Mongoose

iTrader: (2)

I'm going with the assumption that the LO3 is a hydraulic roller cam engine. Can the lifters be replaced without having to replace the cam? I suspect I may have a noisey lifter or two and I'm looking hard at replacing the entire set just to be on the safe side and maybe help performance a little. Can this be done on a 130,000 mile engine or will I be asking for trouble? With the exception of a small puff of smoke on cold startup the engine is in good to great shape and runs great(especially since I've sorted out my ignition bugs). Any help would be appreciated.


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Mongoose-NCTGA-1990 Pontiac Formula/305 TBI-700R4 with Edelbrock Performer TBI intake,TES headers,and STB,K&N,MSD-6AL,Holley laser shot coil,Accel Extreme 9000 wires,Jet Stage 2 chip,TCI shift kit with corvette servo,Richmond 3.73 gear with Auburn 3 series posi,3" high flow cat with SLP 3" cat back,Eibach sportline springs,Energy Suspension poly throughout,Lakewood LCA and adjustable panhard bar package,SSM subframe connectors,IROC wonder bar,Tokico 5 way adjustable struts and shocks,Autometer electric fuel pressure gauge,Alpine,JL Audio,MB Quart,92 GTA taillights,92 GTA aero wing and hatch,Steve Spohn LCA relocater kit,MacEwen White face gauges,84 T/A cold air induction air cleaner.

lucas

hey, i'm having the same problem with the noisy valvetrain. i was going to readjust the valve lash in a couple of weeks to see if i can't quiet it down a little bit. but to answer your questions, yes you can change the lifters without changing the cam. you take off the intake and valve covers to get to them, piece of cake if you have the time/facilities. there is no problem with doing this to a high mileage engine.

the only thing that bothers me about replacing roller lifters is the cost. your going to pay at least 200 bucks for stock lifters. kinda a waste if your not going to get a better cam/heads to go with them. rollers are worth about 5-10 hp i think.

what you should do is save up about 1000 bucks , and buy some 305 torquers, a roller cam, and roller lifters and then you will be 50-60 hp ahead without a puff of smoke on startup . problem solved.

doc

I would recommend that you first set the valve lash in order to know that the lash is correct.

The next point is that sometimes fuel injectors click and may sound like a noisy valve train. You can remove one injector electrical connector at a time and hear if the clicking noise goes away.



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'87 L98 TPI IROCZ, TF heads, 3.70 gears, LT1 cam?, 2400 Art Carr TC, SLP 1 3/4" headers, SLP cat-back, no cat, no AC, no MAF screens, Accel manifold base & SuperRam, Edelbrock double roller timing chain, MSD ext coil & distributor, trans cooler, 52mm TB, TB airfoil, TB coolant bypass, AFPR(48psi), K&N filters, Hotchkis lowering springs, Car-Pro custom chip, Lay Ind. ram air kit, 265/45R16 Kumho V700 tires, and still as slow as hell 13.82sec ET @ 106.3 mph. To be installed soon: TPIS ZZ9 cam, 2400 stall converter.
'90 Eagle Talon AWD, no rust thru 9 winters
'99 Camaro SS, red, 6-spd, T-tops, Mcleod clutch, Pro 5.0 shifter, MAF processor, Direct Flow lid, K&N filter.
313.7Hp & 320.6ft-lbf

Mongoose

iTrader: (2)

Injectors were ruled out some time ago. I wish it was that easy to do the head/cam package but with a family and mortgage it is sometimes difficult to do even the simple mods sometimes. I checked the factory service manual and it mentioned the exact noise I've been experiencing. Only problem is that it's solutions seem to require removing the head. Things such as valve stem to guide clearance,excessive valve seat and off square valve face runout. Valve spring damper clicking on the rotator is another one. I may have to get a new set of Torquer heads if this is going to cost as much to fix as the heads. Any suggestions? Anyone?


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Mongoose-NCTGA-1990 Pontiac Formula/305 TBI-700R4 with Edelbrock Performer TBI intake,TES headers,and STB,K&N,MSD-6AL,Holley laser shot coil,Accel Extreme 9000 wires,Jet Stage 2 chip,TCI shift kit with corvette servo,Richmond 3.73 gear with Auburn 3 series posi,3" high flow cat with SLP 3" cat back,Eibach sportline springs,Energy Suspension poly throughout,Lakewood LCA and adjustable panhard bar package,SSM subframe connectors,IROC wonder bar,Tokico 5 way adjustable struts and shocks,Autometer electric fuel pressure gauge,Alpine,JL Audio,MB Quart,92 GTA taillights,92 GTA aero wing and hatch,Steve Spohn LCA relocater kit,MacEwen White face gauges,84 T/A cold air induction air cleaner.

GMTech

Try running some Top Engine Cleaner through the engine first. Since you have a throttle body injected car, you can just SLOWLY pour it down the throttle body with RPMs about 2000. It will smoke like mad, and don't pour to fast. If the engine starts to stall, stop and let it catch back up. Then I would start checking valve lash.

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"I used to have a handle on life, but then I used it as a plunger and broke it" -The Wave

ASE Master Tech + L1
Savannah, GA
'87 Trans Am-K&N,Cold air induction, SSM SFC, Flowmaster, 16" GTA rims.
'97 Bonneville SSE
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