This is a how to video for fixing the notorious miata lifter tick. if you have any questions I will be happy to answer just leave them in the comments.
A few things that I would like to say that he left out that gave me some trouble You need to take off the alternator belt. You do this by loosening a bolt on the upper-passenger side-rear part of the alternator (12mm) I washed the lifters in gasoline. This worked in literal seconds and there isn’t a need to wash before puttting them back so there’s not a risk of water getting in
The first time i took the hood off my miata I almost threw it... i was expecting once i took the bolts out of the holes on the hinges it was going to be at least 50 or 60 lbs... nope, it's about 10 lbs, which surprised me and almost launched it lol.
this is actually a common way to see if your miata has been in an accident. When the hood gets damaged. 9/10 times it will be replaced by a steel aftermarket hood instead of the OEM aluminium hood.
Awesome video - just a tip, when you’re taking the lifters out it’s a good idea to make sure you separate them and make sure the same lifters go into the places where they came out of to ensure the wear patterns don’t cause leaks
Gavin Bukouras no in that case they go in wherever. My tip just applies if you’re cleaning them, since each lifter will have slightly worn to the shape of its bore. The wear is measured in ten-thousandths of an inch, it’s probably not enough to make a difference but better safe than sorry
Yep ! did this during my engine rebuild, and the tick disappeared completely, even when cold ! ..... for about 5000km. Then it came back. sorry miata owners, but it seems we will NEVER get rid of the tick
@@Kaxhow It depends on how hard you drive the car and how many miles are on it. The harder you drive and the more worn the engine is the more frequently you need to change the oil because what is happening is you have carbon that gets into the oil and it clogs the little holes in the lifter. As shown in the video. I do it every 5 thousand miles, but I don't drive it too hard, if it starts to get the sound I'll poor in some seafoam and then start changing every 4 thousand miles. Every Miata owner has to find out on their own how long they can go between changes... but if you catch the tick early you can fix it without taking the whole thing apart.
Your a talented and smart young man. Hopefully you pursue a career in auto mechanics. Your potential for high income is great. Gives me hope for the younger generation.
If you are doing this with a VVT miata, please remember you have shim adjusters. Please be sure to put the shims back in the right place otherwise you'll have to readjust your valve lash.
Thanks for the info bro, I'll have to do this on mine as the lifter tick is so bad that it sounds like its spun a bearing. Only thing is, when ever you have the cam angle sensor off you need to check your ignition timing. I don't know if you did but since you didn't show it I just thought I'd let you know.
Mason, for reference, and oil filled lifter is supposed to be hard and non-compressible. It is the compressible ones that allow oil drain back or don't full fill because of sludge or oil flow restriction that cause the ticking. Were any of your HLA compressible between your fingers?
Anthony Hitchings I did this because you shouldn’t have to set timing if you just leave marks where it was at and put it back. There are also several videos on setting timing so to keep the video simple and quick i left this oit.
Great job! How many miles to start to give the tick problem? Mine has 124k and some times tick and then stop, after a few oil intervals with cheap mineral oils... you did it with what milhares/lilometers?
Question: Do the internal components from each LIFTER have to stay with the original LIFTER ? or Can any of the LIFTER Components be reassembled into any RANDOM Lifter BODY ? ............................
Could you comment a list of all the tools required for this disassembly? Am by no means mechanically savvy, but I hate my lifter tick so I’m willing to give it a go
@@solinvictus6110 It's either your trans or gauge cluster. To test this, unplug it from your trans and attach the cable to a drill and drill counter clockwise. If it moves, its your trans. If it doesn't, it's your gauge cluster.
@@solinvictus6110 it could also be the cable itself. Sometimes they'll seize up enough to cause the cable to break inside. If so, the drill method wouldn't help you determine if its the cluster or transmission. You'd have to take the cable out of both the cluster and transmission to make sure if you spin one end, the other end also spins. And pour liquid graphite inside the cable to keep it lubricated so it doesn't seize.
