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Posted By: Uncle_Fester Bit of a twist - August 08th 2018 6:38 am
So, about three days ago, my 94 Dodge ( Ol’Blu) developed a lifter tick, silent at idle, but louder and louder as rpms go up. A non car guy might not ever hear it, but it was driving me batty ! I called a buddy and found out a cam/lifter job was listed as 10hrs, average shop rate around here is $125/hr, plus the cost of a cam and lifter set, too much for me to afford.
Skip forward to this morning, I met up with my friend that I gave my 92Dodge to for breakfast, and found out he had listed the van on Craigslist for $800, basically what he had spent in parts sense I gave him the van. I asked what all has been done and got this list :
Water pump
Thermostat
Radiator boiled and rodded
Valve cover gaskets
Tune up
Rotors and drums
Shocks at all four corners
Belts and hoses
Pads and shoes
Sanded and primed the roof
Door window rubber
Adjusted transmission

I had gave him the van because he needed it to tow his race car and to sleep in at the track, but he scored a sweet Class C RV for that.
So now I am gonna sell the 94 and drive the 92 again. . . . .
Posted By: liftarc Re: Bit of a twist - August 08th 2018 9:45 pm
I drove a magnum 5.2 with a lifter tick for 2 yrs then it suddenly got worse, like someone was slapping a wrench around in the valve cover. Drove it another year, no joke, before catastrophic failure. Went to start it one morning and it was hydrolocked. Turns out the tab holding the retainer for the number 8 lifters snapped off, allowing the lifters to rotate. I remember noticing that it was suddenly running quietly that day before it died then realized why after teardown. Those lobes of the cam were completely gouged concave. Head gasket had eroded and cylinder pulled in coolant, hydrolocking overnight. Probably could have flogged it out longer by pushing the water out and putting the fouled plug back in..... rofl

Posted By: Reed Re: Bit of a twist - August 08th 2018 10:28 pm
Cool! Save the best parts of the 94 for the 92! Lots will cross over.
Posted By: Uncle_Fester Re: Bit of a twist - August 09th 2018 12:17 am
That’s the plan, the visor, the contractors box center consol I have, rear bench I just bought, bucket seats too. Stereo will be saved, lots of little things.
Posted By: Ram4ever Re: Bit of a twist - August 13th 2018 5:42 am
Wow Uncle Fester, it's musical vans again...

Guess the 94 got the memo that the 92 wanted to come home!

smile

Sounds like your friend has done some seriously nice work on the 92 to make it tow-ready; hope it sees you through for the long haul!
Posted By: Uncle_Fester Re: Bit of a twist - August 13th 2018 2:27 pm
Only issue it has now is a puff of smoke at start up and sometimes when leaving a red light, mostly from the drivers bank.
That is one nice thing about true duals, it is easy to see what bank is smoking.
I am thinking valve guide seals, but have not ruled out the need for head rebuild either. I am gonna have to do a wet/dry compression test some time soon to figure it out, and then decide what to do from there.
Posted By: Astrocreep66 Re: Bit of a twist - August 13th 2018 8:46 pm
Great thing about Mopar if they pick up power or go faster for no reason they are on a death roll..never fails at the drag strip, my 79 Lebaron pick up a half second when it started to sling rods...and when they bark second gear 3 times on the same pass your about to have some fun.lol but I fixed my crop dusting problem on my b150 with valve stem seals,took an hour and a half start to finish
Posted By: Uncle_Fester Re: Bit of a twist - August 14th 2018 9:12 pm
Damn, why can’t you live closer ?!? LOL.
I have turned wrench’s for a living in the past, but have no clue about heads , nor do I have a place to do that kind of work to a motor. . . . . Care to come visit OKC ? LOL
Posted By: wrcsixeight Re: Bit of a twist - August 14th 2018 11:19 pm
A lifter tick can also sound like an exhaust leak at the manifold.
BUt removing the manifold without breaking studs/bolts in the heads can also be a tool throwing curse fest.

Lifter ticks might respond to mechanic in a bottle like Marvel mystery oil or some Seafoam in the sump. Risilone, Liquimoly, ect might possibly be effective on a ticky lifter.

I have a fairly quiet one that comes and goes. Seems to come with lots of short trip driving and goes with longer highway drives.

Worst lifter tick happened after I let someone convince me I needed to run 20w-50 a decade ago. Wound up draining it in 100 mile add returned to 10w-40 and the tick almost instantly disappeared.

I could likely just have removed and replaced the oversize filter and added some 0w-20 rather than wasting the full 5 quarts of 20w-50

Posted By: Uncle_Fester Re: Bit of a twist - August 15th 2018 9:28 pm
Mine showed up after a oil change shop put 10/30 in it, and mostly went away when I went back to 10/40 .
Posted By: Astrocreep66 Re: Bit of a twist - August 15th 2018 10:18 pm
I wish to visit what's left of route 66,every vehicle I own I had to put valve seals in..did my AstroCreep van also,under $50 gaskets and seals,but is the best return on your investment..way better than a money market or lottery..lol
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