Lifter noise?

[Alk-3]

another bit of information to help diagnose this:
Yesterday when I noticed the low coolant level, I topped it up, and within 30 minutes of driving I was down enough for the heater to stop working. at that point I called it quits and called the tow truck.
That seems like a lot of coolant to leak into the oil in a short time for just a blown gasket doesn't it?
Right now I'm trying to decide if I should buy a new head as planned, and hope that the block is fine, or worst case, replace the whole engine. if I buy the head, and everything is fine I will rebuild the old head and either sell it, or have it as a spare.
I'm really just hopping the block is not cracked allowing the coolant to get into the oil.

[SafeAirOne]

Did you chase the head bolt hole threads with a tap, then blow/vacuum out the junk from each hole, and then follow the head/head gasket installation procedures in precisely during reassembly? Several things can cause head bolt torque to read higher than it really is.

[Alk-3]

Did you chase the head bolt hole threads with a tap, then blow/vacuum out the junk from each hole, and then follow the head/head gasket installation procedures in precisely during reassembly? Several things can cause head bolt torque to read higher than it really is.

no, I didn't chase the threads. I will do that next time for sure.
I did follow the guide step by step very carefully. the only thing I did differently, was I torqued all the bolts down to about 30 foot lbs, in order, then went back and started over with 65 foot lbs.
after inspecting everything, and recalling the events, I'm starting to lean towards a cracked head. The gasket is in really good shape, with no real signs of damage at all. I can clearly see the indention from the head seating into the gasket and all the water passages appear well sealed. I'm taking the head to a machine shop not to get it cleaned and checked for cracks.

[Alk-3]

I just dropped the head off at the machine shop. the machinist says it's possible one of the freeze plugs has rotten through.
so now that the head is at the shop for assessment, I'm left with the rest of the engine.. how to I flush out the coolant from the engine? I have drained all I can out the oil pan, but should do anything else?
My plan was to fill the engine with oil as per usual, and then run it for a few minutes, then do an oil change, and repeat until it ran clear again. Is that the best course of action? this would of course have to wait until it's all back together. could be a week or more if I have to order a new head.

[antichrist]

If you're really worried about a cracked head ask them to Magnaflux it.

[Alk-3]

Got a call today from the machine shop. There is a big crack going from one of the freeze plugs across to one of the bolt boss's. New turner gas flowed head is on order.
Does anyone have any input on flushing the coolant/oil goo out of the crank case safely?

[albersj51]

Got a call today from the machine shop. There is a big crack gng from me of the freeze plugs across to one of the bolt boss's. New turner gas flowed head is on order.
Does anyone have any input on flushing the coolant/oil goo out of the crank case safely?

It may not hurt to drop the pan and clean it out really well.

[Alk-3]

It may not hurt to drop the pan and clean it out really well.

I was thinking that. At least get as much out as I can.

[siiirhd88]

I usually add several gallons of kerosene or diesel fuel to the empty sump and flush the galleries by spinning the engine using the hand crank. After a bit of cranking and observing the flow out of the rocker shaft I let it sit for several hours and then drain the mix. I refill the sump with cheap oil and perform the flush and drain again.

Bob

Does anyone have any input on flushing the coolant/oil goo out of the crank case safely?[/QUOTE]

[Alk-3]

I usually add several gallons of kerosene or diesel fuel to the empty sump and flush the galleries by spinning the engine using the hand crank. After a bit of cranking and observing the flow out of the rocker shaft I let it sit for several hours and then drain the mix. I refill the sump with cheap oil and perform the flush and drain again.

Bob

Good Idea. I will do that, thanks!

[Alk-3]

okay, I have finished putting everything back together. I got the new head gasket on, the head, and flushed the engine thoroughly with diesel fuel. I hand cranked it, and cranked it with the starter when I got too tired, then drained and repeated several times. I then put in new oil and started it up. ran if for a few minutes just at idle, and flushed it again, then did this one more time with new oil, flushed it and finally filled with clean oil again. I changed the filter each time I drained and refilled. the oil is now very clear, so I feel like it's as clean as it will get for now. I will do another oil change once I get a chance to drive it for a few km's.
so I still have a noisy tappet, but it sounds different from the last time, which I now beleve was a sticky valve. Now on valve number 8 I'm having a problem.. After running the engine to warm it up, I retorqued the head and readjusted the tappets. I set them all to .010" hot. I then started it up, and there was some tappet noise coming from number 8. I shut it down, and number 8 needed to be readjusted again for some reason, even though I had just done it. is it possible that the lifter down in the block is worn in some way that makes it change the clearance? like if there is a round part that has become oval or something like that? is the lifter hydraulic and maybe having a bit of a hard time coming up to pressure or something?
after I adjusted it again I started it up, and it made the same noise, so while the engine was running I loosened off the lock nut and tightened the screw a little bit, and the noise stopped completely, and it sounded great. I did not leave it tightened like their because I do not want to burn a valve, but I also wanted to see if the noise would go away.. so what could be the cause of this?

