E350 (460) Push-rods all mixed up.
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E350 (460) Push-rods all mixed up.
Hello folks. I recently purchased a used RV built on a 1993 E350 chassis with a gasoline 460 c.i. V8.
The previous owner told me that he had the head gaskets replaced not long ago. When I test drove the vehicle, it ran well, but I noticed that the engine had some tapping noise upon acceleration. I assumed it was merely a valve clearance issue and that I could adjust it myself. (I had done this before on cars using the rocker arm adjustment screws.) Little did I know that the Ford 460 rockers do not have adjustments. Now I am the proud owner of a camper with valve tapping noise.
I am assuming that the (so called) mechanic had gotten the push-rods mixed up and reinstalled in the wrong order/places.
If this is so...
Will it hurt to take the RV on long road trips as is?
Is there any easy way to correct this tapping problem in my own driveway?
Thanks for any help.
The previous owner told me that he had the head gaskets replaced not long ago. When I test drove the vehicle, it ran well, but I noticed that the engine had some tapping noise upon acceleration. I assumed it was merely a valve clearance issue and that I could adjust it myself. (I had done this before on cars using the rocker arm adjustment screws.) Little did I know that the Ford 460 rockers do not have adjustments. Now I am the proud owner of a camper with valve tapping noise.
I am assuming that the (so called) mechanic had gotten the push-rods mixed up and reinstalled in the wrong order/places.
If this is so...
Will it hurt to take the RV on long road trips as is?
Is there any easy way to correct this tapping problem in my own driveway?
Thanks for any help.
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 3,560
Likes: 1
in most cases, the pushrods are all the same length, unless one or two had to be replaced for some reason.
your engine uses hydraulic lifters, which are supposed to take up all the slack automatically. when they get old, sometimes they freeze up inside and make noise like yours are. you can try adding a bottle of seafoam or a similar cleaner to your oil to see if its enough to free them up and quiet things down. if it doesn't help, pull the valve covers off and inspect for any sign of bent pushrods. if any are bent, replace them and that should solve your problem. if they all look perfect, you'll probably want new lifters. to get there, you have to remove the intake manifold, as they're down in the valley under it. once you're there, its pretty self-explanatory how to get them out
as for driving it as is, i drove a 4.9 for a long time that way, thinking the noise came from somewhere else. it didn't hurt anything. i finally found the problem when i had to tear into it for an unrelated problem, and when i did, the new lifters quieted things down real nice.
your engine uses hydraulic lifters, which are supposed to take up all the slack automatically. when they get old, sometimes they freeze up inside and make noise like yours are. you can try adding a bottle of seafoam or a similar cleaner to your oil to see if its enough to free them up and quiet things down. if it doesn't help, pull the valve covers off and inspect for any sign of bent pushrods. if any are bent, replace them and that should solve your problem. if they all look perfect, you'll probably want new lifters. to get there, you have to remove the intake manifold, as they're down in the valley under it. once you're there, its pretty self-explanatory how to get them out
as for driving it as is, i drove a 4.9 for a long time that way, thinking the noise came from somewhere else. it didn't hurt anything. i finally found the problem when i had to tear into it for an unrelated problem, and when i did, the new lifters quieted things down real nice.
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