I don’t think much would be different. Maybe the cam angle sensor? I know the 1.6 and 1.8 have the same lifters but the valve cover and maybe cams will have slight differentiations. Same concept tho.
so before you take the lifters out of the head, you should be able to push down on them and they should give a bit when you push? I heard someone say that they should be rock solid, but you are saying they are seized when they are rock solid? I took a lifter out and apart today but am confused as to which ones are currently good, and which ones are bad. I'd say 85% of the lifters are hard as a rock when you attempt to push down on them, so those ones are the ones most in need of cleaning debris out of etc...? ?
I’m just super worried about messing with the timing while replacing the seals and taking off the cam gears. Do the cam gears go back on one way or could you accidentally put it back on slightly off? I noticed a little bump on the end of the camshaft does that go into an indent on the cam gear?
danyfry15 exactly. It goes over a little notch on the cam. If it helps you could even use a paint pen to Mark where it goes but that notch makes it really hard (and maybe impossible) to put that back on wrong.
The steps will be the same, but the torque sequence might be different. And yes, changing the CAS o-ring would be a great thing to do while you’re already in there! Preventative maintenance is always a good idea.
@@TomlinPerformance awesome thank you !, i also plan on replacing the cam seals. My biggest fear is screwing up the timing during this lifter cleaning, is there only one way to reinstall the cam gear to the camshaft?
@@TomlinPerformance sounds good, i havent seen anyone else doing what you did to the Lifters. Most people just say change he oil to a thicker one and pray lmao
The selling point at intro was “it doesn’t cost anything/free” but if I’m going to wrench on a Miata back hunched over for 6-8 hours i want the peace of mind and guarantee to the owner that he lifters are new and minimize tue chance of the ”ticking” coming back from a bad lifter that won’t hold pressure or oil properly…. But can new lifters just drop in ?? Not head specific ? No letter or markings to designate a specific cut ?
I’d like to know how you got that back bolt off the cam angle sensor off. I can’t figure out how to get to it with a long enough ratchet to break loose
I just loosened it and was able to break it loose with the small ratchet I was using that fit back there easy. If yours is to tight you maybe will have to use a bigger ratchet with a universal joint or maybe put a big wrench on your ratchet handle to extend and get more leverage
Im really worried about getting the timing belt set correctly after doing this, because I really need to do this! Whats the best way of getting it right?
The way I’ve always done it is use a paint marker to mark where the belt is on the gears. So long as it goes back together and the markings line up it will be the same as taking it apart. If you don’t like that route you can always follow the manufacturers instructions to set timing, you can find these directions online. I believe you set cylinder 1 to top dead center and then all the marks on the gears will line up with the markings on the cover and block.
There is a tool you can get at Flyin Miata. This holds the cam sprockets in place.. are you going to use to crescent wrenches on the cams and then hold them in place with a vise grip. See carpassionchannel.
bro how did you take off the lower timing cover, because i’m struggling so much w that, i got them bolt off just can’t pull it out, the alternator is in the way so idk how to do it, please respond asapppp
I honestly don’t remember any interference with the alternator but it’s been a long time now. Pretty certain after all bolts are out it was easy to slip out.
@@olli98wood48 I would first find out if they have solid lifters, if they do then lifter tick wouldn’t be caused by the lifter. If they have the same HLA’s then it should fix it for you.
@@TomlinPerformance Thank you for the correction! I didn't think nearly that much torque was necessary, or physically possible, but the correction for the sake of the video was well worth asking! Thank you!
@@TomlinPerformance wow thank you that took way less time than I thought it would. Way better than buying new ones Bc for some reason O’Reillys selling those hydraulic lifter 16 sets for 400 bucks. So really great video here
When you install them, do they have to face a certain direction? Not only did i mix mine up when they fell out, i also just threw em back in there. 🥲 Theres a hole in each of the lifters, do they have to line up? Or does the grove in them send oil all around it?
