XU9J4 Hydraulic Lifter Question

[Jim 1]

Hi everyone,

I have recently fitted some re-furbished lifters that I bought from someone on here a couple of years ago. They appear to be O/E ones.

Having done around 30 miles compression was low on cylinders 2 & 3. Cam timing was ok, so suspecting head gasket failure (fitted 2004) I took the head off checked & re-lapped all valves while it was out. The face of the head was within tollerance and not corroded. Checked liners for cracks. It was not easy to tell if the gasket had been loosing compression.

 

On re-fitting the lifters I noticed that all the exhaust lifters were still "pumped up" & the inlets were soft. Is this normal?

Is there a possibility the lifters could over-fill and have been the cause of the low compression?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Jim

 

[Jim 1]

I think I've answered my own question. Not all the inlet lifters were soft, as I originally thought when I checked three of them at random.

I have disassembled the soft lifters and filled with oil as per this guide http://www.taylor-eng.com/16v_head/16v_head.htm

I'm pretty sure the low compression was the head gasket now.

 

[petert 586]

The OEM lifters are just about bullet proof. It's a shame when they get replaced by inferior aftermarket items due to a misdiagnosis.