Editing Lifters - Cleaning and Replacing

[[Category:Engine]]
[[category:RB30E]]

=MxPx VL's Description=

==Tools/Materials Used==
*Flat head screwdriver
*Pliers
*Air compressor
*Degreaser
*Tub
*Coat Hanger
*Pin
*Clean Oil
*Ice Cream Container

==Process==
If you have noisy lifters and they're not actually chipped or broken the most likely reason that they are noisy is because they are not able to get oil into them to keep them at the correct clearances. If yours are anything like how mine were it’s no wonder why, years of dirt built up in them, and around them. This is from not regularly servicing the car and is keeping them from working properly.

''Here’s a pic of what I found when I took off my rocker cover:''
 
[[Image:Lifters vl 01.jpg]]

===STEP 1===
After either following the work shop manual or the changing lifters thread in this section here is the process I took to clean the lifters.

Firstly thanks to VL BT1, I got an idea of how to do it, by using a small flat head screwdriver, you need to pry the small wire clip at the top of the lifter off, making sure you keep your hand over the top of it while you do it because the clip springs off in any direction and they’re not easy to find again (especially in the dirt).

''Pic of lifter:''

[[Image:Lifters vl 02.jpg]]

''Pic of wire clip:''
 
[[Image:Lifters vl 03.jpg]]

''Pic of screwdriver used:''
 
[[Image:Lifters vl 04.jpg]]

''Pic of using screwdriver to remove wire clip:''
 
[[Image:Lifters vl 05.jpg]]

===STEP 2===
Once you’ve got the clip off the top section of the lifter just pulls out easily, this section has a fine oil hole in the top of it which is connected to the hole on the side, using something fine like a pin or a brooms bristle, you need to make sure this is clear of any dirt, I also used a compressor to blow any dirt out of this hole.
''
Pic of top section and wire clip:''
 
[[Image:Lifters vl 06.jpg]]

''Pic of air blower:''
 
[[Image:Lifters vl 07.jpg]]

===STEP 3===

You can then soak this section in some degreaser/petrol/diesel to clean the underside of it. 

===STEP 4===

The next part is the trickiest, getting the lower section out of the lifter body, it has a ball valve at the base of it and is pretty much held in by suction, because it is hard to get at with any tools as such I got a bent up a piece of coat hanger to pull the section out.

''Pic of lower section, spring and coat hanger hook:''
 
[[Image:Lifters vl 08.jpg]]

I used the air blower to blow air through the valve to push the lower section up and then use the hook by pushing it in and leaning it on an angle so the edge digs in to the side as you pull it up, also used the handle of some pliers to pull it out by just wedging it in there, this will take some time, it is the most frustrating part of the whole process, but it is possible. I just played around with different things, also pushed the ball valve with the pin, and oil squirted in my eye, didn’t really have a pattern at getting them out just had to keep at it.

''Pic of coat hanger hook in lower section:''
 
[[Image:Lifters vl 09.jpg]]

===STEP 5===

Once out there is a spring below it and that’s all the parts, so now you have the lifter body the wire clip, top section, lower section, and spring. Soak all the parts and using the screwdriver or equivalent scrape out all the dirt of the top and bottom sections. Using the pin make sure the ball valve is free of dirt on both sides of it; also use the blower to clear it. Clean the lifter body, spring and clip, dry all parts.

===STEP 6===

Now you can reassemble the parts, the spring sits in position in the centre of the body, once located it doesn’t move, wipe some clean oil on the lower and upper sections, slide in the lower section with the ball valve side towards the spring, slide in the upper section with oil hole facing the top, putting on the wire clip I slid it on from the side and pushed it in using the screw driver, still making sure it doesn’t fling off somewhere.

