Valve lifter

F

Ford coupe

Senior Member
79 granada chatters for about 5 minutes on start up ..sounds like liftersWhen checking with tappet cover off two seem to be completely drained down or flat so is that normal?? Engine redone with all new lifters so wondering as i know not bearings..Any help appreciated..PS With hood closed barely audible..
 
Ford coupe said:
79 granada chatters for about 5 minutes on start up ..sounds like liftersWhen checking with tappet cover off two seem to be completely drained down or flat so is that normal?? Engine redone with all new lifters so wondering as i know not bearings..Any help appreciated..PS With hood closed barely audible..
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What engine?
 
some lifters will bleed down but it just takes a couple of seconds to build up.you must have some bad lifters.
 
I'm not real well versed in the Ford 250 I6 information. I can't even find what type of rocker set up they have but I suspect they have the full rocker arm shaft set up. The older ones up through the 170 had adjustable rocker arm set up but that started to change in the later 200 configuration. Some were adjustable and some were fixed. The fixed type would require the push rods to be changed if the head was milled. There is also a problem getting the old thin steel head gaskets. If the gaskets are composition then it adds a lot of thickness that will change the valve clearance properties and the clearance volume unless the head is milled to compensate for that.

If it happens to have separate adjustable rockers then it should adjust for proper lash or there may be different length push rods to compensate for irregularities like I mentioned previously. I don't have a shop manual so this is about all I can offer on possibilities for this engine.
 
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HEAD GASKET THAT IS ONE THING AS THE GASKET THAT CAME OFF WAS A THIN METAL AND THE ONE IN THE REBUILD KIT WAS COMPOSITE AND THICKER BUT NOT BY THAT MUCH SO COULD THAT DO IT AS THESE LIFTERS ARE NOT LIKE GM WHICH CAN BE ADJUSTED..iF THAT BE THE CASE DOES ANYONE MAKE A METAL GASKET OR IS SHAVING THE HEAD THE ONLY ANSWER..tHANKS..
 
... THESE LIFTERS ARE NOT LIKE GM WHICH CAN BE ADJUSTED ...
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:confused:​

Not Adjustable?

You need to read a SERVICE MANUAL. If not adjustable, how could the valve-train be assembled/serviced correctly?
 
there just like fe rockers no adjustment and i never had trouble whichever gaskit i used.lifters will work from just enough to keep quiet to almost the bottom.
 
darrell said:
... there just like fe rockers no adjustment and i never had trouble whichever gaskit i used.lifters will work from just enough to keep quiet to almost the bottom.
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KULTULZ said:
:confused:​

Not Adjustable?

You need to read a SERVICE MANUAL. If not adjustable, how could the valve-train be assembled/serviced correctly?
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There are several other ways to adjust valve lash/hydraulic plunger setting other than adjustable rockers.

That's it, I am out of here ... :confused:
 
Different length push rods is the most common for the FEs. I had to change push rods on some valves after a valve job where the guy with the grinder took a lot out of some of the pockets. I had to find shorter ones on that deal. If the head gasket is .015" and the compressed thickness for a composition gasket is .034" then it will make some difference. If it's even more than that then it can make a difference on one or more push rods.

The other option is to find and old 170 or 200 with adjustable rocker arms and switch out the rocker shaft and push rods but the set up will have to work for hydraulic valves.

If you take the cover off and spark plugs out, you can turn the motor through and see if any have loose push rods when the valves are all the way closed for adjustment. This would tell you which ones to investigate anyway. It still could be a bad lifter but you won't know till you start checking.

Sealed power makes different length push rods for these since the engine type was made for so long. A person can roll the rocker up for full open on any valve that is suspect and let it set for a while. The lifter will bleed down enough eventually to get a good lash reading on the rocker to stem clearance after rolling it back full closed and go from there. If it's too much lash then a longer push rod would be needed. If the lifter won't pump up then replace the lifter.
 
There is a factory valve adjustment for hydraulic lifters, for this engine and the range is .100 (.090 - .190). When the valves are closed, at TDC, you force the rocker arm, to bleed the lifter and measure the gap, if it is within those dimensions, it's good and shouldn't make any noise and if it does, the lifters need to be changed.
 
I dug out my old 1976 version of the Motors Manual for the midsize Fords with the 250 I6 from 1969 thru 1976 and the valve lash specs are all over the place in those years. The only thing I can figure why they would be so different is due to either different lifter or camshaft configurations. If that's the case, the engine would have to have the absolute correct parts installed to meet the OEM valve specs for 1979.

I don't have info on the later models to see how that progressed but it certainly is a head scratcher to me. Napa only lists one part number each for the lifters and camshaft (both Sealed Power) for the 1975/82 250 I6. They also only list one push rod (also Sealed Power) but there are likely ones available in overall lengths other than 9.355" for 1977/80.
 
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