Late reply but no it doesn’t matter, the lifters move around anyways when they’re in the engine so it’s perfectly fine to not have them in a certain direction
A few things that I would like to say that he left out that gave me some trouble
You need to take off the alternator belt. You do this by loosening a bolt on the upper-passenger side-rear part of the alternator (12mm)
I washed the lifters in gasoline. This worked in literal seconds and there isn’t a need to wash before puttting them back so there’s not a risk of water getting in
The first time i took the hood off my miata I almost threw it... i was expecting once i took the bolts out of the holes on the hinges it was going to be at least 50 or 60 lbs... nope, it's about 10 lbs, which surprised me and almost launched it lol.
this is actually a common way to see if your miata has been in an accident. When the hood gets damaged. 9/10 times it will be replaced by a steel aftermarket hood instead of the OEM aluminium hood.
Awesome video - just a tip, when you’re taking the lifters out it’s a good idea to make sure you separate them and make sure the same lifters go into the places where they came out of to ensure the wear patterns don’t cause leaks
What if you’re replacing the lifters with new ones. Obviously you can put them in any slot correct? Or do they have a mark or something?
Gavin Bukouras no in that case they go in wherever. My tip just applies if you’re cleaning them, since each lifter will have slightly worn to the shape of its bore. The wear is measured in ten-thousandths of an inch, it’s probably not enough to make a difference but better safe than sorry
🤦🏻♂️ mine was so bad it sounded like a misfire, then come to find out after research this happens all the time man was I happy to find your video
Max Dobbs happy to help man!!
I'm about to go look at a miata tomorrow and they claim it's lifter tick but sounds more like rod knock, did yours sound that bad?
Yep ! did this during my engine rebuild, and the tick disappeared completely, even when cold !
..... for about 5000km. Then it came back.
sorry miata owners, but it seems we will NEVER get rid of the tick
maybe you lost oil pressure
If you use a high quality synthetic and do more frequent oil changes you can avoid it coming back at all.
@@Kaxhow It depends on how hard you drive the car and how many miles are on it. The harder you drive and the more worn the engine is the more frequently you need to change the oil because what is happening is you have carbon that gets into the oil and it clogs the little holes in the lifter. As shown in the video. I do it every 5 thousand miles, but I don't drive it too hard, if it starts to get the sound I'll poor in some seafoam and then start changing every 4 thousand miles. Every Miata owner has to find out on their own how long they can go between changes... but if you catch the tick early you can fix it without taking the whole thing apart.
Your a talented and smart young man. Hopefully you pursue a career in auto mechanics. Your potential for high income is great. Gives me hope for the younger generation.
Thank you for the kind words!!
If you are doing this with a VVT miata, please remember you have shim adjusters. Please be sure to put the shims back in the right place otherwise you'll have to readjust your valve lash.
Wow this is a great video, very organized!
Guy looks like Chris Evans before he becomes captain America, but taking about miatas. Love it
I’ll take it!
Thanks for the info bro, I'll have to do this on mine as the lifter tick is so bad that it sounds like its spun a bearing. Only thing is, when ever you have the cam angle sensor off you need to check your ignition timing. I don't know if you did but since you didn't show it I just thought I'd let you know.
Mason, for reference, and oil filled lifter is supposed to be hard and non-compressible. It is the compressible ones that allow oil drain back or don't full fill because of sludge or oil flow restriction that cause the ticking. Were any of your HLA compressible between your fingers?
CAN CONFIRM THIS WORKS ON 97 NA8 it just takes like 9 hours.
I don't even own a miata
Great video, thanks. I’m going for it, doing it myself following your video
you kind of glossed over aligning the timing marks and crankshaft etc; that was a big deal on my EX250 motorcycle.
