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Installing New Lifters w/ Orig./Stock Cam?

Anyone have any Input on Installing New Lifters & Keeping/Using Stock Cam?
Good, Bad, Idea or just Plain Ugly?
My 96 has 248+000 mi. & Has 1 or 2 Collapsed/Stuck Lifters
(Sounds like a Diesel)
Replaced the Timing Chain at 125K mi. & Feel that it's Due Again.
Have Timing Chain, Gears, Valve Seals & Lifters.
Should I Replace Cam & Cam Bearings Too?
Or, Can I Still Run the Orig. Cam if I Use ZDDP Break In Oil Additive?
Still Have 189 - 190PSI Compression & No Knocking.
Just Burns about a Quart of Oil every month or so.
Last Time I had the Intake Off, It was a Lil' Gummed w/ Soot & Oil.
So, What do Ye Experts Here Recommend?
UncleSarge58
 
You can use new lifters on an old cam IF and only IF the cam is in good condition. A stuck or collapsed lifter is a big warning flag. You won't be able to tell until you get it apart. If you do replace the lifters, use cam lube on the face only and regular oil on the sides. Personally I would run Rotella that still has the ZDDP, along with a bottle of ZDDP. Make sure you are not running too much spring preload. Do a break in procedure just like on a new cam.

The bottom line question is, why did they fail in the first place.

Either way, I would do a good engine flush or two before starting tearing things apart. An oil analysis is always a good thing.
 
You can remove the cam from the front of the engine without removing the whole block from the car.
the fronts have a slot it even slides out of.
worth pulling it and measuring.
Its like the crank pulley bolt. and front case. not hard to do.
not worth not doing the extra hours work for possibly wasting money.
just my 2cents tho.
 
I am planning to replace my lifters and push rods even though they are still working, but the push rods are visibly worn, 290,000 miles. The rockers, pivots and rocker arms too. Main plan is to swap the head with a head that has been machine shop reworked as needed and has known good valve guides springs and valves. My current head has two cylinders with bad valve guides. Not planning to touch the cam shaft, gears, chain or anything else in the block.
 
old man,
Already Runnin Rotella.
My Brother Used to be a GM Line Mechanic (Years ago) & Said Exactly the Same Thing.

Got my Eye on a ECU Friendly Stage I Cam & may just Do That Later, When I Replace the Timing Chain & Sprockets.

Just Hate the Idea of Pullin the Whole Front (Radiator, Grill, etc) Off , to Do it All!

Gonna Try Pullin the Head & Replacing the Lifters& Valve Seals & Lapping the Valves First.

I'll Pull the Cam Later, When I Replace the Timing Chain Assembly.
If it Craps Out, I'll be Doing it Sooner than Later!
Thanx All 4 the Input,
US58
 
I've seen videos where they removed the lifters through the head, then turned around and found the head in front of me to have smaller holes than the lifters. I would check that dimension before putting the head back on if lifters are part of your future plan. May be better to do it at the same time.

As suggested, just like new cam break in and be sure to run a zinc additive.
 
Seems the 2.5L, 4 banger you can remove the lifters through the head, but not the 4.0L, 6 banger, inline 6. The heads are different. The inline sox head the holes in the head are too small to get a lifter through. Nearly made that mistake myself from that video.

I've seen videos where they removed the lifters through the head, then turned around and found the head in front of me to have smaller holes than the lifters. I would check that dimension before putting the head back on if lifters are part of your future plan. May be better to do it at the same time.

As suggested, just like new cam break in and be sure to run a zinc additive.
 
Seems the 2.5L, 4 banger you can remove the lifters through the head, but not the 4.0L, 6 banger, inline 6. The heads are different. The inline sox head the holes in the head are too small to get a lifter through. Nearly made that mistake myself from that video.

The one I saw was a six, but the details are lost to me beyond that. It was a while back and on someone's phone. Leads me to believe there's one out there, it's just not one of mine.

I have all of the Jeep drivetrains short of a TBI 2.5. Some people might call it a junk pile.
 
I thought it was a 6 when I watched the video too. I went back and checked, and I counted the pistons, etc in the video, it was not a six, it was a 4 banger Jeep Cherokee...it was very miss leading.

If one of the 6 banger heads is different on that issue, maybe some one will speak up. I was told weeks ago here that none of the 4.0 heads allow lifter removal with out removing the head
 
I would tell people the same, that it's no dice. No surprise when the cover came off and the holes were too small, but then there was that video. I'll pass it along to my friend, maybe he can go back and look again.

How did you count pistons with the head bolted down? I would have counted the rocker bosses.

It could just be that you're a badass member of yore who can see through cast iron. Could be.
 
You would have to do it with the head off. In my 50+ years of working on engines, rarely have I had to pull lifters for any other reason than doing a performance upgrade (new cam). It isn't a normal thing you do. Lifters rarely have problems if an engine is run within its parameters and the oil is changed on schedule.
 
You would have to do it with the head off. In my 50+ years of working on engines, rarely have I had to pull lifters for any other reason than doing a performance upgrade (new cam). It isn't a normal thing you do. Lifters rarely have problems if an engine is run within its parameters and the oil is changed on schedule.

I have owned a few that were known to have noisy lifters. The Jeep 4.0 and MB OM602/603 come to mind. Using thinner oil seem to help lifters in the 4.0. If they're noisy with Rotella try 10w-30. I had been running 5w-40 for years in my 2001 XJ. This time I went a bit thinner. Hardly ever hear them anymore. My other Jeep, the Red 1997 XJ, was pretty quiet until I put some synthetic in there. Now at warm idle it can sound like a MB diesel. I haven't tried going to back to conventional yet.
 
The last time I had noisy lifters, I did the nuclear option. I put a quart of ATF and a pint of lacquer thinner in the oil for a hundred miles or so before doing an oil change. Presto the lifters were all good again.
 
The last time I had noisy lifters, I did the nuclear option. I put a quart of ATF and a pint of lacquer thinner in the oil for a hundred miles or so before doing an oil change. Presto the lifters were all good again.

Certainly another option. :patriot:
 
I would tell people the same, that it's no dice. No surprise when the cover came off and the holes were too small, but then there was that video. I'll pass it along to my friend, maybe he can go back and look again.

How did you count pistons with the head bolted down? I would have counted the rocker bosses.

It could just be that you're a badass member of yore who can see through cast iron. Could be.

LOL, I was in a hurry with that post. I used the surrogate you mentioned for counting the pistons. No, I did not use the force, not this time, LOL.
 
I had a GM 5.7 vortec powered vehicle for about a decade.
Noisy lifters is a problem among many of them.
When they started knocking consistently,
I'd replace a quart of motor oil with a quart of ATF for the full 3,000 miles.
Worked well.

Somewhere around 240k I replaced them and the push rods,
Filled the block with desiel and ran the oil pump with a drill, took 17 oil filters before I had clean desiel return.
Slowly flushed it out with oil using the same method.
Sold it to a fella at work, Engine is still kicking it knock free.
 
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