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Hey all. 1950 2302 with a 327 and Ultramatic, 7 qts. fresh 10w-30 last week, new filter, Carter 643SA, 6v, points, mechanical pump... unmodified. Trying to get opinions on what (if anything) can be done to address a ticking lifter while the engine is assembled. The tick has been there since I bought the car (last year), and only becomes noticeable when the engine reaches operating temperature. The idle does seem to be effected by this tick, though it's otherwise smooth. Under load - accelerating and cruising - it's outstanding.

Here's a video of the rear eight valves - I believe the culprit is valve number three from the front (which also appears to have a shadetree shim between the lifter and plunger).

drive.google.com/file/d/1o8heOiQPoFbxdV1ipD13-cz2pwFfKwRW/view?usp=drive_link

This is the vehicle driving earlier in the day before I took the video of the valve train:

drive.google.com/file/d/1p2JFmbaROMmPvw9vjiMblkz887hryG4g/view?usp=drive_link

Thanks in advance.

This is what the third valve from the front looks like sitting still with what looks like the makeshift shim.

Attach file:

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  Lifter shim.jpg (1,552.30 KB)

I think that's a valve seal where you see the extraneous 'shim' Retainer probably broke at some point and rather than replace/change, they attempted a bandaid. Of course, begs; what happened to the pieces? Could be a clue. Without history, at a loss.
without disassembly, no history, etc. you might try a dose of "valve ease" or similar and let it run some miles and see if it quiets any or not. It'll go out with the next oil change - no risk. If still there after add, then it probably need a bit of surgery to cure what ails it.
Depending on the mileage and condition, it can be anything. You're only seeing the obvious, odd man out, out of normal thing - related or not. You might be able to better isolate which one is tapping, with a stethoscope. Can't tell from the videos. Sound seems to come from some other spot. But can't rely on a sound recording like that. There are sonic probes for that but not common DIY.
Might be one of those don't worry about it till it gets worse items. Got a 1:3 chance, it'll go away.
It could be a costly chore to cure a small noise on something one may not drive much. Plus no guarantee something else won't crop up during surgery. The "oh, while I'm in here I might as well..." cost accelerator. There comes a point where it's a rebuild bite the bullet. You may not like the results in the pocket book.

This has probably been covered before, so search the site for more info.

All good questions. I dropped the pan last year and found three valve keepers. Other than that, nothing notable in it besides some sludge. No knowledge of the history, other than to just guess that the engine has been out before (the weld mark on the rad cradle being the giveaway). But again, no idea why or when.

Ha, but it's funny you say that... been perusing the interwebs for new lifters... and the rest of the valve components. But, will try some valve ease and see where that goes. Thanks, Jim!

If it's a collapsing lifter, perhaps some chemical treatments can improve flow to the lifter, if there is some sort of obstruction. But if that doesn't work then it's probably time to remove the lifter, test it, and replace if necessary.

We'll be doing this on my brother-in-law's '52 with a 327. #1 cylinder has a lifter that sounds great on startup but as soon as the engine warms up it starts ticking loudly. Marvel Mystery Oil and Seafoam have had no effect, neither has many running cycles. So we'll be pulling the head to remove the valve and offending lifter this coming spring.

My understanding is that it can be done with the engine in the car, as long as you have an appropriate valve spring compressor. That's what we plan to do. We may take the passenger fender off to make access easier. With your 1950 you can remove the entire front clip as one unit and have easy access to the engine.

Fish n' Jim has a good point though. It could turn into much more work than you originally expected once you start pulling pieces off the engine. A lifter tick is annoying but I don't know if it causes any sort of problem.

These tiny lifters often don't respond well to chemical repair attempts (although it's worth a try) so the best remedy for peace of mind is to pull the head, then remove the valve in question. The lifter itself will pull right out from the top once the valve is out, then it can be tested and/or replaced. Having found three retainers in the pan, I would be inclined to check that each valve has both of them. Since it's obvious that the engine has been apart before, possibly the lifter gap was not performed which is done using a special gauge by grinding the seats or valve stems to get the proper gap. Unfortunately the person who made the gauge no longer does so, so not sure where to get one.

I will likely have to do the same on my 1954 Patrician's 359 although in its case the valve gap was properly set when it was rebuild back in the '80s. It's main problem is, as you described, a noisy lifter but it is only occasional and mostly at idle where the oil pressure is lower so probably just a sticky lifter from the decades of sitting.

Oh boy, I had a tick in my engine that I couldn't make go away with "medication". Not knowing what it was, and knowing nothing about the car's history, I decided to pull the pan, and then I pulled the head, and then I pulled the pistons, and then I pull the valves and lifters. There were pieces of my car all over my garage!

And then came the fun part! I replaced the valve guides and some of the valves, replaced the rings and had the pistons coated, and cleaned and tested all the lifters. Put everything back together and she's quiet and running well. Lots of work, and lots of learning, but glad that it's done and now I have a pretty good idea of the condition of my engine, which I think will outlast me.

My sound was more of a tap that I'm pretty sure that it was being caused by a severely worn valve guide on #4 exhaust valve.

If you do pull the head to check your lifter, I would go for it and pull them all, and clean and test them. I would also check valve stem clearance while you're at it.

Have you checked your compression? If you're pulling the head, maybe you want to pop in a set of rings?

Fun, fun, fun!

Hi Joe. Why are you using 10W30 oil?
Gary

Well. someone confirmed what I warned of. Parts in the pans is never good news. No telling where they been. It gets expensive going into surgery for a minor noise. If they were solids, they probably would adjust out. Hydraulics on a flat head is kinda weird. Overheads you can adjust/service them easier. Then some of these cars don't have any oil filter or partials, excess wear and gunk accumulates. That stuff in the pan will get "lifted" by modern detergent oils, and away she goes making noises. I made sure I cleaned the pan (soaked in kerosene) before I ever started the 288. There was something that turned akin to goo, not oil. Imagine if I had tried to start with that going on? Took lots of grief, but it still had a slight lifter noise, but it's got solids. Lazy to adjust and sitting again anyway.
Hope others that see this and going to buy one, notice the tell tales. Welds on the radiator support, homemade parts, noises, etc. And those that let them sit, take notice and regularly exercise and change fluids.

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Agreed! Anything other than oil in the oil pan is cause for concern. And the problem, in my way of thinking, on this motor is not knowing what has been done or not done. It's possible that someone, probably a novice, was working on the valves and didn't cover the drain holes and dropped a couple of keepers. It's possible that they got some more, or it's possible that some valves are missing keepers?? Too many unknowns......

I would be tempted to pull the head, check valves/guides and if compression is off, and cylinder walls are okay, might as well pull the pan and replace rings as well. If doing the work yourself the cost won't be too much, if someone else is doing the work, then it will be pretty costly. And there is always the possibility of finding something more once you get inside your engine! But if you're going to drive your car, you want it reliable.