How to fix sticky lifter.

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74 dart sport

Kameron
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On the 1967 318, we have a sticky lifter. We hear it at idle, but it goes away when we rev it and the oil pressure goes up. It then returns at ilde. The engine did sit out of the car and didn't run for at least a year . We tried an oil additive, but that didn't work too well. Also, it is only there 70% of the time. There have been times when it is started up and makes no noise. Also , can running a sticky lifter for too long break/ harm anything? What should we do to fix the lifter? Thanks
 
Nine times out of ten, you cannot fix them because it is either a weak or broken plunger spring. No fix for that except new lifter(s).
 
74 dart sport said:
On the 1967 318, we have a sticky lifter. We hear it at idle, but it goes away when we rev it and the oil pressure goes up. It then returns at ilde. The engine did sit out of the car and didn't run for at least a year . We tried an oil additive, but that didn't work too well. Also, it is only there 70% of the time. There have been times when it is started up and makes no noise. Also , can running a sticky lifter for too long break/ harm anything? What should we do to fix the lifter? Thanks
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You can try running a quart of automatic transmission fluid in your oil until the noise goes away. It's mostly a high detergent additive package in a light oil.
 
Ok, Thanks. How long should this be run and when should the oil be changed? Also, does this need to be added every time? Will this hurt the engine?
 
Pull bad lifter, remove snap ring/wire and clean the glitter out of base of lifter. There is only about 4 parts in there. Plunger, spring, check valve and ball. Not much to go wrong if everything is clean. After you put it back together, put in cup of oil and pump up with pushrod, it should turn rock hard and hold if good.
 
Rislone WORKS.

Rislone-Engine-Treatment-Concentrate.jpg
 
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pishta said:
Pull bad lifter, remove snap ring/wire and clean the glitter out of base of lifter. There is only about 4 parts in there. Plunger, spring, check valve and ball. Not much to go wrong if everything is clean. After you put it back together, put in cup of oil and pump up with pushrod, it should turn rock hard and hold if good.
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A lot of work to put back in a possible bad lifter.
 
if using a additive, i like lucas i use in in all my vehicles engines and transmissions.
 
Like RRR said, just replace the darn thing! Not very tough. And I have a lifter I will give you free! NEW one. Just pay 6.95 to ship it.
 
Well you don't really know if it's sticking from nasty crap or if it's getting weak. In my experience, one bad one means there's 15 more right behind it. Just by a new set and peel the intake off one time. It's just common sense
 
74 dart sport said:
What's the deal with adding rislone? How long ?
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ATF must lubricate, be a heat transfer medium, provide residual 'lubricity' after drain,
Not lose 'suspension' ability (keep debris unattached & move to the drain), Anti -Foam,
etc, etc,:)
Rislone is ATF on steroids. as the O/P IS at the CHEMICAL STAGE of the fix, 2 oil changes
in 1K miles with filter, no improvement, gotta start changing hard parts.
 
How long will it take to replace lifters? how much expierence is necessary? How much of the engine has to be removed to access lifters? And Mopar Tim, are you sure the lifters would fit a hydraulic 67 318?
 
Nothing in a bottle will clean a lifter full of crap, there is no where for the junk to go. Put a hole in the side of a cup half way up. Pour some sand in there and put a lid on it. Lower the cup in a pail of water, or rislone. Pull it out and see if there is any sand left in it. I got a fat dime saying there is sand still in it, like all of it! Pressurized oil goes in and then gets the lid closed on it. It doesnt compress so it turns into a solid lifter, full of oil. The oil will seep out over time, bleed down after you shut pressure down, past the piston but it wont carry the particulate with it so it just collects down there forever. One piece in the check ball orifice and the thing acts like a little pump, pumping oil out past the check ball as soon as the lifter hits the vavle spring tension. Its no longer a solid lifter but a spongy clatterbox. Higher rpms raise the pressure and speed of the lifter and now the lifter acts again like a solid because it cant bleed fast enough, its the same principle as a Rhoads lifter or other high bleed lifter designs. Just pull it and clean it, itll take less time than dropping a new one in and running the break in procedure again for that one lobe. Plus itll give you the chance to look at the cobdition if the lifter face to see if there is any strange patterns or concave feature to it. Its a free fix. Try it. Or replace it..up to you.
 
74 dart sport said:
How long will it take to replace lifters? how much expierence is necessary? How much of the engine has to be removed to access lifters? And Mopar Tim, are you sure the lifters would fit a hydraulic 67 318?
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The few xtra I have will fit your engine. You will need an intake gasket set, 2 valve cover gaskets, a carb. base gasket, and a 3/8 inch ratchet set with a 9/16 and a 7/16 and a 1/2 socket. And you will need a 1/2 in wrench. Should have a torque wrench but plenty have been changed without one. Remove the spark plug wires marking them so they go back in the correct locations. Pop off the Dist cap with the wires still attached. Remove the 5 7/16in bolts holding on the valve covers. both sides. Remove the Carb. remove the PCV valve from the valve cover. Remove the valve covers. now take out the 9/16 inch bolts holding on the intake manifold. You will have to pry it off when ALL the bolts are removed. Might need a wrench to remove some. Nest remove the 1/2 in bolts holding on the rocker arms. lift off the rocker arms making sure to keep them on the right sides, dont mix them up. Now remove the push rods, now remove the lifters. Re assembly is in reverse order. Lube the new lifters with correct assembly lube. Replace all gaskets with the new ones. Do not over tighten the valve cover bolts. tighten the intake bolts per pattern and torque to specs. Tighten the rocker arm bolts evenly so you don't tweak the shaft. Torque to specs. Im sure I have missed something but that is what you will have to do to replace the lifters. Clean everything you remove, you cant be too clean.
 
well I just went to go start it up after tightening the bolts on the headers and it worked fine. no ticking noise. Im not sure if it was a header leak, but it didn't make noise that time. Weird
 
A header leak is very easily mistaken for a valve tick. And vice versa.
 
that might have been it. We added a bottle of Rislone, and then we took it out. handled fine. However, when we were driving it, it was in first gear and there was a clunking noise. pretty loud, but the engine didn't lose power or react to the clunk. the clunk was the only "symptom". Any ideas? also, the car vibrates constantly (very little vibrations). I think it is just the "rumble of the engine" because it's an old car. Is that likely what the small vibrations are? (Sorry I'm so cautious, this car is my baby :) )
 
So you had brand new tires put on the car recently and have them balance and did not get an alignment or fix a bad suspension? Well they won't be new for long. That oil additive a lot of times is a thick gooey substance that sticks to everything and supposedly makes things work better by adding content to the walls of the cylinders. People are suggesting using transmission fluid because it's thinner and can wash that crap out of there. my suggestion is just to change the oil get in it get any of that crap out of there with some good fresh clean oil and I say this because you said the motor sat outside the car for a year.
74 dart sport said:
Why Change the oil? The tires are brand new. The front end and alignment need to be redone though, it has sloppy handling.
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