pulled the intake today and found the ticking noise

[modracer]

ok, awhile back i posted that my 79 cherokee with the amc 360 had a lifter noise on the very first rocker on the driver side. back then i pulled the rocker arm and pushrod and it all looked fine so i knew i had to pull the intake and replace the lifter. i finally bought an edelbrock aluminum 4 bbl to swap out so today i pulled the intake and pulled that lifter. the bottom side of it was mushroomed in in the center.it was very noticable. this jeep sat for prob 14 years without being ran so i am wondering if the problem existed and thats why it was parked or if sitting that long,then running the engine created it? regardless i got all the drivers side lifter swapped and will get the passenger ones done next week. then swap the old 2bbl out for the 4bbl and button it up.

[modracer]

another question, it was getting dark and i didnt take the time to trace it but there was a small metal line screwed into a fitting tree on the back of the intake that runs back down behind the engine towards the tranny. is that the vacumn line for the t400 modulator or does it go to the transfer case? also there was a vacumn line running out of the dash by the brake booster and teeing into the big vac hose from the intake to the brake booster. is that for the cruise control?

[Chevelleguy]

Replacing the lifter won't fix the problem. Your cam is going flat and will need to be replaced also.

[FSJeeper]

Originally posted by Chevelleguy:
Replacing the lifter won't fix the problem. Your cam is going flat and will need to be replaced also.

Yep, your wasting your time replacing just the lifter. I would do a cam, timing chaing, new lifter swap before driving it again. Also probably would not hurt to drop the pan and clean it out and check for metal shavings.

[Tigger4X]

For your wallet's sake I hate to agree BUT if you don't have the time to do it right the first time then you don't have time to do it twice!

[modracer]

camshaft looks fine looking through the lifter bore and no sign of shavings or anything else. i have seen "soft" cams before where the lobes wear off but this ones opposite... the bottom of the lifter is indented. the truck ran fine but just had a little ticking noise that annoyed me. the engine only has 50k orig miles and looks great inside.

[Serious Johnson]

I've yet to see a wiped lifter that didn't take the lobe with it, and it's next to impossible to tell by peering down the bore. You MIGHT be OK if the lobe still shows a shiny wear pattern that doesn't extend all the way across the surface.

Sitting for a long time could certainly have caused the failure, as dry cam lobes go through hell on start-up. Same holds for brand-new parts, only more so -- get plenty of assembly lube on that cam! Ideally, you'd want to soak all lifters in oil just before installing them, pre-lube through the distributor hole before light-off, and run it at about 2,000 RPM for at least 15 minutes from the get-go. But hell, off-the-shelf rebuilds seldom get such attention, and they often work.

S.J.

[modracer]

if i use a dial indicator and check the travel will that be conclusive in regards to the camshaft being ok or not? i did have oiling through that pushrod/rocker/lifter running with the valve cover off but it was not as strong as the other rockers.

[Serious Johnson]

A dial indicator could tell you whether the lobe is wiped so badly that it'll never run right, but not whether just the surface hardening is worn away enough to bugger the new lifters. Oiling at the rocker is wholly independant of the condition of the lobe, except perhaps that a bunch of shaved metal may be interfering with flow. Hate to say it, cheap barstid that I am, but what you describe don't look real good.

S.J.

[Chevelleguy]

The cam WILL have wear on it and once it starts, it doesn't stop 'till you replace it. Within 20 minutes of start up, your new lifter will look just like the one you took out and the lobe will wear even more. Just bite the bullet and fix it one time.

[mdill]

New cam time !!
New lifter = waste time & $'s .

You are 1/2 the way to replacing the cam anyway,
finish the job right.

Mike D.

[Lindel]

It's not an uncommon AMC V8 problem, at all, at least in my experience. Replace the cam, lifters, timing chain and gears, probably push rods and possibly rocker arms too.

The push rods and rockers need to be looked at for wear along with the rest of the valve train.

[modracer]

looking at the lifter today it appears it quit rotating as it has light gaulding up and down opposite the indention. at that point the cam dug into it. not sure if i want to mess with doing a cam swap right now on it but rather buy one i can drive now and then put this one up for sale. i have had it insured going on 3 months now and havent left the yard with it.thanks for the input