Inliners International Forums General Discussion Engines 235 lifter probs (again)

I know its an old cherry,but its getting REALY annoying!!I like to think I've hidden the noisey tappet,are they ever cured?? cut a 5 thou groove as per thread from langdons,took the car for a drive fine no noise.noticed a slight chuffing,with a slight 5 1/2 cylinder feel at idle,so did a pressure check,3 & 4 cylinders down to 110psi rest 140 ish ,found out that inlet lifters have locked up and holding the valves open,back off the adjusters and the rattle returns.any one got any ides.Its a 235 in a 58 sedan and it eats dizzy's but thats another thread..

I assume you're taliking about hydraulic lifters. If so, the biggest issues with these oldbolts is cavitation in the oil pan and the oil pump pushing air to the lifters. There really isn't an easy cure but additional baffling in the oil pan to insure good oil pump submersion will help.

This engine might have been in storage for quite a while for this to happen, unless it was abused somewhere along the way etc.

Back off the adjustment screws (on those 2) all the way & let it sit for a while. This will allow the inner portion to return to the 'rest' position.

Change the oil & replace with SAE 10 & a high detergent additive.

Re-assemble & drive it (if not missing) on the highway for 2 hours. This should clean things up. Run that oil for 2,000 miles and re-adjust all the valves if the bad ones worked okay.

Air in the oil has never been a problem with that design engine. That occurs on the 'later' ones (250/292) at high RPM in racing etc.

Good luck.

Has this engine been sitting a long time???? poor maintinance over the years???
Is the rocker shaft assembly getting enough oil??? How's the oil pressure??

Not knowing the complete history of this engine, one possibility is that someone in an attempt to get rid of a colapsing lifter issue, tried replacing some of the lifters with solids. It's been known to happen.... Or you could just have some gummed up lifters from sitting awhile...

Colapsing lifters on the 235 is a very real occurance. I've had it happen to me repeatedly, as well as several other guys I know. Can't say I've ever heard of it happening to the later engines.
The only sure way to cure it is to switch to solid lifters.

How are you adjusting the lifters? with the engine at low idle and warmed up, one at a time, back off the adjuster till you start to hear it tick, then tighten about 3/4 turn. NOT 1 1/2 turns like some manuals show...

Hi gearhead,here goes,the engine was rebored,new bearings etc last winter,only done about a thou miles since,lifters were stripped cleaned,pump stripped cleaned,(air leak in there??)all lifter springs felt and measured the same,all were reassembled as a set i.e. same body to piston, spring,cup.I've set the lifters up so that the valves are shut but with a little pressure on the lifter,engine and oil hot,not had a chance to drive it yet as they've started trowing grit on the roads,getting chilly sollid lifters,will I need to change cam?Talking to a fellow stovebolt owner at a swapmeet('56 rod) came away with a short engine(less head) just have to take some beer and simply remove from chasis,body work removed so I have a spare set of lifters,oil pump and a crackin door stop. Oh yes what oil should I use ?? I'm useing a very good 20/50 synthetic should I use a monograde

Simply install a new set of 'juice' lifters is all you need do. Or just the 2 bad ones if you want to gamble.

Taking them apart is where you went wrong here.

Good luck.

If the lifters on the '56 are also hydros, then those would fit in your '58, as 56-62 are the same.

It's not recommended to use used lifters on a different cam, but since you're in England, and parts aren't readily available, I wouldn't worry too much about it. But new is definitely better...

Its not recommended to mix up solid and hydro stuff together, as the ramp on the cam profiles are not the same, but in a pinch, I've heard than solid lifters can be used on a hydro camshaft, but I don't really recommend it...

If you are certain of where the noise is coming from, you could just swap out those lifters, just to see if the problem persists or not.

There's no point to using oil that is heavier than necessary to do the job. Considering the climate in England, and that its a street car, a good 10W30 is plenty. Synthetic is up to you, but if the engine is a typical 235 and it leaks alot, it could be rather expensive to keep topping off with synthetic. Just something to consider...

I've always heard that you want to break in a fresh engine with regular oil, not synthetic. What kind of rings are you using?

On your dizzy problems. What is it doing? If you take the lifters apart again let them soak in ATF before assembly. That has always worked for me.