jeepdeepfreak said:
Thanks for the input 5-90,it's always valued.
This was a drop in, re manufactured motor...so it was already assembled.I'm thinking that whoever put it together didn't prime the lifters....
About the comment you made about modern lifters supposedly not needing to be primed is not true because I rebuilt a 2.5 cherokee and forgot to prime the lifters and they would not self prime.Finally had to take the valve cover off and remove the lifters to prime them...thank god you can take the lifters out of the 2.5 without removing the head like on the 4.0
How can I prime these lifters without removing them???
I'm still not sure it's lifters or valves making the noises,whatever it is it don't sound right...
Like I said (at least, I thought I said - maybe I didn't?) I'd only read that newer lifters didn't need priming. However, I
know I said that I tend to do it anyhow, just because I don't believe everything I read...
If you can remove the lifters easily, then there's no reason that you can't just pull one, prime it, put it back, and move on to the next one. Just do them one at a time, and you won't be able to mix them up. Just to be sure, I'd also have a small magnet that I could use to "follow" the lifter bore I'm working on, just so I don't go awry - but that's me.
If you haven't isolated the noise, a mechanic's stethoscope can work wonders. If you can't get one, or don't have access to one, use some rubber hose (about 3/8" should work, use a bit about 3 feet long,) and stick an old pushrod or a bolt in the end and use that. Probe about with the metal end, and stick the other end in your ear (I have found that a pushrod works rather better than the bolt, but use what you have available. A metal rod that fits snugly in the hose should also work - cut off a bit about 6-8" long.) You'd be surprised how well you can nail down a noise that way - with practise, you can even tell WHICH engine part is making the noise!
I can't think offhand of any way to prime the lifters without submerging them totally, and operating the plunger.
5-90