe I should drive it. Well it's been a day and it's ticking loud as hell again.

I'm a bit overfull on oil right now (.5 qt) would this have anything to do with it by chance?

Kimo, do you have any extra Kreen you wanna ship down to me? If not, I could probably use my shop to order some. I bet Kreen would probably get rid of any blockages.

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FundamentalyConfused · Tue Feb 11, 2014 8:24 pm

Have you tried running any cleaning detergents in the oil? You might have a clogged passage going on.

I have run seafoam in my oil from time to time to clean it out some before I change the oil. I've also heard that substituting 1 quart of some ATF in place of the oil helps clean it too.

robertpaige · Post by **robertpaige** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 8:49 pm

I have tried running some cleaners. I used an Amsoil engine cleaner, I tried Marvel Mystery oil and I used a bit of Seafoam. I feel like whatever sludge is blocking flow is in need of some extreme detergents. The ticking did go away for about an hour once, but it came right back. It hasn't gone away at all in about 3 weeks,

FundamentalyConfused · Tue Feb 11, 2014 11:06 pm

Can you take the heads off to clean them?

Other than tearing it apart I don't know what else to tell ya.

robertpaige · Post by **robertpaige** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 11:59 pm

Not really in a position to pull a head haha

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mike-tracy · Post by **mike-tracy** » Wed Feb 12, 2014 2:46 am

You can pull it without pulling the engine

buy a cheapo breaker bar, and rent a torque wrench from an auto parts store if you don't have one

Post by **Legacy777** » Wed Feb 12, 2014 6:55 pm

Yeah it sounds like there is a blockage somewhere. Alternatively to pulling the head you could try pulling the pump again while you pull the rocker assembly and use compressed air to try and push whatever blockage there might be to the discharge of the oil pump on the front of the block.

This in itself may be kind of risky because if the blockage goes somewhere else it may cause more damage to bearings or other components. If you have a shop or know someone with a boroscope that could feed it down the oil passage that may be a better option in first trying to investigate what the blockage may be.

robertpaige · Post by **robertpaige** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 2:11 am

Josh, I hear ya. I might investigate with a boroscope. Really don't want to have to pull the oil pump again to be honest, I'll see if I can feed it into the rocker arm oil feed port.

I think I'm gonna run 1qt of ATF for the meanwhile. Honestly this is driving me insane and I have just never seen this before. I think I might try Kreen as well. But like you said I don't want it pushing itself further into a more
Important part of the motor.

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robertpaige · Post by **robertpaige** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 8:00 pm

Update: I got an oil pressure gauge, it's all hooked up and installed. I just need to wire in the sender, which I will be putting in the oil galley right behind the alternator where the oil dummy light is hooked up at.

My boss mentioned to me that I might have low oil pressure (and therefor top lifters not getting oil) due to one of my oil squirters possibly falling out and lowering my oil pressure.

Does anyone have some normal oil pressure numbers for a SOHC EJ22T at idle or half throttle? How can I tell what's low or not?

jefferson · Post by **jefferson** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 8:34 pm

I found one of my squirters in the pan when I was doing an oil change. Don't know when it happened, but I don't have the lifter issues you are having.

James614 · Post by **James614** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 11:48 pm

I've heard having missing squirters is very common, apparently it doesn't cause a severe pressure drop as you'd expect.

robertpaige · Post by **robertpaige** » Sat Feb 15, 2014 1:33 am

Yeah, so i've heard..

Put 1qt of ATF in, we'll see if that makes any difference.

I need to order the oil galley adapter plug that lets me use my oil sender for the pressure gauge. I need the galley plug with the 1/8 NPT threads on it.

robertpaige · Post by **robertpaige** » Sat Feb 15, 2014 8:24 pm

Drove the car and it's still ticking like a son of a bitch.

I think I might be doing an EJ20G swap pretty soon. A buddy of mine has a Ver 0 STi 20g he's tryin to get rid of for 1200. It was in a swapped RS that got wrecked. Pulled hard. I think it was the Z4 ECU? We'll see what's up. I know I could sell the ticking 22t for at least $500.

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Post by **Legacy777** » Sun Feb 16, 2014 12:20 am

Looking back at some of my logs I was seeing around 65 psi at 2,000 rpm

robertpaige · Post by **robertpaige** » Sun Feb 16, 2014 5:06 am

Good to know, Josh. Day 3 ATF in the oil, still tickin' strong. Going to get some Kreen as soon as I can.

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