Bargain, good s**t.

KwikXR, can you guide me regarding lifter replacement?

11mm items, right? Do you need to purchase new retainers for them, do the originals fit, or do they come with new ones?

I have no clue what I'm doing, I haven't bought them yet. I know the rocker gear comes out, to tape the rockers, and to punch them out.

I'm confused as to how to prepare and install the new ones, and what sort to get.

I have secured a good price, good mate used to manage a major parts store over here, will be getting the set for under $100....

Sure mate

For your EF, yes you will be needing 11mm lifters.

The retainers are a personal preference thing IMO, you can use them to keep the lifter held inside the rocker bore to help with removal and installation so they aren't falling out all over the place etc. You'l' most likely find some of the original retainers for the lifters have broken into pieces when you remove the lifters for the first time as this was the case with mine. I replaced the lifters without using any retainers as i didn't like the idea of them becoming brittle and breaking again - so far i haven't had any issues. The retainers will need to be purchased separately, my set of lifters never came with any. Just watch out for some aftermarket lifters which are designed differently at the top, the ones i got were ex-Aussie and the top of the lifters were different. Retainers couldn't be used with them because they physically wouldn't fit them.

To remove the rocker gear, you'll basically need to remove the intake piping, undo the bolts holding the throttle cable and cruise control cable to the rocker cover, unhook the cables from the lever on the throttlebody. Remove the breather hose going to the PCV valve on the rocker cover. Unplug the spark plug cables at the spark plug end, on EF models there is a little bracket that sits over the back 2 bolts holding the rocker cover down which the leads pass underneath, remove the nuts holding that down, remove the vacuum hose going from the booster to the vacuum hose junction and then remove the breather hose at the rear of the rocker cover. I think thats it from memory.. Then unbolt the rocker cover and you'll see a whole heap of 10mm bolts

Before touching any of the bolts, grab some rags and block off the oil galleries along the right hand side of the head, there is 4 of them. This is to prevent anything falling down into them and getting lost in the sump. May also pay to block off the area around the timing chain/case as anything that falls down in there could end in misery if you can't find it.

Okay there is 28 bolts holding the rocker gear down from memory, so what you will want to do is crack each of the bolts first so that they have been loosened slightly. Might be best to get a decent sized breaker bar to crack them first, then grab a 3/8 or 1/2 drive ratchet to loosen them from there on. Start from the 4 bolts in the middle and work you're way out from the middle loosening each bolt a few threads each until they can all be removed. Don't remove the bolts one by one, just progressively loosen them all until they are all out.

The next part is tricky, when i did this a couple of lifters and shims managed to fall out all over the place so i suggest taping them into the rockers if possible before actually removing the assembly. This is where you need to lift the rocker gear assembly just enough so that you can lift each rocker arm up a bit to get under it and tape the lifter into the rocker (just wrap the tape from under the lifter and over the top of the rocker arm to hold it in place). You may need to wriggle and rock the assembly a bit to break the oil seal affect it has in order for it to be lifted. There is also locating dowels on the head the rocker gear sits on so it has to come up evenly for it to be lifted. It's a bit of a b**ch doing this but you'll get it. Once you manage to fiddle around and get the lifters all taped up, remove the rocker gear assembly from the head and place it down on a flat surface. Remove the tape and pull the lifters from the rocker bores. Some may be stuck in real good so just get a pin punch or a suitable sized nail and a hammer and tap them out from the top of the rocker arm where the little oil hole is. Remove the lifters and shims from each rocker, clean out any crap that may be sitting inside the bore and wipe the shims down. Get a little bit of oil and smear it over the shims and insert them back into the rocker bores, making sure that the side with the 3 grooves is facing downwards towards the valves. Make sure that the shims are sitting properly in the bores too.

The next part is priming the lifters, with the lifters i got they were already primed with oil but i doubled checked anyway. I prime the lifters so that they don't tap like f**k on the initial startup and to help lubricate the internal parts of the lifter when they are first used. Some engine builders say to bleed the lifters of any oil before installing and let them pump up and adjust themselves. Eventually they will adjust themselves so either way works fine i reckon. To prime the lifter you will need an ice cream container or similar with a fair amount of oil. You will need to submerge each lifter in the oil. On the top of the lifter is a hole, inside the hole is a little ball valve. So get a small nail and submerge the lifter in the oil, insert the nail into the top of the lifter and push the nail down onto the ball valve you should feel the lifter compress a bit. You may see a few little bubbles come out when you do this so keep pushing on and off on the ball valve so that the lifter pumps up with oil. Remove the nail from the lifter while it is still submerged in oil so that no air gets back inside it. Do this with each lifter. You'll know it's primed when the lifter cannot be compressed using your fingers. If it can be compressed using your fingers, it still has a bit of air trapped inside the lifter.

