Sorry that I am resurrecting a two year old thread is so painfull to you!
The statement I made about shorter push rods or shimming was what I was told by a mechanic, maybe I should not have mentioned it.
I removed the lower intake on my V10 8.0L and I am able to remove 16 of the 20 lifters. The other four cannot be removed unless I remove both heads, there is just not enough clearence to get the lifters out. I have worked on many engines and I don't recall a engine that the lifters can't be replaced whitout removong the heads. So if you are planning to replace lifters keep this in mind.
I dissasimbled the lifters and cleaned and oiled each one. Now the 16 are free and tested ok. The other four I am looking if it is possibel to clean them in the engine.
I am going to install a manual oil pressure guage to check for high oil pressure that one person posted as the possible problem. I hope to have the engine back together by this weekend.
Frank

 

Thanks for resurrecting this post as I am going to replace all lifters with new in my soon to be transplanted motor.

 

Before you change the lifters (remember you can only change 16 out of 20 on a V10 whith the heads on) you need to check the rocker arms . Seperate the rocker from the pivot check for wear. This is where the binding happens, on the pivot notice the wear and the ridge also on the rocker.
Anyone know where I can buy Dodge OEM parts for the best price?
Anyone needing information on how to clean lifters email me ( a3000t@yahoo.com ).
Frank

 

Hey Swampbug, I have nothing technical to add. Just wanted to say that I really appreciate that you came back to report you updates. A lot of people ask questions but when they get the answer, they forget to fill us in. Leaving people with similar problems stuck. Thanks again bud.

 

Update on my engine problem. I checked all of my rocker arms and pivots al all except one were worn bad. I need to replace them so I ordered 20 rocker with 20 pivots at a cost of 260.00 including shipping. The cheapest place I found was from http://www.dodgepartsmopar.com.
The part numbers are.... for a 1999 V10.
Rocker 5245335 $4.98
Pivot 53041105 $6.33
Please check the part numbers befor you order they have a toll ferr number but you MUST order on line to get the lower price.
On the lifters that I could not remove as my manual said nothing about how to remove them, the parts person at the above address told me that I need to remove the head gasket above the lifter to get the clearance. I used a box cutter knife and hacked at the gasket and was able to remove enough to allow the lifters to come out. It seems that all you need is .030" clearance to get them out. Trim the gasket as to not interfere with the pushrods.
I hope this post will help others that need to work on their engine.
Frank

 

Thanks for the moral support.
Frank

 

For the money, I would have been real tempted to spend a bit more, and get roller rockers, and solve the problem permanently.

Hope that works for ya though. Keep us informed. (yes, I am patient. sometimes.....)