[bkreutz]

You could have a worn rocker arm tip that gives you a false clearance reading, the feeler gauge could be hitting two high spots but when the engine is operating the actual clearance is too much. Something like this )). Imagine putting your feeler gauge in between those two, you would be bridging the concavity on one side and the convexity on the other. This isn't common but I have seen it a few times over the years on different engines. The proper way to correct is to replace both but I've gotten away with not replacing by adjusting the valve lash with a dial indicator. Just an idea, your description sure sounds like this.

[Alk-3]

yes, I had read about this before. I wonder if it might be the case here.
Any and all suggestions are very much welcome, and I will check each suggestion as we go.

[Alk-3]

...figured it out, and it's not good, but could be worse.
I went out to try what bkreutz suggested, and it didn't do much, if anything,, the engine is cooler now, so it's hard to say if it made any difference… anyway, I adjusted it the best I could and started it up to listen, then adjustested and listened again etc, when all of the sudden it started backfiring up through the carb.. that distinctive pop sound.. so I had a real quick glance at it before I ran to shut off the key, and noticed valve number 8 not moving at all. after shutting it down I used the hand crank to get valve number one to the fully open position and sure enough, the pushrod on valve 8 was jammed up on something down in the block. it looked like it was going through the hole to the lifters at the correct angle, but it's hard to say.. anyway, I decided to pull the whole rocker arm assembly to see what was up. Once I got it taken apart, the #8 pushrod was clearly wedged in on a slightly different angle than the rest. I shined a small light down and could see the end of the pushrod was not sitting in the little cradle in the brass thing (not sure what it's called, but I've attached a photo of the part I'm talking about..) anyway, I had to use a claw hammer to get the pushrod unjammed.. which really did not require any real effort, but I couldn't get a grip on it with all the oil everywhere.. so I peered down and the pushrod has actually punched a hole through the brass thing, but way off to one side, not in the middle. in fact, the hole it punched doesn't seem to be affecting the fuction of the brass thing. I can seat the pushrod into it's designated cup and it stays put.. it would have to be very very loose (maybe ⅛" or more clearance at the tappet adjustment before it would once again hop out of it's cup and go into the hole.. So I bolted everything back together again, and it is running just perfect.. for now. I ran around the block a few times, going very hard on it with high revs, pulling away with as much load as I could, and it held fine, as I would have expected. everything sounded really good too, better than it's sounded in months.
I'm wondering though, will the bits of brass that got punched out find their way into the oil pan? should I be concerned with them bouncing around in there maybe causing some damage to the cam or something. it is brass, so it's not going to stand much of a chance against steel parts, but still..
My main concern is the pushrod popping out and causing this problem again. My thoughts are if this happens on the road at some point, I would not want to run it at all without the #8 valve functioning, so would it be wise (if it stops working on the road) to pull the spark plug? I do not intend to drive the truck much, as I do work from home, but the occasional jont out to grab something is all. In the spring I plan to remove this engine and fix the lifter issue, and then store the engine, and fit a new more powerful one that can handle slightly higher RPM's.. so in short, this engine is on it's way to retirement, but I would need it to last till the spring.
By the way, the engine has good compression across all cylinders, does not burn oil, has the brand new HP gas flowed turner head now fitted, and has loads of power for a 2.25.. but I drive on the highway a lot (7 hours per weekend, every weekend) at about 60 to 65mph, with a Roverdrive, and I don't want to torture this strong engine with this abuse, so I'd like to swap it out before I burn it out.
If the advice is to pull the head and fish out the lifter from the block and fit a new one, I will do that, but if it not an absolute urgency, I wouldn't mind waiting on it, now that I've removed and fitted the head three times in under two weeks.
Here is the picture.. this picture is of the part sitting upside down.. the pushrod seats into a socket on the lower side. hope that makes sense.

[SafeAirOne]

The pushrod wasn't properly seated in the tappet upon reassembly.