gas engine, lifters

[67hat34c]

Crusader model 350's.

Took off the intake and valve covers, removed all push rods and lifters. ws cleaning lifters with brake parts cleaner. inserted the tube in the end hole and was able to ge a very strong stream out the side hole on 3 of the 16 lifters, no flow on some and very little on a few others. I wound up taking some of them apart and cleaned them out then re assembeled then was thinking that there should be no flow if you try to blow through the end hold, seems like the piston is allowing way too much blow by.

Am I right, Should i replace all the lifters?

 

[Jackman]

I would replace them. A set for the engine wouldn't cost that much. I replaced them on my crusaders when I still had them. Sometimes they seem to collapse and don't recover. Not worth the headache. I think I bought a set for like $100 or so...I forget. Was there any dirt in the old ones when you took them apart? If so, check your oil filter when you change the oil. Cut it open to make sure there's nothing like bearing material in them.

You should have a strong stream coming out of all of them. So strong that you need the special retaining clips to keep oil from spraying all over the engine!

Good Luck!

 

[Boatsb]

Steve I have the clips if you need them. The pushrods should be clear too. How far have you torn her down?

 

[67hat34c]

going to get new ones. engine has had valve tick since we owned it, 5yrs.
since we had carb off to be rebuilt we decided to attack this issue. Engines had a fair amount of sludge but not that bad, basicaly a coating on everyting. we changed the oil about every 30-50 hours over the last 5yrs in the hopes of cleaning it up, seems to have done some good. the new distributor installed 4yrs ago had nothing on it, perfect bright aluminum.

I suspect a fair amount of varnish build up on the valves and chamber. should pull the heads but just dont want to do that now. compression is perfect just higher than spec. will run sea foam in it a few more times and see what that does.

 

[Maynard Rupp]

Ours also suffered from too few oil changes by the previous owner. When we bought the boat I switched to Shell Rotella, 15W40. This is the most popular oil for diesels and did a great job of cleaning our Crusaders. They are clean inside and run like brand new at 1200 hours.

 

[spartonboat1]

The lifters are the single most precision machined part in the entire engine, so it's just a good idea to replace them. You will not be able to clean them and bring them back to the original spec.

As always on a mention of multi-grade oil for diesels, single grade is indicated for 2-cycle DD's.

 

[Boss Lady]

Remember to follow the (camshaft) run-in procedures when you put in new lifters. You should vary the rpm during the run-in period.

 

[67hat34c]

crusader manuel mentions adding some break in addative to the oil. should anything be added? or should i use the rotella oil and get it cleaned up inside.

 

[yachtsmanbill]

Personally, I would add a dab of Lubriplate to the bottom of each new lifter. All the cam companies Ive dealt with recommend against mixing new and used
cam / lifter parts, but Ive never had a problem.
Follow the hydraulic lash instructions too. GENERALLY, zero lash plus 1/2 to 3/4 turn on the rocker arm nut. Did you inspect the cam? Each lobe should have a slight crown that is barely visible to the eye.
On the BB and SB Chevies, you can set ALL the lifters with 2 turns of the crank. TDC on turn #1 and you can set half the lifters, and TDC turn #2, you can set the other half. Its in the book. Works just as well for solids also. Mark the ones youve set with a dab of paint stick. Run for an hour then change oil and filters.
FWIW...On the Mercs with a remote filter, I put a 1/8" oil drain line off of a spare plug on the oil filter housing to use the engines' oil pump to pump out the oil. Put the hose into a bucket and start 'em up. Let it idle until it spurts. Change the filter, re-fill and youre done. I know I'll catch hell here for this, but Ive been doing this for 30 years with success. At idle / no load the bearings need just a drop of oil. The 1/8 oil tube keeps enough pressure on the system to ensure adequate bearing oil.
On the old 283s, I pulled the mechanical tach drive and put my dummy primer in its place and used a drill to spin the pump.
OK guys... beat me up !! LOL ws

 

[67hat34c]

Bill , I dont have the book, only crusader manuel with torque settings and some basic info. talks about 0 lash then 3/4 turn past that 1/4 at a time. it doesnt say how to pre set them before starting however.

I did not check for crown on the cam but can say that the lobes are smooth and even looking. the lifter bottoms looked the same of course.

The engine in question is the right hand rotation , Starboard motor. Do you or anyone here know which valves can be set at TDC#1?

