Lazy lifter & partial miss

[OldIron82]

Hello everyone! After years of slow progress I finally completed my 6.9 and have it installed in my 89 F350 cab and chassis dump truck. ARP studs, injectors, cam, 910 springs, Bull Moose, ATS 093 with wicked wheel 2 and the big exhaust housing with the 3” slip fit I installed a quick connect More than happy with it, up until a few weeks ago...

I have a partial miss, smoking black out the exhaust at idle and it will turn the snow black if it’s parked in the spot for just a few minutes. Few nights ago firing it up after work in almost single digits, it now has a audible clicking out the exhaust and a audible clicking on the left side of the engine that coincides with the exhaust. The clicking did go away, but the partial miss is still there. It’s getting on my last nerve now and I’m going to rip into it no matter how long the truck is down for.

My thought is a lazy lifter at this point. I’m going to pull the valve cover and see if everything is moving properly. I will say I reused the original lifters because a few people told me OEM is better than aftermarket. Is it possible the old lifters don’t like the 910 springs? Is it also true our lifters were used in many Powerstrokes? What brand do people trust most?

Please help. I can’t be without this truck past the end of March.

Here’s a pic after I got her in early last year.

Thank you everyone,

OI82

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[Kevin 007]

It's not uncommon to have some sticking lifters as these engines are aging. Especially with neglected oil maintenance/changes. I see more sticking lifters then any other issue with idi's aside from return lines leaking, worn injection pumps and glow plug issues.

They will often clear up with some more frequent oil changes (maybe a detergent additive of some form). It also can take several thousand miles to clear up.

Not saying this is your issue, just sharing my opinion.

I would first start checking compression, if there is a serious discrepancy somewhere, that might narrow it down for you

 

[Oledirtypearl86]

Try some a stiction eliminator. In it on a fresh oil change and then run the hell out of it

 

[IDIBRONCO]

If those are the original lifters, and they have a lot of miles on them, go ahead and put new ones in. Lesser or equal quality doesn't really matter the internal springs in your lifter are getting weak from so many years of operation. That means that, most likely, they are no longer strong enough to overcome the Comp 910 springs. I had just that same, exact issue with mine a few years back when I did the overhaul on my 7.3 with Comp 910's. The biggest difference was that I had an intake valve that wasn't opening very much if at all. That gave me a dead miss. There's no additive in the world that is going to help with weak lifter springs and stiffer valve springs. When I installed the new lifters, I pulled the valve covers, IP, intake, and valley pan to get to the lifters. After that, I've had no more issues.

 

[tjsea]

@OldIron82 does your miss change with rpm? I ask because my engine has had a slight miss/shake since I've put my rebuilt engine together. I used aftermarket lifters during the rebuild and have been chasing this annoying miss since. I've checked and swapped the complete fuel system, checked compression and it all checks out and doesn't change a thing. I've been considering swapping lifters, but didn't go that far just yet. My shake/miss is only at idle, it levels out at just over 1000rpms. Also just for your information the IDI uses the same lifters as the 7.3, 6.0, and 6.4 psd. If I was to do it over I'd buy oem lifters for a 6.0L. They come in sets of 4 and are cheaper than buying them all individually for the 7.3 psd for some dumb reason. Colt cams told me this.

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[OldIron82]

If those are the original lifters, and they have a lot of miles on them, go ahead and put new ones in. Lesser or equal quality doesn't really matter the internal springs in your lifter are getting weak from so many years of operation. That means that, most likely, they are no longer strong enough to overcome the Comp 910 springs. I had just that same, exact issue with mine a few years back when I did the overhaul on my 7.3 with Comp 910's. The biggest difference was that I had an intake valve that wasn't opening very much if at all. That gave me a dead miss. There's no additive in the world that is going to help with weak lifter springs and stiffer valve springs. When I installed the new lifters, I pulled the valve covers, IP, intake, and valley pan to get to the lifters. After that, I've had no more issues.

Wow. Ok that’s pretty much spot on what I got going on. I’m sooooo happy I took the time to delete the slip fit on the turbo and installed a quick disconnect. Still not happy about ripping everything apart but as I said before, I’m over it. It is so annoying to drive I just gotta go nuclear and tear into it hard. Thank you!

 

[OldIron82]

@OldIron82 does your miss change with rpm? I ask because my engine has had a slight miss/shake since I've put my rebuilt engine together. I used aftermarket lifters during the rebuild and have been chasing this annoying miss since. I've checked and swapped the complete fuel system, checked compression and it all checks out and doesn't change a thing. I've been considering swapping lifters, but didn't go that far just yet. My shake/miss is only at idle, it levels out at just over 1000rpms. Also just for your information the IDI uses the same lifters as the 7.3, 6.0, and 6.4 psd. If I was to do it over I'd buy oem lifters for a 6.0L. They come in sets of 4 and are cheaper than buying them all individually for the 7.3 psd for some dumb reason. Colt cams told me this.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

I wouldn’t say it changes with RPM, it’s simply more “masked” at a higher RPM. You really can’t hear it over 2000 RPM but you can feel it doesn’t have the power it should. From idle to 1200-1500 it’s very pronounced. Sounds like a compression release Jake brake on low. It’s almost a dead miss, but not completely. I’ve tried cracking lines, and all do make a difference. I wish it was a 100% total miss then I could find it easier.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Still not happy about ripping everything apart but as I said before, I’m over it.

Exactly how I felt. Afterward, I sure was glad that I did it.

 

[CBRF3]

I have found try to avoid upgrading the valve springs it adds to much strain to the lifters and cam and will cause premature failure also as for lifter issues well sadly our engines are prone to it and the CJ4 oil spec is often the reason they removed alot of the testing required for upper valve train wear and such that CK4 required also they made the oil requirements different in a way that dont play well with our motors I avoid rotella even ford advises not to use rotella dodge also and many others because they found it was causing issues.