I have a '00 Explorer 302 installed in an '82 Volvo and have what I think is a failing lifter. The engine only has 13k miles on it as it sat in a JY warehouse for 10 years plus 3 years in my restoration/engine swap process. It has accumulated 2K miles since its resurrection without problem but has recently started a come-and-go lifter 'tic'. Sometimes quite, sometimes very loud. So loud I thought it must be a blown exhaust manifold gasket. Replaced but that did not address the problem.

The oil is 5w30 synthetic with about 2000 miles on it . . . with a can of RESTORE added to see if that would help. It did at first but now the come-and-go tic is back.

Should I try a new oil change or some other chemical treatment before pulling the valve cover and fishing the lifter out?

The other question . . . why wouldn't a tic as loud as it gets sometimes cause the PCM to set a misfire code which I do not have.

If anyone wants to see an Explorer V8 in an '82 Volvo the build thread is here: Volvo's That Run - Turbobricks Forums

 

That engine has roller lifters held in by a spider in the valley, so you will need to remove the intake manifold to pull them out.

I don't know that a ticking lifter will cause a misfire, unless it's totally collapsed.

You might try an engine flush to clean out any junk that may have formed during its idle period and dislodged when you started to run it again. That's cheap to do.

 

Thanks for the reply.

Tomorrow I plan on doing the oil change with another shot of 5W30, 0W30 if I can find it and see what happens.

Not familiar with a 'spider' but have had the intake manifold off so that is not new and strange.

 

This motor was designed(originally) to work on 10w30 non syntetic so you should try that.

 

I was thinking of a can of the flush made by companies like CRC or Gunk. It's probably mostly kerosene, and it's supposed to clean out your oil system.

The roller lifters have to be kept in a particular orientation. Ford uses these dog-bone shaped pieces that hold the position of each pair of lifters in their bores, and a stamped steel plate with 8 legs that keep these dog-bones in position. Thus, "spider"