Next, smear a bit of oil on each of the lifter and insert them into the rocker bores. make sure each one is sitting properly and tape them into the rocker arms again. Re-fit the rocker assembly making sure that the assembly lines up with the locating dowels correctly. Try to line it up and push it on slightly so that it is sitting evenly. It may be hard for it sit down flush with the head when you push it down but don't worry as long as it is lined up with the locating dowels and it sitting evenly, it will seat itself when you start torquing the bolts down. Grab all the rocker gear bolts and start screwing them in by hand a few threads. Again, starting from the middle progressively tighten each bolt a few threads to ensure the rocker gear is torqued down evenly and not putting stress on anything. As you tighten the bolts down keep an eye on the lifters to make sure none of them have dropped out of the rockers. Just before the lifters begin to rest on top of the valves, remove the tape from each rocker and push the rocker arms down so that the lifters are sitting on the valves so that they less chance of dropping down. Keep progressively tightening each of the bolts until the assembly is torqued down. Get yourself a torque wrench if you have one and torque the bolts down to say 20nm - 25nm. Or if not just use a breaker bar and tighten each one so that it is tight but not overly tight if you know what i mean. And remember torque them down evenly starting from the middle and work your way outwards in like a circular motion. Then remove the rags you stuffed in the oil galleries and timing case area and refit the rocker cover, hoses, leads, throttle/cruise cables, intake etc and start her up. You may get a little bit of lifter noise on start up till it wears in but it shouldn't be much.

I think that pretty much covers it. If there is anything you're unsure about or get stuck on or any questions, just ask

It's not to hard a job really, is just a bit fiddly and time consuming. My write-up most likely makes it sound harder than it actually is too

Seems like a good price you are getting the lifters at i might add. Repco over here charge $32 each lol. Last time i bought mine they were $16 each ex-Aussie from a engine rebuilder/parts guy over here, but have since found another parts place over here who can do them for about $5 each so around $60 a set NZ$ which is pretty bloody good. Don't know if they are good quality but they are being brought in from Aussie too so they can't be too bad

lol you make things sound difficult, if the lifters do fall out they prob wont go in to the head but they a b**ch to find so dont lift the rocker gear up f**k all to tape them up

I had two shims in my sump when I finally open up the old donk and I have a lifter in the sump of the current engine too mate... That's what you get for

A) Not making sure the rocker gear was sitting on the valves properly and starting it up...
B) Being a wise a*** coz you've done it four times before and "this time you're onto it - you know what you're doing - you're NOT going to drop anything - and even if it does, it's NOT going to drop into that oil gallery --- And..." plop. s**t.

Fiend you inspire me with confidence

Thanks very much KwikXR.

Wow, where does one find those so cheap? Please do tell!

No worries dude



LOL, find someone who is parting out a smashed Fairlane and see what the best price they can do is. You'll find the people who don't know how valuable these parts are (to e-series modders anyway) will sell them at bargain prices. I slowly buy all my woodgrain and chrome parts for my interior this way and it works out a lot cheaper than sourcing things from the wreckers who usually have lots of these parts in stock.

If i went to the local ford wrecker it would of cost me $150 for the 4 chrome handles and $100 for the clear repeaters. Being in NZ, there is barely anyone interested in modding e-series ford's to be quite honest. People over here do upgrade a few little things but it's no way near as popular as what it is in Oz, which is why if you find the right people (who don't know what things are worth lol) with the right parts you should be able to get things a little cheaper..

Best of luck with it though mate, i know you would of been after the same parts for your Fairmont

Haha, nice work.

Found someone selling the same actually, but about twice as much. Wondering if I should suck it up and buy it!

Shame that the only people i can fins wrecking fairlanes are on here, and they seem to know what they are worth!

I'd think where I live would be very similar to NZ's E series stockpile, really not much around is there.

Edit - isn't your interior grey? Cause those surrounds look cappa to me.

