Lash-Adjusters (hydrolic lifters)

[haydar]

These seem to be a real Mitsubishi weakness as many owners have ticking problems with the hydrolic lifters. The problem is common to FTOs, VR4s, GT0, etc... To add insult to injury, each lifters costs about £20 and there are 24 of the buggers in a VR4.

I been told the best thing is to live with the noise but for me, probably like many of you, it just drives me crazy. Can these be sourced from Japan and are they any cheaper if one does.

I think Mitsubishi needs to sell these at cost price to their loyal customers since it is clearly a design fault.

What are other members thoughts.

[BraindG]

They dont have to be replaced, the can be removed and cleaned, or a few flushes with clean oil normally does the job.. but If your like me, it wil drive you up the wall.. I had my dealership flush the engine a few times.. worked a treat!

there was an article over at MLR about cleaning the lifters.. having never seen them on VR-4 im not sure, but i recon it entails the same process...

another one for the "to-do-list" :INSERT INTO post VALUES (

[haydar]

Originally posted by BraindG
They dont have to be replaced, the can be removed and cleaned, or a few flushes with clean oil normally does the job.. but If your like me, it wil drive you up the wall.. I had my dealership flush the engine a few times.. worked a treat!

there was an article over at MLR about cleaning the lifters.. having never seen them on VR-4 im not sure, but i recon it entails the same process...

another one for the "to-do-list" :INSERT INTO post VALUES (

If someone could give me a step by step INSERT INTO post VALUES (with pictures) guide on how to do this, I'm sure I could have a go myself. The cost for a new set of lash adjusters would be £440 plus the labour to fit them!!! Ouch! Not to mention VAT :Cry1:

[BraindG]

Well, my tappets are fixed.. so im not going to be making a step-by-step guide.. unless someone else wants to.. seems easy enough..

they were cleaned out by flushing the enigine with fresh oil.. I dont even want to take a guess at how many times it was done.. but basically emptied oil, filled it up again.. ran the car for a day, emptied, filled it up again, ran car again.. and over and over and over...

Basically theres jsut gunk oil inside the lifter thingies, the aim here is to remove it..

now theres slight ticking when car starts from cold, and stops shortly after..

[haydar]

What oil should be used to flush the car?

At £40 for 4 litres, a couple of flushes could get expensive!

Can one just use normal oil initially until the noise goes away and then put the more expensive synthetic oil in?

[BraindG]

i would say so, its not as if its going to be in there for a long time, infact the opposite, id go for cheapy stuff to start with, then put your high grade in once noise has gone.. or isnt as frequent..

[haydar]

Originally posted by BraindG
i would say so, its not as if its going to be in there for a long time, infact the opposite, id go for cheapy stuff to start with, then put your high grade in once noise has gone.. or isnt as frequent..

Cheers, I'll have a go this weekend!

[BraindG]

Personally i wouldnt want to run it any longer than a day... onder:

[Petrolhead]

What about the oil filter, was it changed each time too?

Oh, and where's the best place to get a filter? does it have to come from Mitsi?

D.

[haydar]

Originally posted by Petrolhead
What about the oil filter, was it changed each time too?

Oh, and where's the best place to get a filter? does it have to come from Mitsi?

D.

I've always changed the oil filter with the oil.

I've been told to try 'forte engine flush' and then replace the oil. The engine flush is supposed to clean anything blocking the lash adjusters and hence stop the ticking.

Does anyone have any experience with this?

[Roadrunner]

Posted elsewhere on this forum, but reproduced here because it's relevant ....

From the MLR FAQ section, slightly modified to cater for the V6 and from personal experience - there's a known problem that affects all hydraulic tappet cars:

Symptom:
A noticeable ‘ticking’ noise from the top of the engine. Usually appears when starting the engine from cold but can persist.

