The Top Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 Resource

Join the best E39A 1991-1992 Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 community and document your GVR4 journey.

  • Software Upgraded - Reset Your Password to Login
    In order to log in after the forum software change, you need to reset your password. If you don't have access to the email address you used to register your GVR4.org account, you won't be able to reset your password. In that case, follow the instructions here to regain access to the forum.

Lifter Replacement

BoostedAWD91

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 1, 2007
Messages
2,937
Location
Danville,Pa
i have a few questions about replacing lifters, i have read the how to and the vfaq on replacing them and they both are very direct and dont go into much detail. i wanted to know if u can remove the rocker arms w/o loostening the caps? i heard some people say that u need to loosen the caps so u can lift the cam alittle to remove the rockers and others say u can just pop them off w/ just a screwdriver and pry bar. can anyone clear this up for me?
 

You can just pry them off. Beware, you are going to have some F'd knuckles after this job!
 

Terry Posten

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 16, 2003
Messages
9,009
Location
Davenport, Iowa USA
As Jon said, it is not hard and you can do it without lifting the cams. Be careful of the cam lopes and your knuckles. You will most likely leave a little meat inside the head before your done.

Delfate the new lifters with a thin pick or large needle first, the soak the new lifters in clean oil for an hour or so to help reduce lifter tick at start up. It will tick for 1 minute or 2 days, but it will eventually go away.
 

jepherz

Staff member
Joined
Aug 8, 2004
Messages
7,877
Location
KC, Missouri
Look at vfaq.com. The whole replacement procedure is documented there, and collapsing of the new lifters prior to install is covered.
 
Last edited:

TMG

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 1, 2007
Messages
133
Location
NJ
The lifter itself would need to be lubricated inside with oil so the noise at start up is minimal. To do this you will need to insert a pin inside the hole then submerge it into the oil to soak it up inside. Before putting the lifter in, you would need to insert the pin again to remove any oil inside of it, you only need a coating left in order to lubricate.

Also, there is a tool out there that you can use to pop the rocker of instead of using a screwdriver or pry bar. It is made specifically for this purpose.

Hope this helps.

Jojo
 

SleepinGVR4

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 12, 2003
Messages
2,483
Location
Danville, Pennsylvania
Chris I didn't have to do that to my lifters because I got them used.

All I did was make sure the engine is at TDC, loosen the cam caps. and pop those bad boys out.
 

BoostedAWD91

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 1, 2007
Messages
2,937
Location
Danville,Pa
well mine arent used and im gonna try it w/o loosening the cam caps since i dont have a torque wrench anymore
 

Dialcaliper

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 22, 2007
Messages
1,287
Location
Mountain View, CA
It's better to use some diesel fuel (as directed by the factory service manual) rather than oil, as it isn't as thick, so you're less likely to end up with bubbles, which will cause them to be soft, and not adjust properly.

Do *not* drain the lifters before you put them in, just collapse them - The lifters work by filling with oil, which keeps them against the cams instead of having to adjust them manually like solid lifters. The oil drains out of the hole at a very limited rate, which allows the clearance to adjust, and act as a lash adjuster (technically, our engines don't have tappet lifters which are usually perched on the valve stem, they have rocker arms and lash adjusters). You do not need to fill them with oil to lubricate, they will fill on their own in the engine as soon as the oil system pressurizes.

The proper procedure is to submerge them in diesel, collapse them all the way, use a pin or paper clip to open the valve and fill them all the way, then collapse them again to bleed all the bubbles out, remaining submerged the whole time. Put them in directly after collapsing them. The remaining diesel fuel acts sort of like packing your oil pump with assembly lube, so that the incoming oil will fill in uniformly.

When you first start they will fill with oil and the diesel will go harmlessly into the pan.

Quoting TMG:
The lifter itself would need to be lubricated inside with oil so the noise at start up is minimal. To do this you will need to insert a pin inside the hole then submerge it into the oil to soak it up inside. Before putting the lifter in, you would need to insert the pin again to remove any oil inside of it, you only need a coating left in order to lubricate.

Also, there is a tool out there that you can use to pop the rocker of instead of using a screwdriver or pry bar. It is made specifically for this purpose.

Hope this helps.

Jojo

 

bazeng

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 6, 2003
Messages
2,520
Location
Melbourne, Australia
i found it easier by doing the lifters that sat on the lower side of the cam lobe's first (with the loosening of the cam caps) so you didn't have to pop them out. They just slid out.

Once done with the lifters that you could remove, put some cam caps back on to get the cam flat again and turn the crank over with a socket and ratchet until you get to another low point on the other lifters. Repeat until all done.

It does take longer but i didn't like the rocker arms flying around and the risk of marking a lobe.
 

brisvr4

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 13, 2004
Messages
955
Location
brisbane australia
Please make sure that you have plenty of rags covering ANY oil galleries that feed back down into the sump when you pry the rockers off.
Murphy's law dictates that if you don't one will fly up and rebound off your head into the bonnet then back down for a 3 pointer straight into one of them! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif
 

BoostedAWD91

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 1, 2007
Messages
2,937
Location
Danville,Pa
i tried to pop off the rocker arms w/o loosenin the cam caps and i was able to get them out but i couldnt get them back on, the lifter wouldnt go down enough to be able to get the rocker seated all the way
 
Support Vendors who Support the GVR-4 Community
Boosted Fabrication ECM Tuning ExtremePSI Fuel Injector Clinic Jacks Transmissions JNZ Tuning Kiggly Racing Morrison Fabrications RixRacing RockAuto RTM Racing STM Tuned

Recent Forum Posts

Top