Mitsubishi 3rd
Revision Lifters (Lash Adjusters)
For anyone who is probably reading this review, you probably know
that Mitsubishi Lifters made a ticking noise over time, and that noise over
time CAN be loud enough to trigger the car's internal knock sensor (happened to
my car). When this happens, the car thinks that pre-ignition (knock) is
occurring in the cylinders (read: BAD) and the cars ECU will pull or retard
ignition timing to counter what it thinks is going on in the engine. The
results in a car that consumes gas like there’s no tomorrow and runs like
complete crap (made me lose to 16 sec. car!).
This problem seems to occur with all year turbo Eclipses/Talons/Lasers/Galants
in addition to 3000GTs and Stealths.
The solution to this problem is one of 2 things... 1: Pull the lifters out,
clean them THOROUGHLY, put them back in and hope that the tick is gone.
OR
2: Buy the new style revised lifters.
I chose the latter because while option #1 seems like a cost efficient method
of doing things, the problem has been known to come back over time, in the end,
this ends up taking up lots of time and frustration.
The revised lifters have completely eliminated the ticking associated with
lifters, and I highly recommend them to anyone out there with a Turbo DSM or
3KGT. Buy them and enjoy your timing advance once again!
As for the installation process, it took me around an hour and a half - two
hours, I'm not the best mechanic out there, some DIY mechanics get it done in
an hour or less. The installation is fairly straightforward and it is a direct
replacement affair with no modifications to the car being necessary.
A quick overview of the install include:
1. Remove spark plug wire cover.
2. Unplug sparkplug boots from the cylinders.
3. Remove valve cover, being careful not to damage the seals running around the
perimeter of the valve cover.
4. Using a large flat-bladed screwdriver or prybar, pop the rocker arm off of
the tops each of the lifters. Be careful not to allow the rockers to fly into
the air, they are under pressure from the valve springs and they could get lost
if you're not careful. These rockers are around $30 each at the dealer.
5. Remove the old lifters, try to compress the lifters with your hands, if you
cant, you know it's gummed up pretty bad like mine were.
6. Prime the new lifters, if not properly primed, the new ones will tick WORSE
THAN THE OLD ONES for little while. You can prime them by submerging them in a
small container of oil and using something thin like a paper-clip to compress
the lifter and draw oil in.
7. Drop new lifters into each of the 16 holes where you removed the old ones.
8. Now the hard part. Install the rockers back in place on top of the valve
spring retainer and on top of the new lifters. Use the prybar to compress the
valve spring and drop the rocker into place. This can be a bit difficult at
first, but as you do it, you will get used to it and each rocker will become
easier to install. Another tip for installing the rocker is to position the
rocker on top of the retainer and use the prybar to "pop" it onto the
lifter.
9. Put everything back to the way it was. Being sure again not to damage the
valve cover seal. Torque each bolt down to service manuel spec. (4-6ft/lbs i
believe). Over torquing can result in a pinched valve cover seal or it may even
strip your head (aluminum strips easy).
If they still tick a bit, drive around for a little while at mid-high RPM to
get oil pressure up and allow them to prime themselves. It should go away.
Overall Satisfaction: 9.5
Ease of installation: 8
Product Quality:10
Performance:10 (Can't go wrong with getting your lost power back!)
Hope the review is useful.