Is there a way to diagnose top end noise as a lifter? I’m using process of elimination:

exhaust manifold leak
intake manifold leak
fuel pump chirp
loose rocker, bolt torque
spring condition

I plan on putting new lifters in but thought I’d see if I missed any likely sources.

 

Just start, or was it there before right after build? How long total has it run since build? They can take a bit to pump up from new in box to working.

A fuel pump cycles exactly once every two revolutions of the crankshaft, so it is on same schedule as the lifters.

Exhaust leaks can fool you.

A stethascope can help locate the area of origin, but a long piece of hardwood held to the ear sideways is great, like a hickory night stick.
Long large screw drivers with handle held to ear and tip put in "places" works too.
Watch out for the fan and belts!

 

What engine. just started doing it? Work done lately? I'd think twice about new lifters. Very common to wipe out the cam these days.

 

Preload, if you haven't checked it the do the side you think the noise is coming from. you may be able to put a slightly longer set of pushrods in and stop it.

Bent pushrod, weak valve spring.

The problem with new lifters is the new lifters . they're not what they used to be. chances are you'd be ok on a worn cam but there is a risk. finding new older manufacture ones would be well worth the effort.

 

Dang man, I hope it’s not a lifter. I know you have put a lot of work into that engine. If it is though, I think it might be time for a roller cam conversion.

440, IIRC he used NOS Johnson lifters so I don’t think the problem is related to Chinese junk parts.

 

I see you have a fairly recently rebuilt 351M. Go to walmart and buy a quart of "Motor Medic Motor Flush" pour it in, run it at idle for less than 10 minutes, drain and fill with new oil and zinc additive and it's very possible your noise will go away. I recently bought a 79 with a 400. The CL ad said the engine made a ticking noise. Did a search on this forum and many said "Motor Medic" I did it and couldn't believe my ears. The engine is so quiet and so smooth. For $5 you have nothing to loose. I have 87K original miles on my truck.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Motor-Med...QaAp5BEALw_wcB

 

Well, I’m tearing it down. NOS Johnsons are out. Is there a way to test them? Visually all look ok. I also have some Iskys I can drop in.

 

Post number 11

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...iesel-oil.html

 

Generally if the lifter isn't collapsed it's functional. if the bottom looks good also it's probably fine. Johnson made Isky lifters.

Don't count on oils or snake oil cures to fix anything, especially when new parts are involved.

Your problem most likely is in your preload. you'll either need a set of adjustable rockers or check each lifter and see what you need to do.

 

Did you somehow preserve the location from which each came out, like a wood block with two rows of eight 1 inch holes side by side with the front marked? I don't mix them, once broken in on a cam lobe it stays on that cam lobe in that block. I will use a new lifter on a used cam if need be.

Did any seem to be real loose coming out? They go in just oiled lightly, not full of oil.

Only testing I know of is to "pump" each to make sure the center moves freely inside the body. I have seen them disassembled for cleaning inside.

Lifters bores are each connected to a long oil passageway front to rear, plugged at each end. As the lifter goes up and down it is only briefly allowed to see the pressure as the relief in the lifter body passes the access to the oil pressure. Lifters don't have ability to push a valve open by oil pressure, the oil only serves to fill the excess volume in the lifter and it only gets a small portion of that as that body relief passes that window into the long oil feed galley each cycle. It can take minutes for all lifters to fully adjust. What opens a valve is the oil that is trapped when the lifter body relief cut is not in line with the window as oil is pretty much non-compressible. If a lifter bore is badly worn or the lifter body badly worn, a lifter can collapse as the oil is let out. A lifter that is maybe pumped up too much because of floated valves at high rpm will usually slowly adjust by pushing oil out into the feed gallery, but if the valves are too close to piston tops, they can meet.

Crudd in a lifter can inhibit proper self-adjusting.

Assume an oil pressure of 40 psi. I don't know the size of a lifter's feed & bleed hole, but it's pretty small, assume for now that it's 1/16" which my calculator says is 0.00306 square inch. 0.003 x 40 is but 0.12 pounds of "push" which is pretty light .... @ less than 2 ounces to push a blockage away

 

I bag and tag all my parts. Just in case. I’m going to run a new set of lifters when I get it all back together again. But I still keep track of all the parts in a separate bag, one for each cylinder and valve type.

 

Looks like you are doing a great jpb.
Very clean.Very organized.
Keep up that workmanship, as most today just want to hurry to get the job done.