OK guys. I think it's finally time for new lifters. So...how?

[fast5speed]

I have a 1994 Nissan SEV6 truck. It now has 143k miles. It's been tapping away since 120k.

I've changed the oil strictly every 3,000 miles with high-grade oil and filter since I got it (115k miles).
I popped off the valve cover (the easy one to get to) and everything looked amazing! No sludge to be seen, and all my rockers and parts were such a gorgeous bronze. C'mon, now

I've been adding a bit of trans fluid to my oil. All the talk about high detergents.

I think I'm finally ready to just put some new lifters in. Can someone assist me in this? How do I get to them? And what do I need to know and avoid?

I did a quick search on google and got a bunch of results for VG30E valve tick. One poster on a site actually say the VG30E "doesn't have lifters. it has hydraulic lash adjusters" Take those off and clean them. http://www.fixya.com/cars/t4580714-ticking_noise_in_vg30e_pathfinder

I've replaced the exhaust manifold studs. I've taken off all my belts and started it. I've used all types of engine cleaners and different oils and filters. Nothing has ever made a change. I just want the ticking to go away. I want to keep this truck.

I've done some serious work on cars, but nothing getting to the internals of an engine. How hard of a job is this? And how potentially dangerous/damaging is it?




P.S. when I popped off my valve cover, I tried to wiggle my rocker arms (I think that's what they were). 4 out of 6 of them could be moved ever so slightly back and forth. Cause a ticking noise. the other 2 were rock solid. Does this have anything to do with it?

 

[92Path_68CJ]

Wow, every 3K?? That must get expensive!

[fast5speed]

Wow, every 3K?? That must get expensive!

Like $30 every 3-4 months. I guess that's expensive...but that's like less than half a tank of gas...which lasts a week or less.

Isn't that what the manual says to do? Change oil every 3k? Besides, that's what I've always heard to do

[Towncivilian]

3k mile oil changes are excessive and wasteful. Any API SN rated conventional oil can easily make it 5k miles. Somebody ran SuperTech 5W-30 for 10.2k miles in a VG30E Villager and the oil held up great - see the used oil analysis.

 

ATF is not particularly high in detergents. It contains less than a typical quart of engine oil. I would avoid using any engine oil additives.

Edited February 1, 2013 by Towncivilian

[Precise1]

Arguably, if you are using synthetic and a quality filter, you could go safely 5,000 miles between changes. That is what I do with our R50 and Toyota Matrix. The WD21 gets a dino/synth blend every 3,000 but it doesn't see much driving. Some people will claim you can run synth longer but my issue is not with the lubricity of the oil, but the contaminants in it.

 

Ok, on to the lifters. How bad is the ticking? Some tick is almost a signature of the engine. There are many people who have done cam and lifter work, so there are many threads containing info. Sorry, I do not know of one specific thread to point you to, but I recommend starting with a search with the words '+lifter +tick' and go from there.

 

B

[sewebster]

From my experience, beware oversized aftermarket replacement lifters... I had some jam and ruin my cams (and fill my engine with metal shavings). I had to order several dozen before I got 12 that were within factory tolerances (use a micrometer and the spec is in the FSM).

[Inyourface1650]

Try a nissan oil filter - see what happens to your tick.