mikey

Don't listen to that fool. Doooo eeeiitt.

Ha! I was just about to say that. I just pulled a lifter out of my old engine and they are indeed solid. So, as usual, Boostin is right. So.... yeah, my only hope is thicker oil and/or MBL8, or of course, fixing it properly.

I'm gonna flush this Saturday with 50/50 ATF/Oil and then put in new oil & drop in the MBL8. I'll report back.

Cool, so he reckons 50/50. Thanks. Most interesting post on that thread though is that last post "2.5s run solid lifters". If that's true then I'm barking up the wrong tree!

OK cool. I have to replace a CV boot on the weekend so will do either a diesel or ATF flush while I'm there, depending on what Boostin has to say. Should I put 10W-40 in after? I suspect it's currently got 15W-40. I've also got some MBL8 on delivery so hopefully that arrives tomorrow. I'll cross the "pulling engine" bridge when I get to it. I don't mind pulling the engine except last time I did it I had to travel all around South Auckland to find a hoist for hire, and even then the only one I could get was a towable one from East Tamaki, I had to put that on the back of my mates ute (no towbar). If I owned a hoist I'd probably be more keen.

Oh, and to test the lifters in situ, would I: un-bolt the engine mounts jack the eninge up slightly on one side remove the valve cover try and compress the lifters Any lifter which compresses too easily (at all?) obviously has air inside it, and is probably gunked up.

Interesting. Why would one use ATF or diesel oil instead of an engine flush product? How safe to you reckon it is? I mean, do you guys all do this from time to time? Has anyone had any success with hydraulic lifter noise and engine flushing?

Spoke to the mechanic, they had a good listen and say it's a lifter. And he seems to think it has hydraulic lifters. So presumably a lifter isn't getting the oil it requires? I don't know much about it. He wasn't too keen to take it seriously for obvious reasons. So I might try some MBL8, and possibly some heavier oil and see what happens. Anyone have any thoughts on this? If it doesn't help, I guess I'll pull the head of and have a look. According to the Haynes manual the heads can be removed with the engine in situ with some difficulty. Has anyone here done it?

The car's a 2000, the "new" engine I put in is slightly older than that judging by the production numbers but seems almost identical to me. It was out of a Forester apparently. DOHC EJ25. I'd love it to be a leaky exhaust gasket. Simply 'cos it's the easiest to fix. It doesn't sound like what I'd expect a leaky exhaust gasket to sound like, but I'm a total noob. I'll check it out. I've got a compression tester turning up in a couple of days so that may shed some light on it. I'm also gonna go out to the mechanic who sold me the engine today and he's gonna check it out.

If it we're BEB or piston slap wouldn't you hear the tick once per revolution, not once every two?

Hey guys, Firstly, thanks for all your help in the past. Real interesting reading in the forum. I've tried searching for my ticking problems but not come across my exact problem so... I've recently swapped the engine in my 250T. With the new engine there's a tick which seems to be every two revolutions. It's more noticeable at low revs (possibly just 'cos it gets drowned out at higher revs) . It appears to calm down once it's warmed up. I've disconnected my spark plug leads on each cylinder in sequence and didn't notice any difference in the tick, though it was hard to tell. It's only heard when the engine is under load; accelerating or in gear with the break on. I've used a stethoscope and it sounds loudest on cylinder 2, you can't really hear it on cylinder 1 & 3. It appears _clearer_ on the actual cylinder wall, not on the head. It can be heard listening on the bell housing, but not quite as loud. My guess is something valve related. Although during the engine swap I was super brutal with the torque converter and may have damaged it. If it is valve related what should I do next? Can I do much with the engine in situ? Is it worth trying MBL8?

Yep it's a stock 250t engine. It's got a bent valve and has possibly soft seized. I haven't pulled it apart yet. If I did rebuild it I guess the cheapest route would be going to pick-a-part a pilfering the down pipe, turbo, inter-cooler from a GT?

Did you go ahead with this? I've been thinking about it too. I have a spare EJ25 which needs a rebuild so I could build it up with higher spec rods/pistons and give it a go.

Yep, you're right there. I've only removed it twice but already I'm sure I'll be a lot quicker. Esp. since the last time I had to swap the intake manifold and all the electrics from one engine to the other. This time'll be a lot quicker. Only really annoying thing is hiring an engine hoist. Maybe I'll check out TradeYou.

I'm an idiot; of course I wont be able to start the engine without the flex plate bolted up!