Can't get lifters out

[gswest]

Thanks Mountain Goat, King of the Yak. I've got 8 of the lifters out and I'll get the rest Thursday. I got some of that B-12 stuff and will try it on the last 4.
There is a bunch of gunk all around the bores where the lifters ride; I'm trying to clean it all without sending particles into the engine. Should I be that worried or can I just run some seafoam or other engine cleaner through the motor when I'm done?

 

[Mountain Goat]

Thanks Mountain Goat, King of the Yak. I've got 8 of the lifters out and I'll get the rest Thursday. I got some of that B-12 stuff and will try it on the last 4.
There is a bunch of gunk all around the bores where the lifters ride; I'm trying to clean it all without sending particles into the engine. Should I be that worried or can I just run some seafoam or other engine cleaner through the motor when I'm done?

Just make sure that there isn't any gunk in the bores when you replace the lifters and change the oil after a few miles on the new parts the remove any particulates that do get into the engine.

You can flush the bores with Berryman, but don't run the engine with much of that stuff in the oil. It will destroy the engine's seals and gaskets.

BTW - Berryman is a nasty solvent. Don't breath the vapors and don't get it on your skin.

Hope that helps.

 

[bull]

I use brake cleaner every time and it works like a charm. Like others have said..you have build up on the lower half of the lifter making it difficult to remove. I don't think I have ever had a lifter come out easy on a 2F

 

[gswest]

I don't know how anyone gets these lifters out without a tool and some solvent. They wouldn't come up even flush with the top of the bore untill I put the tool on em and even then it was a #&*#@!
My next issue is the rocker assembly; how do you know if the rockers are bad or need work? I'd hate to put it back together when I should have done something to the rocker arms first. Doing the valve job makes no sense if I put worn out rocker arms back on. That's the whole reason I'm cleaning and inspecting the lifters. The push rods were so gunked up, its amazing how well this truck ran. I drove it straight back from St. Louis to Southeastern Florida only stopping for gas, and she never missed a beat. Thanks for the help!

 

[Mountain Goat]

I've seen 2Fs from 70's cruisers that don't have all that much build-up. What brand of oil are you using?

Parafin based oils like Penzoil can cause a lot of build-up. They are cheaper, but way inferior.

 

[Mark W]

I have never encountered an F series engine of any model or vintage that I could not remove the lifters from with minimal effort. Over the years that adds up to a LOT of engines.



Mark...

 

[cruiser_guy]

I have never encountered an F series engine of any model or vintage that I could not remove the lifters from with minimal effort. Over the years that adds up to a LOT of engines.

Mark...

They've always fallen out with me when the engine is on a stand and upside down.

 

[gswest]

Well, I've only had this truck for 6 months or so; she's my first Cruiser. The PO's must have used some cheap oils because she is gunked up. The funny thing is I have all kinds of service records and I know it was maintained well in her early life, so I guess someone in between the last guy and the first owner let the oil changes go. But, compression is great, and after I changed the oil (castrol), the oil stayed clean for months. Ran great except for the ticking noise, So that led me to the valve job. But let me tell you this, after I up-sized the exhaust (flowmaster), replaced the O2 sensors and eliminated the cats, She picked up some real power gains. Very noticeable seat of the pants difference. But, the ticking got more noticeable, probably because I was enjoying the new exhaust too much. Anyway, I've got all the lifters out now and have cleaned the nasty pushrods up. The head will be done tomorrow, so I have some fun work coming up getting her back together. Has anyone put their head back on by themselves? I got it off by myself but putting it back on may be a PITA! I put some storm shutters over the fenders that I've been laying on to work in the back area of the engine. I was pretty proud of that idea since working on that area is so hard to reach.

 

[Rob81]

F40jim,
The tool did remove the solid lifters. It has an expandable collar that when tightened grabs the inner bore of the lifter enough to hammer it out. The only thing holding them in is the varnish on the lifter and the inner bore. I've got 3 out so far and they appear to be in great shape to this point. I'll try to attach some pictures. The good news is I don't think they need replacing, so the cam issue is moot.

I’m having the same issue now. So wondering if you got them all out using the hydraulic lifter tool with the slide hammer?
Can you please let me know asap?
Cheers

 

[Rob81]

I’m having the same issue now. So wondering if you got them all out using the hydraulic lifter tool with the slide hammer?
Can you please let me know asap?
Cheers

Thanks for the quick reply. I’ll have to order one of those tools now. Mine all came out with my finger but the last one is stuck good.
Thanks

 

[sggoat]

OK, so there is no purpose in removing and cleaning up these lifters unless I replace or resurface the cam? They should slide out without sticking, so shouldn't I address that issue; clean off the varnish or whatever is keeping them from sliding out. My main purpose is to reduce the ticking; maybe the lifters aren't even the culprit.
Here's the thing, if the lifters are what's making the ticking noise and the only remedy is a new cam, then I'd rather do it now as opposed to putting it all together and realizing after that the noise is still there.
There's nothing easy is there? I guess that's why nobody can give you a set price for some of this work; you don't know until you get in there what it's going to take to get it right. I keep hearing guys talking about starting with one repair and they end up with a complete rebuild.

The "ticking" could be coming from loose valve adj.--
If you are trying to pull the lifters up past their normal operating range, there may be an oil/varnish ridge that is keeping you from getting them out easily--- if there indeed is a varnish deposit on the top of the lifter cylinder bore, when the lifter comes up, it takes the force of the valve spring to shove it back down. --maybe the lifter is sticking at it's top reach, and the valve spring isn't pushing it back down--There might be a small possibility the valve springs are not to spec--unloaded/loaded height, or vertical spec, or compression tension. The shop doing the head work should check these specs to make sure the springs are ok, as a matter of course.---That potentially could be the source of the "ticking", and not a "Clatter" that is usually described as the noise when the adj is too loose. You might also want to inspect the rocker assy to make sure there are no galls, or signs of metal contact on the rocker ID's or shaft(indicating a plugged oil hole, etc. )
I would think that any 'varnish' in the lifter bore would be a none-issue, as the solid steel cam pushing against a solid lifter will not be phased at all by a little oil varnish--I have not heard of anyone having to "rebore" their lifter ID's and then get oversized lifters to fit--there is no Toyota spec for this that I could find.--
My two cents--just some things to check to find the tick---