ok, so after having my truck down for almost all winter I have it back together and running but now I got an issue. 1999 Ram 1500 4x4 5.9 Magnum. This is my first Mopar build so I have no past experiences with Mopars to fall back on (none of my others failed believe it or not). The story is this, I went to do the Hughes intake kit and replace lifters but when I was in there, I realized the bottom end was basically trash and it wasn't lifter noise. I bought a used motor off a gut locally in person and had it to put in another truck but his son ran over the truck with their tractor so he decided to sell the motor. He swore the motor ran fine with no noises and low miles and I believed him. I really didn't want to do a whole bottom end rebuild which is why I went this route. When I was setting everything up it all felt and looked just fine. I put in a new oil pump, timing chain and gears (morse) and I went with the tensioner "upgrade". I had the heads redone at a local machine shop that I know to do really top notch work. All new bolts for everything. New performance roller lifters (was factory roller lifters anyway. Everything is new except the bottom end. When I started it up, it has a ticking that sounds like the valves are slapping closed. I let it run about 10 minutes then pulled the valve covers and re-adjusted the valves to 21 Ft# per the book (set motor to V-8 mark then set them up). There are 2 questions running through my head. First - Do Mopars usually take a while to fully pump up the lifters on a fresh fire up? I think I ran across a thread somewhere before that I can't to seem to find again that it can take up to 1/2 hour or so sometimes for the lifters on these to fully pump up and get rid of all the valve noises. Second - the book didn't specify that I needed to find TDC compression stroke to set the valves. Will it make a difference if I was not on the compression stroke? I think I was but I can't swear to it. Just reaching for anyone with experience that may be able to help. I really don't think the guy lied about the bottom end and it is a type of noise I really haven't heard before. It's not a rap and it isn't hard. More like loud tick. Sounds about like this vid or this one

 

lifter oil holes go up..thats alot of work got pics to help out.

 

It's all buttoned up at the moment. What pics would help out? When I get back into it I can take some. I was hoping to get some direction on it before just tearing into it blind hoping to find someone's school ring wedged under a rocker or something.

 

all pics of the work you have done up to this point would be good. not only to help diagnose your issue but to help those that search for any issue or for those that say pics or it didnt happen. keeps the fake users/threads out...like taking a video of your ram with the sound it is making not some other vehicle

 

yeah well some can say what they will. When I am working on stuff, I just don't stop and take a bunch of pics of it. Just not a big media person. Was hoping to get some help from experience. I still have to put the hood back on and get it out of my neighbor's garage that he let me use to do all the work so main concern was to not overstay my welcome. I probably only ran it a total of about 15 or minutes since it was back together so what I was looking for was to get some advice on whether to run it some more to see if it straightens out or stop right there before something goes way wrong.

 

Well I might have some good news, from the video of the ram. My truck made the same noise it turned out the exhaust manifold had broken two studs in the back so it was venting out. Would also cause a good bit of noise as well. Might want to try tightening it see if that helps or maybe it rusted out.

 

You can't adjust rockers all 16 of them at once, need to rotate motor for each pair of valves and then torque them down.
The procedure is as follows. As soon as intake valve closes, rotate crank using breaker bar from 12oclock to 5oclock and torque down both intake and exhaust rocker pair together.

If you milled the heads you may need shorter pushrods. Did you check your rockers are centered on the tip of the valve stem?

And did you install lifters with the oil hole up? (was already asked)

 

Sounds like you got a lifter or two with oil hole pointing the wrong way. I would pull intake and double check. gaskets and A few hours is a lot cheaper than another blown motor.



Rockers Are Pedestal style. There is no adjusting. They are not studs. Basically just torque them down and that's that.


You dont need new pushrods just because you got the heads decked. It ain't a race engine.


Hmmm. Any more info On these performence lifters you used?

You ain't a UVA fan are ya?

 

The oil hole may be the problem. I shouldn't really call the lifters 'high performance" they are more like heavy duty I suppose. I got them from Runnng Strong LLC off ebay http://www.ebay.com/itm/16-DODGE-JEEP-5-2-5-9-MAGNUM-318-360-ROLLER-LIFTERS-BEST-QUALITY-/170907788153?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item27cae5e379&vxp=mtr I looked around a while and they seemed to be best buy for a quality set of lifters and when I got them and really looked them over, they did appear to be a good quality set as far as machining, fit and finish (I used to be a machinist in tool and die work). I can't remember for certain if I really looked closely for an oil hole when I put them in so it is possible I jacked that up. Yikes, that means hours, gaskets, head and intake bolts all over again but at least not pulling the motor. I think I had to pull the heads to get the lifters out due to clearance issues. Also you are correct, the heads are stockers. I wasn't going for HP gains, just trying to build a motor that would last so no decking or HP mods.

 

I just looked at the old lifters that came out of the motor to get a visual on the oil hole and when I saw it (sort of hour glass shaped) I do remember turning them all up (towards the cam). That presents a new thought for me though because when I looked over the cam in this motor it didn't look so hot. 2 of the lobes near the back were worn in pretty bad. I had assumed over torqueing or failed lifter roller so I went with near perfect looking cam out of my old motor. I am wondering now if there is an oiling problem somewhere that isn't getting enough oil to a couple lifters. I thought these just flooded the galley and the lifter pumped oil up but now I wonder if there is an obstruction somewhere keeping oil from this area.