good...one less thing to worry about.

I've still got a tapping. I'm actually hearing 2 noises. One of them i've virtually eliminated. I have a very slight 'knock' and then the tapping. The knock goes away with a tweak of the distributor..so i think that's a timing issue... but the tapping is most definitely from my top end... possibly bad lifters. Is it possibly a good idea to flush the engine, in hopes of clearing out a sludged up lifter? If so, what should I use. I've heard several things...from tranny fluid, to kerosene.

any suggestions would be much appreciated.

 

If the motors that dirty and sludged up I wouldn't add a flush or cleaner as you will cause more problems than you already have. What I would do, (1) locate noisey lifter and install a longer pushrod, (2) pull lifter and inspect the face to see if it's wasted or not if good clean and reinstall, (3) replace lifter and check for proper preload in the above order.

.....=o&o>.....

 

To find your guilty lifter, you can use a wad of rag on each rocker on the valve side. When you push down on the rocker the noise will change.
To 'exercise' your lifters and determine if they are gummed up, you can use a piece of wood to push down on the pushrod side of the rocker at idle. Push until the valve starts to tap, and then release. A good lifter will tap 2 or 3 times, and will fill with more oil on each cycle until it is quiet. A bad lifter will either not allow you to depress the rocker and make it tap, or will stay tapping after you release your pressure on the rocker arm. Either one is cause to remove and clean, or replace, the guilty lifter.
The last thing to look for is rotating pushrods. Each pushrod should rotate, and stop rotating when the valve is opened. This indicates a good cam-lifter interface, and broken-in, but not totally worn lobes and lifters. Those that don't rotate will work, but are heading down the road to being totally worn out.
If you have any pushrods that have 'pointy' ends on them, you have an oiling problem. They are supposed to be ball shaped. There should be a drizzle of oil coming out the holes on the rocker, or I may be thinking of Y-blocks. Either way, there should be oil on the top of the pushrod.
tom

 

my pushrods do have a slight point to them, on the end that fits in the rocker arm. I have already fixed the oiling problem there that WAS present...should I now replace all of those pushrods??