Valve lifter noise?

[Sylar]

 

My engine has a faint but constant ticking sound that increases frequency with RPM. I poked around with a stethoscope and the noise is definitely loudest just below the cylinder head. I'm putting my bets on a lifter but I'd like to see what you all think.

[dvitha]

pull that valve cover and then check those lifters and push rods. While you are in there you can see how much residue oil has built up.

 

by the way how is your oil pressure?

[Sylar]

Oil pressure is sitting around 60 psi at idle. I haven't gotten around to taking the rockers and push rods out yet since weather hasn't be good lately. I did take the cover off for a quick look and everything is tight and oil looks good. How would I go about checking the lifters without pulling the head?

[Jeep Driver]

32 minutes ago, Sylar said:

Oil pressure is sitting around 60 psi at idle. I haven't gotten around to taking the rockers and push rods out yet since weather hasn't be good lately. I did take the cover off for a quick look and everything is tight and oil looks good. How would I go about checking the lifters without pulling the head?

I wouldn't trust that you actually have 60 at idle. 

[dvitha]

The 4.0 is a push rod design. you don't need to pull head to check lifters, and rods. You can do everything without removing head, jut the valve cover. To remove push rods and lifters you remove the rockers. I am not saying you have to remove anything, but you can get a idea by looking and listening when it is running. If you do pull rods, you just need a magnet to pull out the lifters. Push rod motors are some of the easiest to work on, because you don't have to always remove the head or heads.

 

yes 60 sounds very high should be around 25psi give or take.

For oil pressure being so high reading, I bet you have a bad ground on your block or your gauge is not working right. If you take the connector off your oil sender the gauge should shoot up to max pressure. when you ground it out it will go to zero. If it does not your gauge is off. If it does then I bet you have a bad ground on engine or oil sender

[omega_rugal]

or somethign is blocked and the hidraulic lifters are not getting enough oil

[AZJeff]

Idle oil pressure of 60psi is pretty much impossible without some sort of non-OEM oil pump.  What sort of oil pressure gauge is giving you those readings?

 

You can run the engine with the valve cover off for a short time.  It will splash oil around a bit (and need a pressure wash after the test), but you can also then use a stethescope to search for the noise more carefully.

[mjeff87]

Sounds like a normal high(er) mileage 4.0 to me, LOL.

 

Just a quick FYI, you can't pull the lifters on a 4.0 without pulling the head.....the oil return passages are too narrow.  You can pull them on a 2.5L with the head still on but it's a TIGHT fit.  You really need a gripper-style removal tool, a magnet isn't strong enough.

[HOrnbrod]

9 minutes ago, mjeff87 said:

Sounds like a normal high(er) mileage 4.0 to me, LOL.

 

Just a quick FYI, you can't pull the lifters on a 4.0 without pulling the head.....the oil return passages are too narrow.

 

You can if you have a Hesco aluminum 4.0 head.       Makes camshaft changes eazy - peazy.

[Sylar]

I'm gonna change the oil pretty soon so I'll put some seafoam in the crankcase once I get the truck insured and see if that helps the ticking before I pull the head off.  As for the oil pressure, the scale is from 0 to 5.4 with no unit label so I'm assuming it's in BAR. Sits around the 3 at idle (~45 psi). Gauge might be a little off since it doesn't reset all the way to zero.

[75sv1]

An old trick is to put in a quart of transmission oil and run the engine 50-250 miles. Sea foam might work or Marvel Mystery oil.

[AZJeff]

1 hour ago, 75sv1 said:

An old trick is to put in a quart of transmission oil and run the engine 50-250 miles. Sea foam might work or Marvel Mystery oil.

This is  good suggestion if the engine isn't too sludgy from past maintenance negligence.  In fact, if the driving is very light for those couple hundred miles, you might even bump the ratio up to 2 quarts of ATF to 4 quarts of new oil.   Then drain the oil hot, and change the filter as well.

[dvitha]

I have lots of people who used the anti slug from sea foam all the way to tranny fluid. 75% come in because they clogged their oil pickup strainer with it. I prefer if you have build up of sludge to do mini tear down. Take valve cover off, pull rod and lifters,. open up the drain plug and warm kerosene to flush it out. many small area's that sludge can get stuck causing problems. We then clean the kerosene and repump it back in till it is clear. Then we run a synthetic for 1000 miles and should be clean as a whistle.

 

Here at the shop we don't like rebuilding because takes so much time away from servicing the cats and diesel's that come in.