Guest jef1956 Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 How much of a problem is it to replace the lifters in a 322 nailhead? what else should you replace at the same time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bhigdog Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Just remove the intake and valley cover to access the lifters. Cam is most likely OK. Rocker shafts and rocker arms most likely show wear, Who knows how much..............Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Before you replace the lifters check the rocker arm shafts for wear. I have seen noisy lifters diagnosed as bad and replaced because the rocker arm shaft looked like a set of steps when the arms were removed.Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Make sure you buy the correct year lifters. Not all 322 lifters are the same and will not interchange.We found out the hard way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jef1956 Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Thanks, added some Lucas additive and it quieted right up, that will give me some time to check out all my options Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 Lucas additive? It is a good thing this isn't a British car forum!Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 53 Roady Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 What about valve springs?Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trp3141592 Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 Hmmm--A possible new chapter in The Adventures of Lucas--Prince of Darkness!--Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buick man Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 (edited) Yeah, with the nailhead lifter it is wise to get the car warmed up good. Then remove the valve covers. Start at #1 TDC and see if you have any play at all on the push rod head to rocker arm seat. Work your way through the firing order all at TDC. Your looking for soft or spongy when pressed into the hydraulic lifter and or play at the rock arm seat. If it is determined upon removal of the rocker arm assembly, push rods and their perspective hydraulic lifters that the internals of the hydraulic are scored or the outside skirts are scored, shaft mall head worn or shaft out of true or rocker arm shafts scored and under sized then it would be time to examine the camshaft lobes as well for excessive wear patterns, cratering or like scoring or eccentric wear patterns.If the decision to replace all the hydraulic lifters is made, it is often considered best to also replace the camshaft along with that set of new lifters to help maintain and secure the tight tolerances in the entire assembly. The rocker shafts can be replaced along with new rocker shaft bearing inserts via a machine shop. Regarding the existing hydraulic lifter, If you are just concentrating your efforts on any one lifter or a combination and more than just replacing or removing, a single hydraulic lifter, then be certain to reinstall that particular hydraulic lifter from the exact location from where you took it out of as each lifter when broken in with the camshaft, will have it's own particular matting/seat wear with it's particular cam lobe mating surface and inserting one from another lobe and mixing them up will cause problems gauging from sticking to abnormal quick wear on both the cam shaft and lifter seat…. just some quick thoughts Edited May 3, 2014 by buick man (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 53 Roady Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 When we rebuilt the mill in my Olds we got new shafts from Egge with reground rockers. The valve job was thorough. We had a clicking sound which I thought was lifters. We got another set of new leak checked lifters from Iskenderian and still had a click. I built a top oiler system and still had a click. Eventually we determined that the reground rockers were nicking the retainers. Jim beveled the retainers and all was well. We had checked the clearance visually but not with the motor running. That was lesson #1. #2 a couple of valve springs broke at different times. The second one was near Polson Montana a long way from Kansas City. Next day air took 3 days to get one off the parts car and its a good thing I had an air bottle to hold the valves up while I changed the spring in the city park.#3 I've also heard that you should change cam and lifters together.So:Holding the valves shut with an air supply and changing springs in addition to changing cam and lifters is a thorough fix which does not involve removing the heads.Even with all my stuff working well, and its been more than 10 years, I got a little clack. Olds are much worse about this than Buicks. But I use 5 qts of Quaker State 10-30 and 1 qt of Mobil 1 and it seems to be happy.Good LuckPat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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