Without tearing the engine apart, how do you cure it? Local engine shop suggested draining oil & running it with kerosene for a while.. don't think I'll bother following THAT advice....

& is it doing any harm to the engine running the car with a sticky lifter?

 

You can add about 2 quarts of diesel or kerosene and let it idle for about 20 minutes. I have seen this work immediately several times. You can also just add 1 bottle of marvel mystery oil and drive it around to see if it will unstick. Idling with a little kerosene for a while will not hurt anything. There is not much pressure on your bearings at idle. Sometimes FEs will get a lifter ticking noise becasue the valvetrain has worn slightly. The cheap cure for this is to buy a .030 over pushrod.

 

If I have an engine that I think is filthy inside, I add 2 quarts of Dexron or Mercon auto tranny fluid. ATF is mostly 30 wt engine oil with LOTS of detergent added in. Be certain to not use type F, it has gritty stuff in it to help the insides of a Ford automatic. After 500 miles or so, change your oil, and fill the engine back up with whatever you usually use. If this doesn't quiet your lifter...you many need shorter/longer pushrods, like RatSean said. DF

 

I've only had this thing for a little over a week & did an oil change last Friday (Castrol GTX10/40). I think I have some MM Oil in the garage someplace....
The stuff that came out looked like mud & I know this car was parked up for at least 2 years.
Thanks for the advice

 

I would definitly try the MM then. If that doesn't work you may need to go to the kerosene or diesel method. It may come lose just during normal driving as well with regular oil changes. It is with out doubt got crap in it. It will most likely come out on its own. But use the MM if you already have it.


Scotty

 

Whatever you do get that crud flushed out quick before it tears the bearings up. I actually would use the deisel method since you say it was that sludgy. Keep in mind that when the sludge gets cleaned out from around the seals they sometimes start leaking. May not happen but I have seen it happen so I just thought I would throw that in.

 

 

If it is just one lifter sticking, you CAN replace it without removing the intake. Determine which lifter is stuck, pull the rocker shaft and pushrod for that valve, and you can fish out the old lifter thru the gaps betweeen the intake and the head with a magnetic or mechanical tool. Someone (Lisle or Help) makes a tool that will hook to the inside groove where the retainer clips in. Use the tool to work the lifter up and down in the bore to get past the sludge/varnish, and pop in a new lifter, or take the old one apart and clean it out. Do NOT mix lifter parts from one lifter to another if you do more than one. Mostly, they stick due to varnish because they do not flow a lot of oil as they operate as the 302 + newer ones do with stamped rockers and hollow pushrods.

This does work, as does cleaning lifters. Use new rocker cover gasquets...
tom