302 collapsed lifter!

[Daniel Black]

I have about 160 miles on a freshly built 302 and have a lifter that won't pump up. Should I just change the bad one or change them all? It seems like a fluke deal but now I'm weary of the rest of them. This was a whole set of new EngineTech brand hydraulic roller lifters so not the most expensive ones on the market by any means. I'd hate to change the one then another one go bad. They could all be crap or they could last 100k miles. I was under the impression there were only a few lifter manufacturers and they just get put in different boxes but I could be wrong. What would you guys do on a tight budget?

 

[Uncle Gump]

Personally... I would do the complete set.

 

[19Walt93]

Did it start out quiet and then start ticking or has it always ticked? I'd recheck the preload before going to the expense of replacing lifters.

 

[pjtoledo]

do an autopsy, find out what went wrong. there are a couple very small springs inside stock lifters, be careful when removing the retainer and top cup.

they need to fill with oil, no oil = collapse.
is the lifter bore getting oil?
there is a check ball in stock roller lifters, if debris is holding it open the lifter won't hold pressure.
PLUS,,, oil has to pass thru the lifter then travel up the pushrod and lube the rocker.

pull the distributor and run the oil pump with a drill. after a few seconds you should see oil coming out the pushrods into the rockers.
rotate crank a bit and repeat to test all lifters on the bases.

 

[RonD]

+1 ^^^^

Pull valve covers and do finger test on all pushrods to find the loose one
With a valve closed all the way you should be able to barely turn a pushrod with fingers, get a good grip, lol
If its easy to turn there is no pre-load, so bad lifter, bent pushrod or worn rocker

The call to change all or just one lifter is a tough one, IMO, it comes down to the work and cost it takes to change just one
On some engines you have to pull the heads to change lifters, in that case I would change them all if one has failed
If you just need to pull lower intake then I might change just the one

 

[Daniel Black]

I've already pulled the valve cover and found the problem lifter. With the #7 intake valve closed the rocker just falls all over. They were working fine and all were oiling when I primed the engine for the first fire up, til about 30 miles ago. This lifter stopped oiling, ruining the rocker and trunion before I could get it home. I already have some spare rocker arms so that parts easy. Luckily the valve stem still looks good and I had hardened pushrods so it still looks good. I swapped rockers around but this lifter is all the way compressed and won't come back up.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I put Ford Racing ones in mine, for roller lifters they seemed like a pretty good "nothing fancy" lifter.

8.5 years later and no regrets.

 

[RonD]

Reads like the spring has broken

Looks like you don't need to remove the heads on a 302 to change lifters so you can change just the one if you want
You may want to spin oil pump to make sure that lifter slot is not clogged up
Or after lifters and pushrods are adjusted and in place, crank engine over to make sure its pumping oil, best to use rocker defector clips to prevent oil spray or lay a towel over each side
Also check other lifters for good pumping

 

[Daniel Black]

I put Ford Racing ones in mine, for roller lifters they seemed like a pretty good "nothing fancy" lifter.

8.5 years later and no regrets.

Did you happen to swap lifters with the heads on? I've read some reviews that some brands wouldn't fit in the four corners. I'd suspect Ford lifters would fit like originals.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Did you happen to swap lifters with the heads on? I've read some reviews that some brands wouldn't fit in the four corners. I'd suspect Ford lifters would fit like originals.

I think they were just new plain ol' stock lifters.

I did it when I swapped heads, I don't remember when in the process I installed the lifters.

 

[RonD]

I have read that as well, some brands of lifters are a little taller on the case and won't fit in the 4 corners with heads on
The piston is at the same height just the case/lip a slightly taller

 

[Daniel Black]

I think they were just new plain ol' stock lifters.

I did it when I swapped heads, I don't remember when in the process I installed the lifters.

Neat. Thanks. I may just swap them all for the Ford set. They're not overly expensive at $110. As usual my $40 savings up front will cost much more in the long run.

 

[19Walt93]

"Plain old Ford lifters" are pretty bulletproof and last a long time. Before I buy a lower priced part I think about how long it will take me to replace it if/when it fails. I'll be resealing my C4 again this winter because the Summit brand kit had dubious looking scarf seals in it that don't hold pressure well. And kicking my own butt for using them. The good news is that I like building transmissions so I'll keep telling myself that.

 

[Daniel Black]

I

"Plain old Ford lifters" are pretty bulletproof and last a long time. Before I buy a lower priced part I think about how long it will take me to replace it if/when it fails. I'll be resealing my C4 again this winter because the Summit brand kit had dubious looking scarf seals in it that don't hold pressure well. And kicking my own butt for using them. The good news is that I like building transmissions so I'll keep telling myself that.

I'll try to remember that the next "great deal" I run across. I'd like to think I'll learn my lesson eventually. I looked up a new set of lifters from Summit yesterday and the first thing I did was to sort price from lowest first. Luckily my brain kicked in and remembered the problem at hand and I got the Ford lifter set.

 

[Ramcharger90]

Trickflow makes good lifters and hardened pushrods.