Been looking for a guide on how to remove & replace a ticking lifter on a 6.9 IDI. Have the injector pump out of the way, and clear shot to the intake manifold and the pan beneath that.

Can someone confirm that I would have access to the lifters by removing the manifold & pan? Probably going to replace the entire set of lifters since I have it down this far.

Any other gotchas I need to know about?

 

Reading more on another forum it looks like I am on the right track to get to the lifters.

Are there any weird "gotchas" with replacement lifters like avoiding autolight glow plugs? Would this set work out OK or is there a better option?

GM 5 7L 6 2L 6 5L Ford 6 9L 7 3L Diesel Roller Valve Lifters Set 16 | eBay

 

Bumping to the top.

Any brands of lifters to steer clear of, or brands that are known to be much better than the rest? Ditto that on rocker arms as those are also being replaced.

 

Howdy- Most every lifter I have seen spins slowly. Is the roller lifter keyed in some way to prevent it from spinning?

 

Lifters were relatively easy to get to after the injector pump (IP) was out of the way. If you're reading this and are new to IDI diesels do NOT remove the injector pump housing, you'll regret it big time (I left mine in place, just going by the wisdom of others!). The housing is very tempting to remove, don't.

The manifold comes out after removing 16 bolts including a couple smaller bolts at the far ends. The gasket material may be stuck so gently pry it up till loose (ensuring you have ALL bolts removed first). It's aluminium and pretty light weight. Lift it up and back to clear the IP mount bolts.

Now you're looking at the "V Pan". It's a thin piece of metal held on by 4 small bolts (7/16") near the front of the engine, and one weird bolt at the back. The weird bolt has a spot to put a 3/8" drive in. Just put it in and use a ratchet to back it out. Now the pan will come off easily.

Here's what you'll be looking at, hopefully without the antifreeze:

 

I see the lifters, like the roller lifters are keyed and have some sort of retainer bracket. I learn something everyday.

 

Looks like a good time to get rid of that gremlin leaning on that back mechanism, GP controller?

 

WTF is that a dead rat? Creepy! I hope it's just shadows playing tricks in the picture. I don't want to touch a dead rat.

 

It looks like it is talking to his buddy; the one working on the exhaust system .

 

I found some lifters at Napa for $4.99 ea (x16 = ~$90).

These look legit?
NAPA AUTO PARTS

 

Those appear to be flat tappet and not roller lifters.

 

Somehow I missed the ticking lifter thing, sorry that it is late.

Here is something else to think about. Sometimes a ticking lifter is a failed lifter, worn cam or lifter. Sometimes it is a worn push rod or rocker arm. Several times I have seen the valve spring plate, where the keepers are, split (failed). The valve was getting ready to be consumed by the engine. An easy way to find the tick is to run your hand on each rocker arm assembly to see if the noise stops.

But, now that you have it apart, you need to check your valve spring heights. I would put new valve seals in and check every one of those upper spring retainer plates and your valve keepers and valve stem for wear. EDIT: With your engine open like that the budget way (but not totally accurate) is to bring each cylinder to TDC and see if there is play in the push rod.

 

Will either work, and what's better about roller lifters?

 

I think roller lifters and roller rocker arms reduce friction. As the engine turns the flat surfaces tend to incur greater friction and therefore reduce HP. I do not know enough about the roller technology to comment any more about them. I do think a Dyno machine will measure the increase in HP but I think it is minimal.

If you have flat lifters and you are happy with your stock van than replace with same. When you remove the old lifter check the cam surface and the lower portion of the lifter for wear. Check for a collapsed lifter (doesn't look like it in the photo, although one can be partially worn).Check your push rods for straightness and wear on the ends. Check the rocker arms for wear at the push rod and valve surfaces, and the retaining bolt on the head-also the convex washer for wear. Generally, your valve stems should be higher than the valve spring retaining washer AND ALL THE SAME- this valve stem is the surface the rocker arm pushes down on.

I hope this helps.

 

Traditionally cams with roller lifters have a steeper ramp up angle on the lobes of the cam, if you tried to put normal flat lifters in, the edge of the lifter can bite into the cam lobe reducing your cam and motor to shavings in about 2 minutes.