Hi,

I've had Johnson adjustable lifters in my '51 Merc 255 engine since the late sixties, and never had a noise (clatter) problem until now. Since the last time I had the engine rebuilt, the lifter noise has been bad. The hotter the engine gets, the louder the clatter. It's a bit embarrassing! The engine runs well, has plenty of pep, and idles dead smooth. Could the noise be anything other than the lifters? I do have the Johnson wrenches to adjust them, but it is a bit of a project to do, so I'd like to make sure that that's really the problem before I tear off the intake. Any suggestions or ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Pete