G'day guys,

On the weekend I installed a CA16 camshaft in my CA18. I went to start it and it started but sounded like a tractor. I let it run for a little while and it got quieter but it sounds like the front two lifters are not expanding properly. I have run the car 3 or 4 times since for a total running time of probably 45mins. The noise has, if anything, got worse. I have pulled the cam cover off a couple of times because I was almost certain there had to be damage to something but it all looks healthy. Has anybody had any experience with a problem like this?

I know that lifters wear out but they were fine before I changed cams.

nah... nothing to worry about.

Have you replaced the right angled adapter for the oil feed from the block? If the inbuilt restrictor is removed, the lifters get less oil pressure and make lifter noises...

The lifters should have been kept vertical, and stored submerged in clean engine oil.

The lifters get oil into them from the sides, and the little hole in the top is what lubricates the cam lobes. If any of the holes are blocked, the lifters won't pump up.

Getting new ones is not too expensive <$200, get a quote from Nissan.

Before removing the cams. turn the engine over by hand and measure the clearance. Note which lifters have the biggest gap between the heal of the cam and the lifter.

Cleaning the old lifters (not easy to be successful), and making sure your valve springs are in the correct way is the best starting point.

Quote:

What is this right angled adapter you are talking about? All I did was remove the old cam and stick the new one in? I didn't pull out or store the lifters at all, they just stayed in the motor.

Thanks for the help chris

For the hardline to the turbo, that is the oil feed to the top of the turbo centre housing.

On the block, that hardline connects to a 'cast right angle', if you've replaced this hardline with a flexible one, it's possible that you have also removed the 'cast right angle'.

I am just checking whether you have or not.

The manual does say be careful when removing lifters, and to not let them sit upside down.

It's hard to check your oil pressure, but that may be the cause for the lifters not filling, but it may also be that the lifter holes have blocked up, due to not enough oil changes from a previous owner.

Why did you change the cam to a ca16 one and why only one cam is there any benefit in doing this ? Id be checking the clearences with a feeler gauge first just to be sure and maby the belt routing and tension too but it seems odd though.

hi
ca's are hydraulic not mechanical
when cams are removed lifters expand (little spring inside)
you bolt the cam back in and the expanded lifter can takes ages to bleed down and let the valve back onto the seat
if the valve is hanging open the piston can hit it on some motors
you can remove the lifter and squeeze it gently in a vice to push the plunger back in .this will bleed off some oil (point oil feed hole down)
do a compression or leakdown test to make sure you have not bent a valve
usually if its rattling it is excessive clearance
get engine warm
raise rpm to ~2000 for 10 seconds
repeat a couple of times
listen for noise
if no better turn off for a few minutes then repeat
lifters can be a bitch to bleed and may take days to shut up
if oil is dirty it can make lifters noisy
precision do aftermarket lifters for ca18
i would try the proceedure above first
if you still have trouble message me
dazza