Anthony Hitchings I did this because you shouldn’t have to set timing if you just leave marks where it was at and put it back. There are also several videos on setting timing so to keep the video simple and quick i left this oit.
Very nice video bro, should be top one on YT
Great job! How many miles to start to give the tick problem? Mine has 124k and some times tick and then stop, after a few oil intervals with cheap mineral oils... you did it with what milhares/lilometers?
Question: Do the internal components from each LIFTER have to stay with the original LIFTER ?
or
Can any of the LIFTER Components be reassembled into any RANDOM Lifter BODY ?
............................
Dave Cooper all lifters function the same with the same parts! Assuming noting is damaged you can mix them up however you’d like
@@TomlinPerformanceis there a certain order you have to put them back in
bro you are a legend thank you so much
When I did my first oil change I put in synthetic oil and all the ticking went away for ever, best thing I ever did 4 the car
nice video, very soothing
Could you comment a list of all the tools required for this disassembly? Am by no means mechanically savvy, but I hate my lifter tick so I’m willing to give it a go
Screw drivers, ratchet with metric sockets, torque wrench, plyers/channel locks, and I think that’s really it.
Mason Tomlin Thanks, will give it a go today, unfortunately speedometer shit out yesterday aswell, any tips on the speedo cable?
Sol Invictus never worked with a speedo cable. Goodluck!!
@@solinvictus6110 It's either your trans or gauge cluster. To test this, unplug it from your trans and attach the cable to a drill and drill counter clockwise. If it moves, its your trans. If it doesn't, it's your gauge cluster.
@@solinvictus6110 it could also be the cable itself. Sometimes they'll seize up enough to cause the cable to break inside. If so, the drill method wouldn't help you determine if its the cluster or transmission. You'd have to take the cable out of both the cluster and transmission to make sure if you spin one end, the other end also spins. And pour liquid graphite inside the cable to keep it lubricated so it doesn't seize.
ATF 250 miles before an oil change. If you're going to pull the cams might as well replace or SUB? Cool project but seems like a bandaid
Very helpful 👏🏿👏🏿
Really good video thanks for the information
Thanks man my car got a couple ticking im gonna give this a try....👍👍👍
Goodluck!!
Great video sir,thank you👍
hey how do you get the lower timing cover off. for me the water pump pulley is in the way of some of the bolts??
Andy Carter you may have to take the pulley off. I don’t remember that being necessary for mine
Amazing skill!
great video! i am going to do this soon. my lifter tick is so loud its not even funny.
Thankyou great video
Great video !!!!!!
Appreciate the video man!
Any idea what would be different for the 1.8? If anything
I don’t think much would be different. Maybe the cam angle sensor? I know the 1.6 and 1.8 have the same lifters but the valve cover and maybe cams will have slight differentiations. Same concept tho.
so before you take the lifters out of the head, you should be able to push down on them and they should give a bit when you push? I heard someone say that they should be rock solid, but you are saying they are seized when they are rock solid?
I took a lifter out and apart today but am confused as to which ones are currently good, and which ones are bad. I'd say 85% of the lifters are hard as a rock when you attempt to push down on them, so those ones are the ones most in need of cleaning debris out of etc...? ?
I’m just super worried about messing with the timing while replacing the seals and taking off the cam gears. Do the cam gears go back on one way or could you accidentally put it back on slightly off? I noticed a little bump on the end of the camshaft does that go into an indent on the cam gear?
danyfry15 exactly. It goes over a little notch on the cam. If it helps you could even use a paint pen to Mark where it goes but that notch makes it really hard (and maybe impossible) to put that back on wrong.
Mason Tomlin play thanks a lot. I’ll have to do this while quarantine is still happening
danyfry15 of course man happy to help!!
How can i tell the difference of a nasty tick or a knock
What’s the top dead center for Miata?
Thank you
1. I have a 1.8 , so the CAS is on the exhaust cam. Are there any differences in steps? 2. Can I replace CAS o-ring while I have the valve cover open?