Bill we have an oil change pump out system. I plan on draining the existing oil which will contain some wd40 and some antifreeze. then dump some diesel over the came to make sure any debries are washed down then pump it dry again. fill with 30w when assembled, run then change oil and filter .

bad part is that oil and filter only have about 10 hours on them.

 

[yachtsmanbill]

The starboard engine is actually the opposite (LH) rotation unit (facing the front like in a car). I knew you were going to ask me the setting order, but my gas books are 100 miles in the opposite direction. Sorry.
If you do the book method its something like #1 TDC I&E 2E 3E 4I 5 I&E 6 I
7 I&E 8E one full turn on the crank will line up all the others. I am making up the order, but you should get the idea. Otherwise, roll the engine 8 times for a preliminary setting and then adjust when running. Loosen each until a good clatter is evident, then tighten till quiet, then add another 1/2 to 3/4 turns. Leave one valve cover on and roll up a towel at the lower edge of the exposed head to catch the squirting oil. Its a little messier, but not un-manageable.
One of the hot rod guys here will probably remember the order off the top of their heads, but I have an excuse. Its called sometimers. LOL.
FWIW... check all the springs for cracks ( you should barely be able to grab and rotate each valve ) and also the rocker arms / ball sockets for cracks also. BB chevies like to crack there. I would also suggest new push rods while your in there. The stockers are 3/8; I upgraded to the 7/16, but also had to change the PR guides. I also replaced the rockers with the roller TIP types, where the rockers contact the valve stem. BBs geometry changes throughout the arc of the arm and uses (wastes) horsepower and likes to wear the contact point. If I am not mistaken the RA ratio is 1.6 : 1 ws

 

[yachtsmanbill]

I just pulled this off of google. It may help, but the firing order is different. I also do not remember marking the damper for 90 degree turns. The original book tells you 2 full revolutions and then your done. ws

background image
90 degrees around the balancer (one exactly opposite the factory mark, and two in between these
marks: just get it pretty darned eye-ball close, it doesn't have to be exact.)
·
Remove the valve covers. You may have to remove some accessory brackets in order to do this.
·
Rotate the engine over (either by "bumping" the starter or by inserting a socket and breaker bar
onto the harmonic balancer bolt) until the factory timing mark lines up with "0." Observe the
pushrod for the exhaust valve on the #1 cylinder: if the pushrod moves as you come up on Top
Dead Center, you're on the exhaust stroke, and you need to rotate the crank one more time. If
neither pushrod moves as you come up on the timing mark, you're on the compression stroke and
ready to go.
·
Loosen the adjustment nuts on both the rocker arms for cylinder #1 using a deep socket and a ½"
drive ratchet. One at a time, adjust them as follows:
·
Place the pushrod between you thumb and forefinger of your left hand (or right hand if you're left
handed...). Rotate, or "twirl," the pushrod back and forth between your fingers and notice how
lightly and easily it spins. As you do this, slowly tighten the rocker arm nut. The instant you feel
the "twirl" friction change between your fingers, you are at "0" lash. STOP. Now, notice the
position of your ratchet handle. Tighten the nut exactly ½ turn from your current position. Do the
same to the other rocker arm for #1 (when doing this, make sure that the friction you feel as you
swirl the pushrod is not caused by your ratchet and socket pushing or binding on the rocker arm *
keep things straight and aligned, and watch for false indications caused by your tools). That's it
for #1.
·
Now, here's the trick:
What's the firing order for a GM V8?
1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2
How often does a cylinder fire in a V8?
Every 90 degrees
That means we can now rotate the crankshaft 90 degrees at a time, and go right to the next
cylinder in the firing order for the valve adjustment, with confidence that both of the valves for
that cylinder will be closed and ready to adjust.. So rotate to your next chalk line, and adjust #8 as
described above. Rotate to the next line and adjust #4. After you've rotated the crankshaft twice
over (using the starter and "bumping" is the easiest way), you've finished your valve adjustment!
No oily mess, no worrying about if you missed a valve. Just a nice, simple, structured procedure!
·
Pop your valve covers back on with a fresh set of gaskets, re-install any accessory brackets you've
removed, and start it up with confidence. You now have a correctly adjusted valvetrain that will
operate quietly and with outstanding performance and reliability.:

 

[Ross]

be sure to manualy prime the new lifters. did not read that or might have missed it