Skippy213 Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 I had a lifter ticking, So i took off the valve cover, removed the rocker arm assembly, and checked all the HLA's they were all tight; so then I installed the rocker arm assembly and valve cover and now it is as my timing is way off. Other then turning the motor to relieve any tension on the lifters to get off the rocker arm assembly with the timing belt still attached I have turned nothing else. Is any one have any thing on how I can correct this, I was under the assumption that this was a take straight on and put back on operation and now I am not able to get the car started. The motor is 2.2 SOHC off a 96 legacy with 196,00 When I first removed it was I supposed to do something different? Is there a way to get this fixed, I was going to look at the timing belt, but if I did not take anything with the timing belt off I should not need to check the timing, I hope it is just a mater of putting the rocker arm assembly back on with the pistons in a different location. Thank you in advance for any help and criticism, Im pretty sure I should not have started this without looking into it a little better first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 (edited) No need to mess with timing or anything like that. Its a straightforward off and back on kinda swap. Which side did you remove? Did you unplug anything to get access? Did you prime the lifters before putting them back in the rocker arms? Edited February 8, 2016 by Fairtax4me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy213 Posted February 8, 2016 Author Share Posted February 8, 2016 I did the driver side, i did not prime the lifters? They were solid no play so i did not feel the need to, and when i took it straight off and put it straight back on the car ran like the timing was off, The only hose was the exhaust from the valve cover, put that back on. I felt like this was straight forward and now i can not get it to run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 Sometimes when the lifters are removed the buttons can pop out and stick, and when the rocker shaft is re-installed they cause the valve to hang open slightly. Let it sit overnight and see if it will start fine next morning. Sometimes just sitting with pressure on them will get them to bleed back down. If that doesn't help, you may need to remove the rocker shaft again and bleed the lifters out. They'll make a hell of a racket for about 20 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccrinc Posted February 9, 2016 Share Posted February 9, 2016 (edited) Which direction did you "move the motor"? As facing the front, clockwise or counterclockwise? If you rotated it counterclockwise, it is possible, although unlikely, that the timing is slightly off. Also, rotating the engine with the timing belt on also rotated the cam. It is now not in the same position as it was when you took off the rocker. When building heads, the cam needs to be adjusted into just the right position or the rocker won't bolt on correctly, and that's with lifters that aren't pumped up. I think this is what happened to you. Luckily, you have a non-interference engine. If you take off the valve cover, very slightly loosen the rocker bolts and slowly rotate the engine clockwise, the assembly should snap back into place. You can then retorque the rocker bolts (15 in. lbs. if I remember correctly). Emily Edited February 9, 2016 by ccrinc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bushwick Posted February 9, 2016 Share Posted February 9, 2016 (edited) It would have behooved you to clean out all the lifters when you had the rocker assembly out. My 95' ej22 engine after getting the car, had quite a few dead lifters that would not, under any circumstance pump up, so I got lower mileage replacements, and had primed them in clean oil, poured into a large cap. A TON of gunk came out that was darker than the oil, suggesting the oil that enters them sometimes remains in them too long. Every lifter from both engines was nasty with dark gunk, with varying degrees of "pump" before cleaning them, and completely solid after (replacements). After priming and cleaning, and bleeding air out, you drop them in fresh oil (an old bottle works great) and do the next one. Once ALL are done, I inspected the oil lifter hole in the rocker and cleaned out the oil feed, so it was bare metal and not dark with tarnish. Then, you should pour a small amount of oil in that rocker hole and reinsert the lifter. It'll force that oil OUT the oil hole and lifter will almost be at a suction. I removed and repeated several times just to be sure the oil feed holes were clean. This also assures plenty of oil around the lifter when the engine is 1st run, and as oil the actual rocker on the shaft while at it. Basically anything that moves on metal, needs some oil. I think I also dabbed a small amount of oil on each lifter tip as well as the valve tip inside the spring retainer, to minimize ANY metal on metal. Been around 2 years now and still have quiet lifters. You must replace the the rockers and their spring metal spacers exactly as they were removed, or you'll have issues. Edited February 9, 2016 by Bushwick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy213 Posted February 9, 2016 Author Share Posted February 9, 2016 Well thank you for all the input; I let it sit from Sunday night until Tuesday morning, and much to my surprise I went to turn the key and it fired right up and purred like a kitten again. I want to say thank you again for all the help, nowhere did it ever say to let it sit and settle, but hey it worked. #The Subaru Whisperer, I rotated the motor before I took off the rockers, and looking at the motor I turned it clockwise, I would call this one complete. Thank you again 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bushwick Posted February 9, 2016 Share Posted February 9, 2016 If they ever get noisy, or are constantly "deflating" after sitting overnight, causing a ton unwanted harmonics after starting up the engine, go ahead and prime all the gunk out of them. Some people suggest oil additives vs. manually cleaning, but inspecting each lifter and thoroughly cleaning all the gunk out, including any tarnish in the oil feeds on the rockers, will give you a better idea if the lifters are indeed OK, weak, or have failed. I've seen a lot of ej engines on you tube (seems rampant in ej-swapped VW's) where everything is chrome, or they put money into dressing the engine up, only for it to clack away like rocks in a barrel rolling down a hill. Even worse, some people think that's the way Subaru engines are supposed to sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccrinc Posted February 9, 2016 Share Posted February 9, 2016 Well thank you for all the input; I let it sit from Sunday night until Tuesday morning, and much to my surprise I went to turn the key and it fired right up and purred like a kitten again. I want to say thank you again for all the help, nowhere did it ever say to let it sit and settle, but hey it worked. #The Subaru Whisperer, I rotated the motor before I took off the rockers, and looking at the motor I turned it clockwise, I would call this one complete. Thank you again Indeed, as Fairtax said, that was the other (most convenient) option and I'm glad it worked out for you. Emily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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