Stuck lifter, free with: ATF, Sea Foam, MMO, Motor Flush, Kerosene, or Nitroglycerine

What motor flush or varnish dissolver is the most ferocious? Forget dumping olive oil in the crankcase, I want the most volatile shit around. This is a last ditch effort to avoid pulling the head.

I've got a sticking lifter that I'm ready to grenade. It clatters at startup for 1 second, partially pumps up, and clatters up to 2600 rpm, even at operating temperature.
I've had the valve cover off twice in the past 7 months resolving a sealing problem, while it was off I gave the valvetrain an inspection. The rocker arms are tight and there's no lash in the pushrod clearance. The engine topside is clean with no trace of sludge, thanks to Mobil DriveClean.

Re: Stuck lifter, free with: ATF, Sea Foam, MMO, Motor Flush, Kerosene, or Nitroglycerine

If the engines that clean then why do you think varnish is the problem?
Whats your oil pressure.

My pressure is 20 psi at idle, 40 at cruise.

The clattering started last summer after changing the valve cover gasket.
I struck the old cover with a hammer to break the seal, which I regret doing. The last owner had glued it on with something like 3M 5200. Needless to say,. I had to buy a new valve cover.

I reasoned something evil dislodged from the inside of the valve cover and fell into the oil. I changed the oil right after that regasket.

I've run Driveclean ever since, and the clatter hasnt changed in 8k.

I've got a similar clatter, with tons of smoke because it's burning oil like you wouldn't believe. For $250, I'm just gonna throw a boneyard motor in it next week. Throwing fluids in there won't fix the problem, at best it'll just mask it temporarily.

If your'e engine's ticking and pouring smoke, you're doing the right thing by finding donor. Sounds like major wear.

I haven't given up on finding the magic sauce just yet. I do realize this has less than a 50/50 chance of success. In fact I believe the lifter is shot and wearing out more every day, and whatever got trapped in its passage is not soluble in oil. Pure dread.

If its a piece of 3M 5200 trapped inside or what not, I'm going to be hearing this clatter until RIP.

Yeah mine started clattering like a diesel a couple weeks ago, so I knew I had a bad lifter(s). Changed the oil and kept driving it, figured I'd ride it until it blew (shows you how much I really care ), sure enough the oil burning was soon to follow. Kept driving it, but the smoke has reached intolerable levels and it smells like oil to the point where I can't take it anymore. So I'm just driving my Mustang in the meantime and I got a junkyard engine coming on monday.

Re: Stuck lifter, free with: ATF, Sea Foam, MMO, Motor Flush, Kerosene, or Nitroglycerine

Marvel Mystery Oil is good for this. It's basically kerosene, but has some extra additives in it. Use it as directed.

Another option is a quart of kerosene. I wouldn't drive it with kerosene in the crankcase, however. Just let it idle for a few minutes and then drain it out.

Nitroglycerine will definitely free the lifter, but there won't be much left to drive.....:explosion

Re: Stuck lifter, free with: ATF, Sea Foam, MMO, Motor Flush, Kerosene, or Nitroglycerine

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but can't the lifters be pulled without removing the head? When I re-rings my 2.5l, I pulled and replaced the lifters with the head on using the $5 tool that looks like a strange,long pickle picker.

I wish the lifters could be pulled through the bores, but they're trapped. The 4.0 lifters are the revenge of the 258's ghost.

What a design...the cylinder head is interference for lifter R&R. I still slap my own face looking at how the intake manifold is interference for the the exhaust manifold.

I could go on and on, but there's this ticking in my head drowning out my whining. All machines have design compromises, humans included.