Might have the take the handle out and chuck it into the existing surround.

Nah my interior is cappa, just looks a bit different now with it being half black half cappa

I already have a set of chrome door handles in it now which i bought off a guy parting out a Fairlane a while back. The ones i just bought are a spare set just incase i buy another EF/EL or get a boxcar and do the door trim conversion. I also have another 3 chrome door handles which i pulled out of a Ghia at Pick-a-Part but one was missing so i need to source one more so it will be my second spare set. You can never have too many spares

Oh, bugger me. Just block the oil galleries and when you put everything together give it a good visual as you go to make sure the lifters are sitting nicely on top of the valves. And crank the engine over a couple of turns by hand before using the starter....


Was very impressed with how easy it is to do the cam swap with AU rocker gear... Very easy. Those lifters and shims just don't fall out into your engine at all! Very very cool.

Just in case anyone else has experimented with this (being on a budget) HAS ANYONE ELSE PULLED APART ALL THEIR LIFTERS and SERVICED THEM rather than buying new ones? Out of 16 I got a dozen fautless and two that were probably fine and two that were confined to rubbish. Although, oddly - When you swap half the rubbish one with half of the other rubbish one you got one that was so close to being perfect that I put it back in cylinder number one just to see if it would start ticking. As yet - Nope... It ticks a bit on start up compared to the others, but then it goes away.


f**k Fiend, shuttup.

Chrikey, how did I get started on that?

Just went to a Phoenix game and we won three nil. Same old Aussies, always cheating (to the tune of BIG BEN chimes).... Or "All we need is a decent referee, a decent referee, a decent referee" (to the tune Yellow Submarine...) Must be in a good mood.

Don't worry. I'll log off now.


But not before hinting loudly that I'd be happy with two front doors being chrome handled - which would leave you one spare.....

Have i pulled apart my original lifters and serviced them rather than buying new ones?? You're damn right i have, many times in fact - every time i remove the rocker gear, the lifters come out, get pulled apart, clean out the lifter body, spring and ball valve, re-assemble and prime them with oil. Well thats how i service them

Has worked a few times for me. I'd have a ticking lifter and after i clean them out, they will be quiet again for a while. I do have one lifter which is f**k though and ticks no matter what i throw at it. Coincidently i just went and bought a new set of lifters yesterday while i was down at the local speed shop picking up some more heat-wrap to wrap the Coby headers in the old man's EF XR6. $66 a set of lifters, can't complain with that. It's cheaper than getting them out of Oz. Have decided to start picking up some new parts for when the spare head goes on, and the lifters are something i'll be needing. So i'm very slowly collecting the things i need. Next will be some new valves i think




Mate i couldn't sell you just the 2, the rear doors will be feeling un-loved

I'll find another one to complete that set and i'll let you know .

The guy i got the Concorde's off has a few chrome handles in stock from the Lane he wrecked. He said to me a while back that he would sell me single handles at $25 a pop so i may have to get it from him as finding singles is rather difficult - unless i can find another person who doesn't know what they are worth and score one cheap

the annoyeing part on the likes of trademe is finding someone that isnt a wreaker so it wont be over priced..do the tops of the ef/el lifters break off? thats what happened to the da

Hi Troy,

The plastic retainers on the EF lifters get brittle and break (soaking in hot engine oil - no wonder). I bought a set at a great price from Engine Parts Ltd (http://www.engineparts.net.nz), and they had steel retainers - problem solved. I think KWIKXR got his lifters even cheaper from STA Parts (http://www.staparts.co.nz), but I don't know what retainers they had, if any.

Cheers

efxr6wagon, we seem to know the good suppliers

I originally bought a couple of replacement lifter from Carl at Engine Part Ltd. He's a top bloke, ordered them in overnight from Aussie and posted them to me and received them within 2 days. The lifters did look a bit different at the top, so the extra steel ring is actually a retainer?? Thought it may be just the way the lifter was designed but i think you may be right.

The set i just bought was from STA Parts, was a bit cheaper than Carl's prices, plus they had them in stock. Funny thing is, the both source the lifters out of a supplier in Aussie and they are the exact same lifter, so they have the steel retainer as well.

The metal "retainer" bit is about right. When doing the AU one the metal "retainer" didn't quite sit in far enough with the additional shim required for the Wade regrind.

It is a good design that appears in those after market ones. Most people are asking $20NZ per unit mind you.