===STEP 7===

Now that they’re back together you need to prime them with some clean oil before putting them back into the lifter blocks. I got an ice cream container put them all in it and poured in oil so it covered them when they were standing upright. When in the oil I just pumped the top section, and you will notice air bubbles coming out of the hole on the side of the body. Keep doing this until they get hard to push down and most of the air bubbles have come out. Keep them upright in the oil until you are ready to reassemble back into the car.

''Pic of engine after everything all cleaned up and partly reassembled:''
 
[[Image:Lifters vl 10.jpg]]

===STEP 8===
Follow the workshop manual or the changing lifters technical article on reassembling the lifters into the car. After putting everything back together you need to run the engine for a few minutes until the ticking stops which means the lifters would be full with oil. It is suggested to 'run in' the lifters at 3000rpm for 10 minutes or so. I did this for a bit but they were still noisy so I then just went for a drive, just about five minutes worth, took it up to 100 km/h pulled over on the side of the road in a quite area, wound down the window and TA DA!! quiet. Now when I start the car no more of this waiting for it to warm up for the ticking to go away only for it to continue, just turn the key tick tick quiet aahhh.

'''- Many thanks to MxPx VL from CalaisTurbo'''

==Steve's Addendum==

I found an easy way to remove the bottom part out of the lifter, took me nearly no time at all to do

'''1.''' Screw Extractor kit which I bought a while ago for $10 from Auto1

[[Image:Lifters ex 01.jpg|500px]]

'''2.''' I found that there was no extractor that fit snugly, so I found the biggest one that would fit.....Get a rag/old shirt and double it over and place over the screw extractor

[[Image:Lifters ex 02.jpg|500px]]

'''3.''' Insert Screw extractor with rag into the lifter. Push in, twist and sorta flick it out.

[[Image:Lifters ex 03.jpg|500px]]

'''4.''' Lower section comes out, pull it out the rest of the way with fingers/pliers etc. and don't lose the spring

[[Image:Lifters ex 04.jpg|500px]]

'''5.''' There's your dismantled Lifter

It seriously took me about a minute with each lifter like this.

[[Image:Lifters ex 05.jpg|500px]]

'''- Many thanks to Steve from CalaisTurbo = R31's DasBlitz'''


==Prestagea's Addendum==

It actually doesn't matter too much if lifters go back in different holes (although I kept mine all the same) but it's very important that each lifter's components stay together, i.e. you can't swap the internals from one lifter with another, as they are all factory selected nearly interference fit.  I was really impressed with the lack of wear on the lifter faces and the cam, everything was almost virginal, even after 300 000k.

Another view of the lifter parts in order, after circlip is removed:

[[Image:Lifters p 01.jpg|500px]]

I had no success with either of the above methods, the first lifter took me longer to do than all the rest combined.  In the end my method was to have two lifters going at a time, one soaking in paint thinner while I was working on the other, and doing it all in sequence so that each lifter stayed separate.

After a lifter had been soaked, I put the lifter in a rubber lined vice, then used some internal circlip pliers to pull the inner piston out of the lifters (needle nose pliers standing in in this photo).  They were really stuck in there good, so only the circlip pliers gave me the force I needed to get them out.

I spent a lot time making sure the ball valve on the inner piston was clear, soaking that in thinners, forcing thinners through it, jiggling it around, as I felt that was the part that contributed most to the slow filling & noisy start.

[[Image:Lifters p 02.jpg|500px]]

It says it in the workshop manual anyway, but it's useful to have rubber bands to hold the new clean lifters in place so they don't drop out of the cage when you put it back:

[[Image:Lifters p 03.jpg|500px]]

I assembled them in a stainless bowl of engine oil, so they had a bit of oil in them to start with.  Depending on how you do this, it is possible to have some of the valves resting off the seat (even when off the cam) when the cages are put back.  If so, some of the cylinders won't fire when the engine is first turned over, but they'll come right after a bit.

The engine was incredibly clattery on first start, I let it idle for about ten minutes, still clattering away, then went for a gentle drive, all came silent, subsequent starts almost instant silence.

