I have a ticking noise in my engine. A couple of people told me it was a lifter,what to do other than replace all the lifters? i put a quart of atf in this morning to run until this weekend hopefuly it frees up.

 

You have done the right thing. All you can do now is wait. You will be able to find the lifter casuing the noise and replace only it if you do end up needing to though.

 

Do you think one quart of atf is enough? Also how long should this take to work,I drive her about 20 miles a day to work.what do you think about the diesle trick?

 

ATF is okay to put around with. I would not drive a truck with diesel in the crankcase. It just thins the oil out too much. You may try adding a quart of marvel mystery oil along with the ATF. Don't drive it hard though. You don't want to ruin your bearings while trying to fix your lifter.

 

Using ATF to clean up an engine and hopefully stop a sticky lifter from ticking is OKAY! But if the engine is really dirty, or if the ticking is caused by something else then this may not be such a good idea. Regular oil changes and quality filters are the real solution here. The ATF in a dirty engine will loosen the sludge and that will lead to a clogged oil pump pickup and possible serious engine bearing failure. Try the ATF but be prepared for trouble. Actually installing a new set of lifters would be a better and more permanent solution. Lifters are not that expensive and with the exception of pulling and reinstalling that 77 pound intake this is an easy Saturday afternoon job. You may be surprised by the amount of sludge you find on the intake baffle and under the valve covers. If you are going to do this, use Dexron (sp) ATF not Ford and only for 10 or 15 minutes and then change the oil and filter. Actually ATF is a good rinse prior to every oil change. But then I tend to over do stuff!
William in Atlanta

 

Yeah i hope that it doesnt do more damage than good. A friend told me he did this for four days without trouble,but dont drive it hard. i have another ? though, i took the valve cover off and one rocker arm and push rod was loose. i ran the engine for a little bit and a different one was loose. is this normal or what? Also can I use lifters out of another engine.

 

different rocker arm being loose is just the engine rotation, will change all the time, I don't think that is anything to worry about too much, I am also a big fan of good ol' marvel mystery oil. never have tried the atf. for what its worth

crazy larry

 

>i took the
>valve cover off and one rocker arm and push rod was loose. i
>ran the engine for a little bit and a different one was
>loose. is this normal or what?
Sounds like the lifters are worn and bleeding down.

>Also can I use lifters out of
>another engine.
NO! DON'T DO IT. When the lifters are broken in to the cam they set up a wear pattern to that specific cam lobe. If you put a used lifter on a different cam or even swap positions on the same cam you have a very, very good chance of wiping out the cam. IMHO I'd put in a set of lifters.

Just my $.02
Greg

'77 F-250 Camper Special 400ci driver
'76 F-250 Supercab 360ci current project
'71 Mach I 429CJ in storage
'79 F-150 for parts
huct on foniks wurkt fer me

 

The rocker arms are loose because worn lifters are leaking down. Depending on the miles on this engine and future plans just replace the lifters with new ones. If the cam is good and you don't plan on changing it you can use the new lifters for many years even if you rebuild the engine. So it is a good investment, and an opportunity to check the engine for wear. Post back!
William in Atlanta

 

Ok,should I replace the cam along with the lifters then.also what about the cam bearings.This engine doesnt burn or leak a drop of oil. Another question,when I had the valve cover off and running there didnt seam to be a whole lot of oil coming up.

 

Chad,
If it runs good (cam) and your oil pressure is good (bearings) I would just replace the lifters and not worry about it. Should run for a long time. The rocker lubrication is through one of the pedestals, not through the lifters and pushrods, so it might not seem like a whole lot. Too much is actually not a good thing. If you didn't find a lot of sludge under the valve cover you are probably all right.
Are you running an oil pressure gauge or a light? What's your pressure at hot idle? If it's over 15 psi at idle and climbs about 10 psi for every 1000 rpm increase, no worries

Just my $.02
Greg

'77 F-250 Camper Special 400ci driver
'76 F-250 Supercab 360ci current project
'71 Mach I 429CJ in storage
'79 F-150 for parts
huct on foniks wurkt fer me

 

I'd second Greg's advice. If you want to spend a few bucks you might consider a Crane cam 343901, Cloyes true roller timing chain and a Edelbrock performer intake and a 1406 carb. This is about a thousand bucks or so. Cam bearings rarely wear out on FE motors. I'd just do the lifters for now. You will need help (engine hoist) when removing and re-installing that 77 pound intake. So, where in Montana? My daughter went to Caroll College in Helena and we visited there. She and her husband live in Butte and I am considering the area when I retire in a few years.
William in Atlanta

 

I cant tell an actual psi the guage is a factory high low.The presure is good. Those mods are in order but ill wait to put them in another 360(going to build a 390 or 410) I have in the barn.
William,
I live in the Flathead valley(Northwest Montana), our farm is betwween Whitefish and Kalispell.