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Auto Repair Car Questions / Re: Lifter Noise
« Last post by discretesignals on Today at 05:24:44 PM »
The easiest way to adjust those it to look at the camshaft.  When the follower is opposite the peak of the lobe (valve is closed) is when you adjust the lash.  Write down the ones that you do.

Adjustment when engine is cold:


Intake 0.20 (0.008) mm(in)           Exhaust 0.20 (0.008) mm(in)

Don't adjust them too tight or you'll burn a valve.  Better to have them loose than tight.  If you don't hear any tapping at all, they are too tight.  These are mechanical, so they will be noisy.

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Auto Repair Car Questions / Re: Lifter Noise
« Last post by OldIsuzu on Today at 04:29:43 PM »
Quote from: losmaster on May 23, 2012, 10:16:47 PM
If it's adjustable, you should be able to quiet it down.....to be exact,you'll have to check the clearance on the compression stroke of each cyl, to make sure both valves are closed, so you can find the culprit.

First my apologies for not providing the photo of the rocker arm assembly.

Next, I'm kinda confused here. When I adjusted the valves, I set cylinder 1 to TDC on the compression stroke and set the clearance for the exhaust and intake valves for that cylinder, the intake for no. 2 and exhaust for no. 3 (or vice versa, I don't remember). I then rotated 360 degrees to get TDC compression for no. 4 and adjusted the remaining valves. So what you appear to be saying is get to the compression stroke on every cylinder and determine if there's play in the rocker arm for both valves which would indicate the valves are fully closed. Is that correct? If so, and a valve isn't closed, do I just readjust the valve clearance for that cylinder?

Or am I way off?

discretesignals:

I realize it didn't have push type lifters since it' an overhead cam. But the mechanic actually called it lifter noise and I'm sure he knew what he was looking at.

Anyway, thanks guys for the help. Even the snarky kind.

OldIsuzu
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Auto Repair Car Questions / Re: 1996 Pontiac Grand Am 2.4L 4 Cylinder
« Last post by conniecartech on Today at 04:20:17 PM »
u tested the distributor? what distributor???

besides checking vacuum lines for leaks, did u allso check the intake manifold gasket? a leak there can cause a misfire too. with the engine idling spray carb cleaner around the gasket, especialy around the #4 cyl and see if it sucks in.

it would allso be a good idea to check the #4 injector to make sure the computer is firing it. the best way is to use a 'noid lite.' autozone has a free tool loaner program, so u may be able to borrow a noid lite kit. even tho u replaced the injector, if it aint firing, that can cause a misfire.

to make sure the plug is firing right, youd need 'jumper' plug wires to connect the plugs to the coil module with the module off of the plugs, and a inline spark tester to see what the #4 plug is doing. less reliable but worth checking, is the condition of the #4 plug boot and spring.

a clogged fuel filter wont cause a misfire in just one cyl, but if its been more then 30k miles since it was changed it should be done anyways as maintenance.
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Auto Repair Car Questions / Re: 2003 ford explorer rear struts
« Last post by conniecartech on Today at 04:02:22 PM »
yep, they for sure can cause bad ride quality if theres a problem with them. theres other suspension components that can cause it too.

u should get the suspension system checked out at a shop. besides ride quality, wore out, loose or broken suspension components can affect handling, so theres a safety issue there too.
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Auto Repair Car Questions / 2003 ford explorer rear struts
« Last post by amandarae on Today at 03:35:55 PM »
Would broken rear struts and coil springs cause a bumpy ride? my explorer seems to be driving like something in the rear is broken....
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Auto Repair Car Questions / 1996 Pontiac Grand Am 2.4L 4 Cylinder
« Last post by PaulFSemicolen01 on Today at 02:34:25 PM »
Good afternoon fellow DIYers!

Ok heres my situation. I have a miss fire code for my wife's 1996 pontiac grand am, cylinder 4. I have changed/replaced the following;

Oil/ oil filter
Oil pressure switch
spark plugs (AC DELCO)
wires/bumpers
replaced cyl 4 fuel injector
ignition coil housing
ignition coil
tested distributor (Test good)
tested compression (All cylinders 120-150)
Tested for vacuum leak. (carb cleaner on all vacuum lines)
O2 sensor tests
re-lubed all electrical connectors

and I still get cyl 4 misfire code.
today I went to CarX and got a diagnostic test. cyl 4 misfire came up, but the mechanic was positive it was an ignition coil.
I had it tested again. Misfire cyl 4. I then swapped the ignition coils places, ran the computer after clearing the code and
still got misfire cyl 4. AS you can see I'm at a loss, I contemplated replacing the fuel filter, but took the part back after CarX
told me it was solely  electrical. Thank you for your time...Please help!

Paul F.
Indiana
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Auto Repair Car Questions / Re: Lifter Noise
« Last post by discretesignals on Today at 11:29:53 AM »
Yep, this one is adjustable.  Don't think it will be a lifter problem because this engine doesn't have lifters.

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Auto Repair Car Questions / Re: Thread Repair - Heliocoil question
« Last post by discretesignals on Today at 11:19:07 AM »
Glad to see that you got it figured out.  Thanks for the follow up because it may help someone in the future.  Closing to prevent spam and hijacking.

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Auto Repair Car Questions / Re: 1997 SATURN turns over but won't start...details and picture provided
« Last post by discretesignals on Today at 11:17:55 AM »
You need to replace the valve cover gasket and tube seals, clean out the spark plug wells, replace the PCV valve, and replace the ignition wires.
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Auto Repair Car Questions / 1997 SATURN turns over but won't start...details and picture provided
« Last post by theshape74 on Today at 10:41:43 AM »
I have a 1997 Saturn that will turn over but won't start sometimes. It tries to, but sometimes won't start. SO....I have included a picture of the big rubber spark plug covers under the hood. I pulled them all out. The one on the far left, in the picture, was completely full of oil (The rubber cover that actually surrounds the spark plug, not the outer top part). Also, the chamber surrounding the spark plug was about 1/3, almost half full of oil. Last night my gf couldn't start the car so she pulled that out, then plugged it back in and it started. I asked her what 'hose' she pulled and I pulled it myself and made this discovery. So, I cleaned it really well, and soaked up the oil surrounding the spark plug. We drove approximately 4 miles and I checked it again and there was no oil build up. The car is starting fine now. BUT...what is causing the oil to get in there? Is that the reason the car wasn't starting sometimes?
Thanks in advance!

http://i.imgbox.com/aadjtTBP.jpg
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