Straight 6 lifter removal

[68 IRON]

This is an old engine and everything is varnished....I'm pulling the lifters for replacement (2 or 3 are weak at best). Anyway, is there an easy way to loosen the varnish so I might be able to pull them out? Any help will be great.
I really didnt think they would be this bad!

[PanelDeland]

I would try letting it idle with a quart of ATF for a few minutes.ATF is high detergent and should maybe help loosen some of it.Seafoam might be as good.The problem with either is that they may loosen junk to get in other areas of the engine causing problems.





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[Wrenchbender Ret]

You probably will need a lifter removeing tool. Spray carb cleaner on the lifter as you move it up & down in the travel. If its a varnish problem that will loosen it up. Often the bottom is mush- roomed & it takes some persuatiion with the lifter tool. There have been times when the only way to get them out is to tear down the engine & hit them from the bottm.
You realize putting new lifters on an old cam is a temp. fix. It will not last too long.

[GRX]

Originally Posted by wrenchbender ret

you probably will need a lifter removing tool. Spray carb cleaner on the lifter as you move it up & down in the travel. If its a varnish problem that will loosen it up. Often the bottom is mush- roomed & it takes some persuasion with the lifter tool. There have been times when the only way to get them out is to tear down the engine & hit them from the bottom.
You realize putting new lifters on an old cam is a temp. Fix. It will not last too long.

^^^ qft

[68 IRON]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Wrench ya I know its a temp fix. But, when I passed my neighbor with his 6 not making any sound at all I just wanted to get to that point.....and I did in a round about fashion.

I was thinking there is no way I'm gonna get a puller down the pushrod hole with the head on and the lifters have to be worse than the varnish on the pushrods. So after soaking with Kroil and doing the carb cleaner for a bit, I called it quits and began putting it back together. I started it up to adjust the lifters and it went real smooth....too smooth! Every rocker seemed to be magically adjusted. I did the procedure to everyone, turn down till it loads and back off 1/4 to 1/2 turn. It is so quiet and smooth now I'm speechless...
sort of! LOL I must have loosened up the sticky lifters with the cleaners and lube. Ill change the oil this weekend, but I did not expect this to happen. I was even thinking about changing the head since I might have it off to pull the lifters. It pays to do the easiest things first. Thanks again...I appreciate the support.

[pritch]

Originally Posted by 68 IRON

It is so quiet and smooth now I'm speechless...

Never underestimate the longevity of the mighty 6!

[RichardJ]

>>I did the procedure to everyone, turn down till it loads and back off 1/4 to 1/2 turn.<<

Please explain what you mean by that.

If you turn down the adjuster nut too fast, the lifter won't have time to adjust and can hold the valve open for a few revolutions until it adjusts. That cylinder will drop out momentarily. Is that what you mean by "loads" ?

If you turn the adjuster nut down too far, the lifter plunger bottoms out and the valve will be held open. That cylinder will drop out. Is that what you mean by "loads" ?

Either scenario is incorrect because you really don't know where they are adjusted and can have variations from one valve to the next.

The correct method is to loosen the adjustment until the rocker is loose and clatters or clicks. You then tighten the nut back down until the instant the rocker stops clattering. At that point in the adjustment, it is at zero (.000") lash. You then turn the nut down an additional 1/2 turn.
Some use 1/4 turn, some 3/4 turn, but very few use 1 (one) full turn as the manuals advise. It is more important that all the valves are adjusted the same.

I have read many places that the original lifters Chevy used in the '60s had greater plunger travel inside the lifter. 1 turn placed the plunger closer to the middle of its travel and it could adjust itself inside that range of travel. The lifters being made in the last 30 years have reduced plunger travel and therefore the shallower adjustment.

[cdowns]

when you change your oil add a quart of marvel mystery oil to it and with use it will start a good internal cleanup

[68 IRON]

The "loading" is when there is an ever so slight labor in the engine. I understand that this is at the bottom of adjustment with stress on the valve train....but what you described is basically what my process was. It just shocked me after doing a couple adjustments, I paid attention to where the nut position was in relation to the process...just seemed to go back to my initial pre-start setup. I was just pleased and over excited that I didnt have to do more, with the short time I gave myself, that I abbreviated my steps described above.
Now about the mystery oil...its not too agressive on deposits, is it? I dont want to start springing leaks...just want to keep the lifters from sticking.

[Rooster's 67]

Over time the adjusting nuts can get worn, they are oval shaped and supposed to hold their adjustment. Replacing the nuts may be in order if they cannot hold their adjustment. I believe SBC rocker adjusting nuts work, giving the ability to use the manually locking nuts with the set screw in the top to lock then in place, eliminating the loosening of the nuts over time.

How much sludge or thick build up is in the engine? You had the valve cover off and did not mention sludge build up. I therefor would assume that the motor was well maintained, a quart of transmission fluid substituted for a quart of oil at the next oil change would be my personal suggestion. The atf has detergent in it and will slowly clean engine internals. When I do this to an engine, I change the filter every 1500 miles to be on the safe side, and add according amount of atf and oil 50% mix. And then change the oil at 3000 like normal.

(disclaimer: the below method does have the chance to thin the oil and be too aggressive a cleaning method in some cases, use at your own risk)

Another method of cleaning the engine would be to add a pint of Seafoam or Berrymans in the pour can to the oil and running for a short period, IE: 30-45 minutes or so.
But do not leave the engine unattended and make sure you have a valid oil pressure reading. any weird tapping,knocking or excessively low oil pressure means a plugged oil pick up from dislodged trash or too thin of oil. Shut down immediately.

Beauty of the sixes is you can change the cam without pulling anything but the front,valve, and side covers, distributor and assorted items to give room to the front of block. the lifters may be mushroomed and may cause a lot of grief. I do not recall if the lifters will clear the casting enough to be removed out the bottom of the lifter bores with the cam removed. but that also will require putting the engine on a stand and being able to invert the engine so the lifters will stay "up" away from the cam to facilitate removal of the cam then lifters from bottom of bore.

Good luck,
Spencer