Hydralic lifter noise

Posted by Jim Kavanagh On 2017/5/16 0:31:34

My '52 has hydralic lifters. When I get up to max temp - usually takes about an hour, I get a very noticable ticking, which I think is a lifter. After just a few minutes of cooling, the noise is gone and returns when I finally again get the engine fully heated. Noticable at idle, once I get any RPMs, it gets lost in the mix.

I didn't realize I had hydralic lifters until I pulled the valve cover to adjust them.

Everything is quite clean behind the covers, and I believe the engine might have been gone through in the past few years before I got the car.

I am hoping that I have a lifter that is gunked up and there is a way to clear it short of pulling the lifters out and testing/rebuilding them. We used to use a high detergent oil that would often help unstick a lifter - I can't remember what it was called and don't know if it is available today.

Any suggestions on how to proceed would really be appreciated.