sticking lifters

[Dirtvet]

Hello,
I just fired up the 454 in my spectra 20' and it was making a tapping sound. I pulled off the valve covers and found that 2 rockerarms were very loose, like 1/8" to 1/4" clearance loose! The valves are cylinder1 exhaust valve and cylinder2 intake valve, its the first valves on each side. The boat has been sitting in storage from last summer, and seemed to run fine when I stored it.
Someone said it might be a stud pulled out of the head, but I checked and that wasen't it.
Does this sound like a sticking lifter and is there a way I could test them without taking the engine apart?
I think there hydraulic lifters.
Any help would be very appreciated.

[Beer-30]

They'll loosen up. You may want to drain the oil and put a light weight, 5-30 or 10-30 in it and let it warm up. Thinner oils will get into the smaller places faster and easier. Then, after it has ran for awhile and all the lifters are pumped back up, change back to whatever oil you want.

[Dirtvet]

Thanks for the info. Hopfully I be able to take it out this weekend!

[Cas]

if the lifters are stuck, you run a chance of flattening the cam lobes. If they are already that loose, I'd pull the oil filter off, cut it open and check for metal before going any further. If there is metal, there's a good chance there's something not so good going on in there.

[Mighty Thor]

Marvel Mystery Oil.. We run demo cars and they are all $10.00 to $75.00 cars that have been sitting for decades. I prefer the Caddy or Buick myself. Anyhow, we change the oil and filter, add Mystery Oil and fire them up. They clatter for a while but the lifter always loosen up. Course after three demos the car is pretty much done, but I have never lost an engine.

[sawtooth]

I would check and see if the valve springs on the two cyl. you mentioned are compressed, might be a bent valve stem and not letting it close all the way causing the looseness in the rockers. Just a thought good luck I hope it is a easy fix for you.

[Dirtvet]

Well I put in some "Sea Foam" and some 5-30 oil and let it run for about 10min.
Nothing changed, the temp got to about 170.
I did notice something else thought, any RPM above idle there was a loud rapping, knocking noise comming from the air cleaner, I know its a vage description but I don't how else to describe it.
When it was running, the rocker arm did move a little bit, and the pushrod was spinning, but it wasen't getting any oil through the rocker-arm. It kind of seemed like the cam was flat, would a stuck lifter act like this?
Next I'll do a compresion check, and measure the springs to see if there the same as the others.
I would very much appreciate any advice or tests I could do to solve this.
Thanks.

[tbanzer]

Sounds like another BBC eats a camshaft. If you know someone with a dial indicator I would check the valve lift on a few of the suspect valves to see if they have the propper lift.

[Dirtvet]

Yea, it ate the camshaft! :cry:
Ok, I'll be swaping the cam, lifters, pushrods, and rockerarms, and will most likely take the heads off to have them checked out.
This seems to be the right time to hop it up a little bit!
Its a stock 454ci with oval port open chamber heads, 122cc chamber, 255/ 119cc ports cast#353049 :)
An Edelbrock Torker ll 2-0, with a 800cfm Holley 4150, and an HEI dist.
I don't know what cam is in there now, only that its hydraulic and missing a few bumps!
Could any of you suggest some cost effective up-grades that I can look into?
Thanks!

[HammerDown]

Yea, it ate the camshaft! !
Do your self a BIG favor...tear into that block and FULLY flush it!
Every oil galley etc.
I wiped a cam once in 10 minutes, two lobes GONE!
Some said, install new cam/lifters and simply change the oil and run it...BS!
I pulled the engine tore it 100% down and took a bottle brush to EVERY oil passage in the block and power washed it clean w/hot soapy water.
Also one big tip I would suggest...break the new cam in with only the outter valve springs in...after a few hrs of running (under 3000 rpm) install the inner springs. It's a little work but a much better chance the cam will live a long happy life!
Unless ya go with a roller cam...no Cam break-in needed. Just the fear of one of those cute wheels coming apart :rolleyes:

[SmokinLowriderSS]

Do your self a BIG favor...tear into that block and FULLY flush it!
Every oil galley etc.
I wiped a cam once in 10 minutes, two lobes GONE!
Some said, install new cam/lifters and simply change the oil and run it...BS!
I pulled the engine tore it 100% down and took a bottle brush to EVERY oil passage in the block and power washed it clean w/hot soapy water.
Definitely agreed. Otherwise you risk the whole thing again from grindings in the passsages, not just the new cam.
Also one big tip I would suggest...break the new cam in with only the outter valve springs in...after a few hrs of running (under 3000 rpm) install the inner springs. It's a little work but a much better chance the cam will live a long happy life!
Also advice I was given and heeded when the new cam/engine build went together 18 months ago. The new Isky I got from DuaneHTP is still very happy, as is the old Mk-IV 454. Sure it was a pain to put the inner springs in after 8 running hours, but would have been a much bigger pain to wipe the cam.
Unless ya go with a roller cam...no Cam break-in needed. Just the fear of one of those cute wheels coming apart :rolleyes:
Oh such happy thoughts there! :idea: :rolleyes: :yuk: :) :) :)

[bigblockbill]

My opion is do your self a favor and go to a roller cam set up... a little more money but you won't ever have to worry about a cam going flat again. Something is up these days with the oils or something and I know of way to many people loosing flat tappet cams.