Problem and Cure:
The noise is caused by air being trapped in the Lash Adjuster INSERT INTO post VALUES (Hydraulric Tappet). Normally the high-pressure chamber in the Lash Adjuster should contain oil but due to various reasons INSERT INTO post VALUES (listed below) the oil drains away leaving only air present. This causes the adjuster to become compressed. The compressed adjuster does not take up the clearance between the roller rocker and the cam lobe correctly when the valve is opening meaning a ‘ticking’ can be heard. It may take a short period for the air to be expelled after starting the engine so some ‘ticking’ noise is acceptable however, if the noise lasts for a long period or doesn’t go away at all then there maybe a problem.

Air can be trapped in the adjuster due to several reasons that are listed below:

Low oil level.
Incorrect grade of oil used INSERT INTO post VALUES (too thin or thick).
Old oil INSERT INTO post VALUES (debris in the oil may block an adjuster).
If the car is stood for a long period or if it is stood on an incline INSERT INTO post VALUES (the oil will drain from the adjusters).
Over filling the engine with oil INSERT INTO post VALUES (if the oil level reaches the crank it may churn air into the oil that will migrate to the lash adjusters).
If the tappet noise does not disappear soon after start up INSERT INTO post VALUES (5-10 seconds); switch off, then restart and listen again. If that doesn't work, then try some mild racing of the engine. Gradually increase the engine speed to 3000rpm INSERT INTO post VALUES (over 30 seconds) and then gradually decrease it back to idle INSERT INTO post VALUES (again over 30 seconds). Repeat this roughly 10 times. If the tappet noise disappears then the air has been expelled from the Lash Adjusters and they are working normally again. It is worth checking your oil level and condition as that maybe the cause of the air entering the Lash Adjusters in the first place. Change your oil if in doubt. Make sure you use the correct grade of oil as going too thick or thin can make matters worse. Mitsubishi quote 10W30 as the correct grade of oil to use. If an oil change makes no difference then the adjusters are either blocked, worn INSERT INTO post VALUES (spring inside becomes weakened) or damaged and will require cleaning or possible replacement. Garages will normally replace them as it is more cost effective than cleaning and usually they will replace the whole set of 24. A competent home mechanic can clean or replace the Lash Adjusters. If in doubt consult your servicing agent.

Approximate cost of repair:
Oil change = £30-£50
New Lash Adjusters are approximately £20 each inclusive INSERT INTO post VALUES (fitting approx. 2-6 hours depending on the number to replace)

Brian

[Brind]

This problem is on ALL of the Mitsubishi vehicles.

It is a design fault and hasn't been corrected even though they are very aware of the problem.

Your best be is to just flush the engine until it stops, I'm sure that is what my main dealer did with mine and it has gone! even thrashing the car at slightly illegal speeds does not encourage the noise to come back.

You won't cure the problem with new adjusters because within time it will come back.. design fault.
They aren't actually defective they just collect ****e and/or air gets trapped around them and you get the noise.

I had a Space Wagon when they did my VR-4 and that had only done 6000 demo miles! that ticked just as much as mine did and sounded identicle with its cycles.

[Roadrunner]

If it goes untreated, does it wear out the lash adjusters, or is it just a pain to listen to, but not critical?

Brian

[Brind]

It's just the noise it creates.
Apparently it can't damage anything INSERT INTO post VALUES (dealer said so).

If you listen to some of the old Galants going around you'll hear them rattling too, my mate has one and he hasn't had any problems whatsover! and it has ticked for years!!!!!

[BraindG]

Yup, doesnt harm them, just a bloody anoying sound, plus doesnt do street cred any good.. sitting at traffic lights, wanting a race with somone, and all they hear is tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick etc.. its easy enough to resolve.. although can take a bit of time with the amount of flushes invlovled INSERT INTO post VALUES (sometimes)

[haydar]

Thanks for all the advice guys.

I found a product at Halfords today INSERT INTO post VALUES (no don't laugh) which is specifically for clearing dirt out of hydraulic lash adjusters.

It's from a company called Wynns and is called Hydraulic Valve Lifter Treatment for Petrol and Diesel Engines.

It says on the bottle it's safe to use with Catalyic Converters and Turbochargers.

Unless anyone knows why not to, I'm going to give it a go this weekend.

[BraindG]

keep us posted