Just finished a head job. After the head job I had a bad lifter noise that turned into misfiring. Went back in to find a bad (brand new) lifter that must have gotten stuck. Replaced the faulty part and the engine has been running well for a week EXCEPT for this lifter noise that develops after about one minute of running.

Before anyone jumps to this, I don’t think it’s a slipped sleeve. This noise wasn’t present before I did the head job and I inspected the sleeves when I removed the head, they were all level. If it were a slipped sleeve that would’ve had to happen in the process of the head job.

Any ideas?

 

Did you check the rocker arm cups?

 

these are steel rockers, doesn’t seem to be a cup, but rather seems to be one piece.

I’ve found one, new, but defective lifter already. Replaced 2 more today that were from the same purchase as the previous defective one and the sound has markedly improved.

 

The rocker arms have cups in them on the push rod side with a hole in the center for oil to pass thru and lube the push rod. They can come loose and rattle and it'll sound like a bad lifter. You check them by inserting a small tweaker flathead and if they wiggle at all = bad. They cup should not move or wiggle.

 

im not doubting you, but it seems very seamless if they do have separate cups on the steel ones. Regardless, they’re new after the fact anyways.

 

Being new is honestly what concerns me. Nothing made these days from China for our LR's seems to be worth a darn. The cup with the hole in it is what can "float" and cause noise.

 

suggest you put it on a lift and make sure it is not coming from the bottom of the engine - more likely a crank bearing