=Text Version=

If you have noisy lifters and wish to make them quiet, then here is how you go about doing that.
The best way to make sure that you don't have a re-occurrence, you may as well clean them all, and inspect each one for wear.
I have heard that [[Nissan]] lifters can be $70, where as if you go to an Auto shop (e.g.. Repco) I got a quote of $32 each.

For a first timer with little mechanical experience, it should take a couple of hours to get everything out (at most) hour or so cleaning (and soaking over night if possible) and a couple of hours putting it back together.


First remove intake piping, and spark plug leads.

Ensure that the piston No. 1 is on TDC of compression stroke.
To get engine to TDC, use a 27mm socket on the main crank, and turn it in the direction of the engine rotation, until it reaches TDC.
To check that it is on TDC of the compression stroke, and not the exhaust stroke, you can remove the oil cap and see the rockers, they will press down and to open the valves on the exhaust stroke, and will be in the normal position on the compression stroke.
I believe it is set to TDC in order to make sure that the torque settings are equally distributed whilst tightening.
As you tighten one side, then turn the crank shaft one revolution (half a revolution of the crank) in order to tighten the rest of the lifter guides.
This makes the torque settings on the guides even, and doesn't distort the guides
Having the crank at TDC allows the camshaft to be aligned properly so no lifter is under more pressure than the others.

Remove rocker cover retaining screws gradually in a spiral sequence, starting with the outer screws and working inwards.

Loosen the rocker shaft retaining bolts in stages ensuring that each shaft is loosened evenly. Remove the rocker shaft retaining bolts, and withdraw the rocker shaft assemblies.
Make sure that you label each rocker shaft as you remove them (there are 4) as they must return to their original position on the lifter guides.

Place a rubber band around the top of each valve lifter to prevent the lifters falling out of the guides upon removal.
Once again, these need to go back where they came from.
One is the forward lifter guide (F) and the other the rear lifter guide (R)

Soak in your choice of either petrol or thinners.
Using a small toothbrush or similar, remove heavy dirt and oil.
Leave soaking over night. Once clean, make sure you inspect the face of the lifter against a flat edge to make sure it is not worn.
If they are hollow, you need a new cam and lifters.
If you're happy, rinse off with petrol, and blow dry with compressed air preferably (eye protection MUST be worn when using compressed air)
REMEMBER TO MAKE SURE THE LIFTERS REMAIN UPRIGHT to prevent air getting in them.

Bathe all components with clean oil, ensuring that the lifters are free to move within the guides. Once again place rubber bands around the lifters to put the guides back in.
Remember to make sure all lifters go back into there guides that they came from!

Install the rocker shafts hand tight. Ensure all rocker arms line up and are free to move on the valves. Making sure that the engine is still at TDC, tighten the rocker shaft retaining bolts on the rear lifter guide to 22Nm or 16ftlb (remember tighten each shaft evenly)

Turn engine over in the normal direction of rotation until TDC again. Tighten the remaining retaining bolts. Double check all bolts to the required torque.

Pour a little extra oil over the entire head before replacing rocker cover.
(Good idea to do in conjunction with an oil change)

Check that the rocker cover seal is in good order, if not replace it.
Replace all throttle and intake piping and ensure everything is connected.

Start engine and rev to about 1500 rpm to ensure oil is pumped up to the rockers quickly. Then listen to the nice quiet engine.

The remaining noise will be from the injectors, that is standard.


- '''arrh31'''




=Picture Version=

I know this has been covered once in tech info already, but I have laid out this as a step by step guide and have included pics, the oil in my engine hasn't been changed by the previous owners for a very long time as you can see by the build up and hardening of oil on the rocker arms.

