Buick 225 Oddfire Lifters

So I have a noticeable clicking noise that increases as RPM increases on the engine. I am thinking it may be a bad lifter.

I am thinking of replacing them but have a few questions.

1.) Can I keep the stock cam shaft and just replace the lifters?

2.) Anyone have a recommendation on a set of replacement lifters? TA Performance has a set of hydraulic lifters for the 225 for about $115 and RockAuto has a brand called “Sealed Power” hydraulic lifters for about $7 a lifter.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! BTW the oil pressure at cold start is about 50psi, it is at about 25-30psi when driving and about 6-10psi at idle.

It does have headers as well and I haven’t ruled out an exhaust leak yet, just wanted to know how far I have to go with the worst case scenario.

 

Sealed power is a stock replacement lifter and im guessing TA is reselling lifters from compcams. Replacing the cam and lifters as a set is comon practice because the lifters and cam lobes ware together.

 

Understood that it would be ideal to change out both the cam and lifters at the same time but am I playing with fire if I just change out the lifters and keep the stock used cam in the engine? I just got this engine running about 4 months ago and would hate to tear it back apart to change out both the cam and the lifters. I was hoping that I could just change out the lifters which I believe would only require me to remove the intake manifold and rocker arms (not the water pump, pulleys, timing cover, distributor, cam gear, harmonic balancer, etc./you get the point).

 

You can put new lifters on a used cam,but not the other way around!

 

This

Be sure to take a hard look at your cam lobe. I've seen them get chewed and then you will need to go the extra step and replace the cam.

 

I would inspect the wear pattern on the botom of each lifter.
That will tell the story, as well as cam lobe inspection mentioned above.
Don't forget to inspect the push rods as well.
Many things can cause clicking noises.

 

Push rods are new and the rocker assemblies are new (rebuilt). Basically, when I tore apart the engine I stopped at the lifters, I remember pulling the lifters out one by one and inspecting them and nothing seemed bad in regard to wear on them, maybe one is just being sticky.

Everything above the lifters is new or rebuilt (Rebuilt Rockers, New (Used) Heads, Valve Job, New Pushrods). Besides that, it got a new timing gear, chain and tensioners, new timing cover, new oil pump. Oil pump was packed with petroleum jelly and primed before starting. All parts that were installed were given assembly lube prior to installation. It didn't have this tick when I first started the engine, it just recently started happening which again leads me to believe it is a lifter and not exhaust.

I plan on pulling out the old stethoscope and listening to some spots on the engine. I also plan on checking for exhaust leaks by pushing air through the exhaust tips and shooting the exhaust manifolds with some soapy water to check for bubbles/leaks. What is leading me more to a lifter versus the exhaust is the fact that the tick doesn't go away once the engine gets warm. From my experience, if it is an exhaust leak it normally goes away or dissipates when the engine and exhaust is hot.

 

Very well then.
Sounds like you have a handle on things.
good luck.

 

As a test. You can warm the engine up, pull the valve covers and restart. Check that all push rods are turning and check for noise.
If you end up replacing the lifters, check for rotation again.

 

Well I figured out the problem, turned out not to be a valve but instead a rocker arm. I isolated the sound to the driver’s side and pulled the rocker assembly and found that the rocker arm at the back of the engine had lost the pad that sits on the valve spring. Luckily I have a full replacement set for both sides, changed it out and no more noise.

My question now is what causes this? Is it a lack of oiling or is it just simply wear and tear on parts that are 50+ years old?

 

The rocker pads are pressed in with a single pin. If the pad gets bad wear, the rocking action of the valve stem can “catch” a worn groove and shear the pin off. See if your old rocker pads are smooth (but curved), or have a groove from the valve stems.
The best way to check lifter wear is to pull two lifters, then check the cam end against the straight bore side of the other. A good lifter will be crowned, having a convex surface the rocks on the flat surface. If it is flat or concave, its worn badly and should be replaced. When checking, be sure to put each used lifter back in the same bore as it was originally.
-Donny

 

I'm glad I read this thread. I totally forgot about this and I think mine need to be checked. I found this thread...

Buick 225 V6 Rocker Arm Pad Replacement | ECJ5 (earlycj5.com)