That lifter knock issue

Thanks for the oil sample suggestion. I didn’t know about the aluminum being a good indicator and I completely forgot that the copper content will indicate bearing wear. Thanks!



I didn’t replace my pump when installing the new pan with the oil return line bung that Blaine was kind enough to braze in for me. I don’t know if I’m going to regret not changing it…I totally went the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” route during the turbo install (gotta appreciate the irony in that lol).

From what I read, it’s best to go with the standard Melling pump. Is that the unit you went with?

I also forgot to mention that the folks who replaced my freeze plugs (one rusted through) totally mucked up the rear main seal install…and I had to install the engine bc they couldn’t so I ne er took it back to them. Anyhow, the RMS leak is another reason I’ve held off fixing any of these items and considered that maybe a remanufactured engine will make the most sense for me. I don’t have a clean place to work or the free time I used to have.

It was the standard pump.
 
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There are two problems with lifters in 4.0, AFAIK - startup problem and runtime problem.
Startup, is when the lifters leaked overnight or over couple of days and then on startup you get this problem.
Runtime is when lifters don’t operate correctly after the initial 10-20 seconds.
After I did all my engine work, I did remove the valve cover to replace the valve gasket. I checked the lifters - basically you check whether there is any slack whatsoever on any of the pushrods. Did not see any.
I am not paid by BG or something, but this thing really work. I know a guy who ran BG in engine oil multiple time to get the compression right, and it worked. Basically it cleans the Carbon in the rings around the piston by this improving the compression. Their stuff really works, this is why most of the garages today use it for engine performance restoration.

Good to know about the two different lifter issues. Mine is the start-up problem only.

I believe I've seen someone else speak well of the BG product. I don't think I have a carbon buildup issue, especially after doing multiple Italian tune-ups and running seafoam (and even water) into the throttle body while revving in idle.
 
There are two problems with lifters in 4.0, AFAIK - startup problem and runtime problem.
Startup, is when the lifters leaked overnight or over couple of days and then on startup you get this problem.
Runtime is when lifters don’t operate correctly after the initial 10-20 seconds.
After I did all my engine work, I did remove the valve cover to replace the valve gasket. I checked the lifters - basically you check whether there is any slack whatsoever on any of the pushrods. Did not see any.
I am not paid by BG or something, but this thing really work. I know a guy who ran BG in engine oil multiple time to get the compression right, and it worked. Basically it cleans the Carbon in the rings around the piston by this improving the compression. Their stuff really works, this is why most of the garages today use it for engine performance restoration.

My 2002 must have the later,it sounds great when you first start it up,and when it warms up it will tick a little,has great oil pressure though.
 
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Good to know about the two different lifter issues. Mine is the start-up problem only.

I believe I've seen someone else speak well of the BG product. I don't think I have a carbon buildup issue, especially after doing multiple Italian tune-ups and running seafoam (and even water) into the throttle body while revving in idle.

Seafoam through the throttle body takes care of the carbon buildup inside the combustion chamber. BG is capable of taking care of buildup on the piston rings. This is why BG improves the compression in the cylinder.
 
Seafoam through the throttle body takes care of the carbon buildup inside the combustion chamber. BG is capable of taking care of buildup on the piston rings. This is why BG improves the compression in the cylinder.

What do you mean "improves compression in the cylinder"?

And how does "in the cylinder" differ from "the combustion chamber"? My understanding is that those are synonymous in a built engine since the inside of the cylinder (other than the bottom portion) is part of the combustion chamber.

I know a guy who ran BG in engine oil multiple time to get the compression right, and it worked. Basically it cleans the Carbon in the rings around the piston by this improving the compression. Their stuff really works, this is why most of the garages today use it for engine performance restoration.

How will BG in the oil fix carbon on the compression rings better than seafoam or even water entered into the combustion chamber where the compression rings would be directly affected?

My understanding is that removing carbon buildup from the combustion chamber (i.e., cylinder) generally reduces compression.
 
What do you mean "improves compression in the cylinder"?

And how does "in the cylinder" differ from "the combustion chamber"? My understanding is that those are synonymous in a built engine since the inside of the cylinder (other than the bottom portion) is part of the combustion chamber.



How will BG in the oil fix carbon on the compression rings better than seafoam or even water entered into the combustion chamber where the compression rings would be directly affected?

My understanding is that removing carbon buildup from the combustion chamber (i.e., cylinder) generally reduces compression.

look, combustion chamber is a part of the cylinder. Improving compression in the cylinder means improving the compression in it’s combustion chamber.

I never used water whatsoever inside the combustion chamber, so cannot comment on what it does.

Seafoam through throttle body burns the carbon deposits inside the combustion chamber. The rings are not inside the combustion chamber, they are between the piston and the cylinder wall. As far as I know, their goal is to keep the oil out of the combustion chamber. This is why they are exposed to oil and this is why BG will clean the carbon on them.

As for as for the carbon deposits inside the chamber and compression - I think that first we need to eliminate all them, as them reduce the actual volume of the chamber and then deal with compression whatsoever.
 
look, combustion chamber is a part of the cylinder. Improving compression in the cylinder means improving the compression in it’s combustion chamber.

I never used water whatsoever inside the combustion chamber, so cannot comment on what it does.

It steams away the carbon build-up (through water injection), similar to the products we purchase. It took me a while to feel comfortable and understand enough on how to do this safely (add a tiny bit at a time to avoid hydro-lock).

Seafoam through throttle body burns the carbon deposits inside the combustion chamber. The rings are not inside the combustion chamber, they are between the piston and the cylinder wall. As far as I know, their goal is to keep the oil out of the combustion chamber. This is why they are exposed to oil and this is why BG will clean the carbon on them.

The compression rings are part of the combustion chamber...they act as the wiper that seals in the compression.

The oil ring (scraper) is the most bottom ring that exists to prevent/limit oil from getting to the compression rings.

As for as for the carbon deposits inside the chamber and compression - I think that first we need to eliminate all them, as them reduce the actual volume of the chamber and then deal with compression whatsoever.

Carbon deposits displace air, which increases compression (just like decking a head does because there is more "squeeze" on the compression stroke). Removing the deposits that previously displaced air lowers compression.

It's possible the compression increased after servicing because the carbon deposits were preventing the valves from fully closing, and removing the carbon deposits created more compression by allowing the valves to fully close. IMO, this better explains why compression increased after removing carbon deposits from the combustion chamber.
 
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Update:

As previously mentioned, I had lifter knock again (only on startup) after replacing the combination of Marvel Mystery Oil & 10w30 Mobil EP with Redline 5w30.

For whatever reason, my lifter knock has not happened for about two weeks. I won't worry about changing anything if it only happens once or twice a month. We'll see how things develop.