===Tools needed:===

* Phillips #2 screwdriver (Rocker cover screws)
* Flat screwdriver (loosen rocker cover)
* 12mm socket (Rocker arm bolts)

===Removing Intake:===

# Remove 4 screws from the airbox (pic below{Red})
# Remove the bolt from the throttle cable holder
# Remove the throttle cable (blue)
# Remove the top hose clamp on the throttle body
# Remove all of the hoses and leads that connect to the intake pipe
# Remove the intake pipe from the car

[[Image:Lifter1.jpg|500px]]

===Removing Rocker Cover:===

# Remove the hoses From the top of the rocker cover
# Remove all 12 screws holding the cover on (the is 5 on the passenger side {circled in pic} and 7 on the drivers side)
# Pull the rocker cover off, you might need to use the flat screwdriver to break the seal.

[[Image:Lifter2.jpg|500px]]

[[Image:Lifter3.jpg|500px]]

[[Image:Lifter4.jpg|500px]]

===Testing:===

* To test which lifters are faulty grab the rocker arm and try and wriggle it back and forth towards the lifter, it should have no movement at all if it's in good condition.

===Removing rocker arms:===

# There are 6 bolts holding the rear 3 exhaust arms and another 6 bolts holding the rear 3 intake arms, both sides need to be removed to gain access to the hydraulic lifters
# Once the bolts are removed gently pull up on the rocker arm assembly and remove them.

[[Image:Lifter5.jpg|500px]]

[[Image:Lifter6.jpg|500px]]

===Removing lifters:===

# Simply pull up on the lifter housing and it is removed
# Push out the problem lifters and replace them.

[[Image:Lifter7.jpg|500px]]

To put it all back together just do the opposite to the previous steps and work from the bottom up

The tension on the rocker arm bolts is 22Nm and the rocker cover screws is just 4Nm(hand tight with a screwdriver)

- '''WKD-031'''




==Comment==

===Kerosene & Dremel===

When I got my head rebuilt I soaked my lifter cages, lifters, rockers etc. in kerosene for a day then attacked it with the dremel + wirebrush

Went from this:

[[Image:Lifter8.jpg|500px]]

to:

[[Image:Lifter9.jpg|500px]]

[[Image:Liftera1.jpg|500px]]

- '''Tensop'''



===Lifter Order===

Remember not to mix up the order of the lifters, each lifter has its own unique mark, from the cam lobe.  If this is swapped to a different cam lobe, the wear limit is raised.

When replacing lifters, replace all if possible, if not, simply send the old ones in to be machined. thus allowing them to be brought up to a respectable height.

Clean everything with petrol, kerosene, engine flush what ever, the engine should not be put back together with sludge like the top how too, it's a waste of time, never do things in halves.

- '''projekt31'''


===Soaking vs Disassembly===

From experience, soaking doesn't clean them out effectively it does remove most of the gunge in the upper part, however, it doesn't remove significant amounts from the lower section.

I soaked a set and a half in a diesel / kero mix for 15 months (OK I forgot that they were in the tin until I did a garage clean-up and was wondering what was heavy and rattling about in the liquid), blew them out with the compressor through the side hole, then just for kicks pulled them apart, the upper section was pretty damn good but the lower section (the bit below the sprung ball bearing, refer pic 8 above) was still full of crud.

Soaking them did make them significantly easier to pull apart, the lower section of 15 of the 18 were able to be removed by blowing air straight at the ball bearing which depressed it, forced air under the lower section and popped it out the top. The other 3 I filled with acrylic thinners, depressed the ball bearing with a dart and got the thinners into the very bottom and 15 mins later they too were removed using compressed air.

On Assembly, I put in the lower section by pushing it in with the ball bearing depressed using the dart, then filled the body of the lifter with oil, then depressed the ball bearing again to to get oil into and air out of the very bottom, then put the top half on, place in container of oil and pump it up bleed it etc.

When all goes well it takes no more than 5 minutes to service each one, if it doesn't, well how long is a piece of string?

- '''Alsynon (CalaisTurbo)'''

=References= 

Gregory's manual page 38