truck shaking at idle
Grand Champion
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 5,011
Likes: 6
From: Meeker, CO
That was with the engine running that nothing was loose? You can't really detect lifter problems on a stopped engine unless there's a bent push rod on top of it or you get lucky enough to catch the bad one resting directly opposite the peak of the cam lobe. If you checked them with the engine running and all's well, ignore the rest of this...
If you end up going back for another look, find the noisy one (assuming there is one) and with the side of a long socket extension or a piece of hard wood, push on the side of the valve spring (with the engine running). If the noise goes away you've probably got a bad valve guide causing the noise and need a head job. (Eh, don't we all?
) If it doesn't go away it's time to pull the lifter, check for crap holding the cap open, and do a leak-down test. Or just replace it -- they're cheap enough. If you have the tools to do it you can check the valve guide while you're there. (To get the spring back on afterward, use compressed air through the spark plug port to pressurize the cylinder to hold the valve closed -- takes compressed air and either three hands or the threaded end from a compression tester connected to an air line, with the pressure regulated to just enough to hold the valve up.)
You can remove lifters with the appropriate tool without pulling the head. Just get the rocker out of the way, take out the pushrod, and grab the top lip of the lifter with the tool. Twist this way and that on the way out, and once it's free of the bore be careful not to drop it into the head on the rest of the way out. Installation is the reverse, and done with the cam situated so that the bottom of the lifter rides on the flat of the lobe -- the manual says to line up the "V8" on the crank lines up with the TDC mark on the timing chain cover, but if you're only doing one all you really care about is that the peak of the lobe is pointed away from the lifter. Then stuff in a pushrod, replace the rocker and torque to 21lb/ft. Nuthin' to it... Unless you drop the lifter into the head, then it might be a real bear. Keep a strong magnetic retriever handy just in case and hope the lifter doesn't wedge behind neighboring pushrods. (BTDT)
If you haven't got it, the tool you need to remove/reinstall lifters looks like this:
About $25 at NAPA. And in most cases, a stout magnetic retriever on a spring shaft is better than one on a solid shaft for fishing around in heads after dropping a lifter, should you be so unlucky.
If the lifters are fine, then "what Ugly1 said", along with "what HeyYou said".
If you end up going back for another look, find the noisy one (assuming there is one) and with the side of a long socket extension or a piece of hard wood, push on the side of the valve spring (with the engine running). If the noise goes away you've probably got a bad valve guide causing the noise and need a head job. (Eh, don't we all?
) If it doesn't go away it's time to pull the lifter, check for crap holding the cap open, and do a leak-down test. Or just replace it -- they're cheap enough. If you have the tools to do it you can check the valve guide while you're there. (To get the spring back on afterward, use compressed air through the spark plug port to pressurize the cylinder to hold the valve closed -- takes compressed air and either three hands or the threaded end from a compression tester connected to an air line, with the pressure regulated to just enough to hold the valve up.)You can remove lifters with the appropriate tool without pulling the head. Just get the rocker out of the way, take out the pushrod, and grab the top lip of the lifter with the tool. Twist this way and that on the way out, and once it's free of the bore be careful not to drop it into the head on the rest of the way out. Installation is the reverse, and done with the cam situated so that the bottom of the lifter rides on the flat of the lobe -- the manual says to line up the "V8" on the crank lines up with the TDC mark on the timing chain cover, but if you're only doing one all you really care about is that the peak of the lobe is pointed away from the lifter. Then stuff in a pushrod, replace the rocker and torque to 21lb/ft. Nuthin' to it... Unless you drop the lifter into the head, then it might be a real bear. Keep a strong magnetic retriever handy just in case and hope the lifter doesn't wedge behind neighboring pushrods. (BTDT)
If you haven't got it, the tool you need to remove/reinstall lifters looks like this:
About $25 at NAPA. And in most cases, a stout magnetic retriever on a spring shaft is better than one on a solid shaft for fishing around in heads after dropping a lifter, should you be so unlucky.
If the lifters are fine, then "what Ugly1 said", along with "what HeyYou said".
Record Breaker
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,133
Likes: 18
Very good point! If you choose the plug wire method you may want to power down while doing the plugging and unplugging. Don't know if you'd die but I've stuck my fingers in there befre and it wasn't any fun.
Rookie
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 88
Likes: 0
From: Mason City, Iowa
Site Moderator
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 8,374
Likes: 28
From: Sioux Falls, SD
Try this. My truck did the same thing.
http://autorepair.about.com/cs/faqs/l/bl654h.htm
http://autorepair.about.com/cs/faqs/l/bl654h.htm
Its also in the 2nd Gen FAQ as well.
