lifter noise on 392
Moderators: scottm, TrWaters, 392heminut
lifter noise on 392
on my 392 in my 34 pickup, dead stock engine from 58, i have either a sticky lifter or a loose push rod , when i start it up when cold the lifter noise ticks away , this noise is not always there ie one day its there when i start it up when cold, another day its completley gone , ive tried lifter free up , new oil etc , or am i ineed of a new cam and lifter set up , any sugestions , thanks Phil
A couple of things come in to play here, one is the fact that the oil filter on these motors will drain back, meaning that the it takes a while for the oil pump to fill it up and build oil pressure. The other is likely a sticky lifter, or lifters. When the engine stops with a valve open, the pressure of the valve spring against the liftler plunger will slowly cause the oil to be forced out of the lifter, in essence collapsing it. so when you start it up, you have a lifter with no oil in it, and you have no oil pressure to fill the lifter. Hence, you get some clicking for a while. My 354 in the New Yorker, with 46,000 original miles, does this every time I start it cold. What I usually do is start the car, and wait until it builds oil pressure (5-7 seconds), then run it for another minute or so. Then I shut it off for a few minutes. Usually upon restart the engine is quiet, I suspect because it has stopped in a different "camshaft" position, relieving the valve spring pressure and allowing the bled-down lifter plungers to move into their normal position.