Hi all, my morel hydraulic roller lifters have developed a ticking / tapping noise.
around 5000 miles on my 383 engine, with roller cam and Morel hydraulic roller lifters.

Has never run quiet which I determined must be due to the link bars on the roller lifters, how does oil get to the link bars ?!?.
anyway have redone the valve lash countless times, the engine runs great just can't stand the sewing machine and tapping sounds..

At the recommended 3/4 turn from zero lash, (no further pushrod up down movement).
have googled this and found its quite common and people just put up with it, sounds like one lifter has collapsed..... got quite a bit louder recently.

Have used an inspection camera to confirm the link bars are all attached, (which is another common issue with the rivets failing allowing the lifter to rotate ruining cam and lifter) .

Should I replace the morel lifters with a other tie bar setup, or retrofit a spider brace to use the 87 up hydraulic roller lifters and guides as they run near silent.???

What's your experience and recommendations ?

The cam and dual valve springs are matched, maybe they are a bit tough on the lifters....
Have checked all springs, no problems since upgrading them no failures this batch.
roller rockers are fine and geometry has been tripple checked and is spot on.

Want to hear your experience and recommendations before deciding which way to go.

Thanks
Gerard

 

You shouldn't hear the link bar making any noise imo... mine is a little noisy on startup when cold but once warmed it goes away. The only sewing machine noise is from the roller rockers.

As far as the dogbone oem setup, the tie bars on that rattle around too so the noise level should be similar imo. I think it is the lifter itself and not the style causing your issue presently...

 

Yes one of the lifters has failed for sure, first run they were a little noisier compared to flat tappet lifters. One is getting louder, I tried thicker oil 20w50 which made it worse. Now using 10W40 and has been getting louder, having seen some tie bar failures on Google. Been trying to work out if going to the 87 up, spider brace and guides to keep the lifters in line is the more reliable way to go.

Thanks
Gerard

 

It's a more convenient setup but depending on other factors it may not even be possible. I am assuming your block has the provisions for the spider tray already. But depending on the cam if it is a small base circle I think the heads need to come off to be able to get the proper length lifter in to work with the tray... I'm not that familiar with the setup. Most anything I've done with it was pretty stock but I've heard that is an issue depending.

From a purely reliability standpoint... it probably is better. One other thing I noticed with my lifters (howards made by morel) is they said a lighter weight oil works better... so mine were worse with 15w40 than 10w30 and the quietest with the synthetic 10w30.

 

Hi
Is a pre 87 block so does not have the spider brace mounting points, would not be hard to adapt however I have heard about the small base circle issue needing taller lifter bodies.

If the link bar failures are as big a problem as I have seen on google, I have to really look at all options carefully.

I am also running full synthetic oil, however the engine was not built for 5w30. Am not running such tight bearing clearances like engines built for thin oil, I did try the thin oil but was like water when draining hot. Was worried about its load bearing capacity to thicker oil, call it old school learning from old school performance engine builders.

I have 25 thou on my 383, i used to run 30 thou main bearing clearance. Have always been taught to go slightly loose and use high volume pump oil to lubricate and cool, for long life in performance engines and use the right grade thicker oil for performance and nitrous use.

The roller cam lifters came after the rotating assembly was built, after noticing some wear on my flat tappet cam I was intending to reuse.

Ended up only the 4 bolt block was re used, that was with stronger aftermarket main caps.

Cheers
Gerard

 

The thing with Google is while it is a wonderful tool... you will definitely see more complaints that good reviews. Thousands go out every day without issues and no one feels the need to talk about it. But a problem seeks a solution. So while there are problems I'm sure...it may not be as much of a concern as it seems in that regard.

Anyway. If the bosses are cast into the block to adapt the tray then go for it for sure... otherwise trying to rig it to work may not work out so well. I know blocks were cast with them but not drilled... I'm just not sure if that was leading to the switch or after. I know my block wouldn't be able to accept the tray.

 

Yes for sure google is scary all bad news lol, that is why I am here checking to see what everyone running them has to say about reliability more real world.
.

Can't believe everything we see on google searches.

I used to be indecisive .... now I'm not so sure

Thanks
Gerard

 

..... I have run link-bar lifters for 15 or more years ... hydraulic and solid ... street and strip ... so far , I have never had a link-bar fail ... call Morel about your issues , they may have some insight to offer .....

 

Thanks for sharing your experience, that helps relieve some of the doubts about them from the bad Google search results ...

From my research the roller lifters can suffer from debris, due to the tight anti pump up clearances. So have been trying to see if the thinner oil will help free the collapsed lifter.
Is a newly built engine and was thouroghly cleaned before assembly, so should not have any dirt.
Has had a few oil and filter changes already, the noisy lifter has only been the last few days.

Thanks
Gerard

 

Now those darn roller lifter link bar hardened rivets are preventing me disassembling and cleaning the lifters WTF cannot check / clean and reuse them ...


Maybe I should go solid lifters be done with ticking hydraulic lifters lol
Seen some people have modified hydraulic to solid with hardened washers, well at least solid rollers are cheaper.