This isnt in my car, or even a falcon for that matter, but I guess the mechanical principal is the same.

My missus has a festiva that's been using a bit of oil of late. When it gets low the lifters intermittantly start making noise but topping up the oil sorts it out. While I was away for a week the oil ran low again and the lifters started making noise. The problem, her being a girl, is that she kept driving it without topping up the oil. She tells me the oil light never came on but after filling it up the noise remains.

Soo... is it likely the lifters are actually shot ?

I'm thinking it's more likely the low oil may have stuffed other parts of the engine and maybe it's not getting enough oil pressure up to the lifters. I dunno if this sort of drop would usually cause the oil light to come on ?

The other thing I'm thinking is (hopefully!) the oil might have gotten a bit sludgy from being burned and topped up the last ~10,000 ks.

I guess I'll give it a flush (might try the ATF trick mentioned here a while back) and an oil change before I bother pulling the top off, but I'm curious as to what others may have encountered.

Cheers

Fit a good second hand engine.....
She's got the car she deserves imo....

Indeed, why do you think I don't let her drive mine! If something serious is rooted I'll swap in another engine, but if its only lifters it's not worth it

Dirty oil can make HYLAs make noise.
Lifters run off oil pressure, so lack of oil and lack of pressure can cause them not to operate properly, possibly causing damage.
If the oil light is on and the engines running then you've got big issues - as the oil light ususally only comes on when there's no pressure, which means probably bye bye.

I just flushed and changed the oil but the lifters were still noisey so I pulled the top of the engine. I've never seen a more gunked up engine in my life! I've heard of oil going gluggy but the whole head, rocker gear etc was layered in "oil" the consistency of bitumen on a hot day. It's the first time I've had to do an oil change with a spoon and screw driver!

If a few dead lifters are the only problems it has I'll be suprised.

Seen that a few times, thats what happens when the oil isn't changed regularly. The only way that sh!t is coming off, is a rebuild.

I got most of it out of the head, although I imagine the bottom end would be similarly gunked up...

If its still stuffed after I replace the dead lifters I think I should probably start bidding on THIS I've gotta get down to repco and grab the lifters then get home and install them before 9:20 tho !

with that much sluge buid up in the engine sounds like its never been looked after at all, even changing the oil, lifters, etc, after spending money on the top end the bottem end will defanatly not be in good condition, and would probley only last a couple months... i would defernatly change the engine and change the oil regurlaly...(can't spell for s**t)..

in my old laser (kc) there was s**t like that in the rocker cover.


scrapped it all out.

changed oil used soem of that lifter free s**t about 3 times and it ran alright and didnt tap after that.

that was just before i sold it so dont know how long it lasted lol.