The steps will be the same, but the torque sequence might be different. And yes, changing the CAS o-ring would be a great thing to do while you’re already in there! Preventative maintenance is always a good idea.
@@TomlinPerformance awesome thank you !, i also plan on replacing the cam seals. My biggest fear is screwing up the timing during this lifter cleaning, is there only one way to reinstall the cam gear to the camshaft?
ahmed9707 Yep! It’s slotted with a little pin.
w tutorial, I was just wondering how do you mark your cam shafts so you know there timed correctly
The cam gears already have timing marks on them! Quick search on the forum should come up with several write ups on timing.
Thank u
I have a 1.8 😭. it only ticks when it’s really cold and goes away when it’s up to temp. but when it’s warm no ticking.
Awesome video. What exhaust setup are you running?
I had stock headers on it with a catless mid pipe and a manzo catback
Great video, is the Lifter tick back yet ?
Dextromethorphan I have since sold the car, in my ownership the tick never came back.
@@TomlinPerformance sounds good, i havent seen anyone else doing what you did to the Lifters. Most people just say change he oil to a thicker one and pray lmao
Came to the comments to see if anyone else noticed him washing the lifters in the sink over a bowl💀😂👌
No solvent tank so sink it is 🤷🏼♂️
Can a sticky lifter cause the car to skip? I have both a sticky lifter and a dead cylinder.
Screw cleaning them. Just get new ones.
The selling point at intro was “it doesn’t cost anything/free” but if I’m going to wrench on a Miata back hunched over for 6-8 hours i want the peace of mind and guarantee to the owner that he lifters are new and minimize tue chance of the ”ticking” coming back from a bad lifter that won’t hold pressure or oil properly…. But can new lifters just drop in ?? Not head specific ? No letter or markings to designate a specific cut ?
I’d like to know how you got that back bolt off the cam angle sensor off. I can’t figure out how to get to it with a long enough ratchet to break loose
I just loosened it and was able to break it loose with the small ratchet I was using that fit back there easy. If yours is to tight you maybe will have to use a bigger ratchet with a universal joint or maybe put a big wrench on your ratchet handle to extend and get more leverage
If I take the camshaft out out of the cam angle sensor then when I put it back will the car be out on degrees?
Taybrad20 no, you won’t have problems ith the cam angle sensor not being in the right spot. It only fits in the end of the cam one way.
Mason Tomlin what if while I removed it, I turned the sensor on accident then would it be out of time?
Taybrad20 nope! As long as your cams are correctly timed it doesent matter of you spin that sensor at all.
Im really worried about getting the timing belt set correctly after doing this, because I really need to do this!
Whats the best way of getting it right?
The way I’ve always done it is use a paint marker to mark where the belt is on the gears. So long as it goes back together and the markings line up it will be the same as taking it apart. If you don’t like that route you can always follow the manufacturers instructions to set timing, you can find these directions online. I believe you set cylinder 1 to top dead center and then all the marks on the gears will line up with the markings on the cover and block.
There is a tool you can get at Flyin Miata. This holds the cam sprockets in place.. are you going to use to crescent wrenches on the cams and then hold them in place with a vise grip. See carpassionchannel.
those cam gear seals look like a mini rear main seal
Pretty close
That's just what round hydraulic seals look like my man...
bro how did you take off the lower timing cover, because i’m struggling so much w that, i got them bolt off just can’t pull it out, the alternator is in the way so idk how to do it, please respond asapppp
I honestly don’t remember any interference with the alternator but it’s been a long time now. Pretty certain after all bolts are out it was easy to slip out.
0:28 are you missing a lug nut on the front passenger wheel?
Lol it appears I was. I never noticed that. I only had the car for about 6 weeks.
Bro, I just did this on my miata but the engine begins shaking and the idle not stable. What reason may it be?
Sounds like timing, go back and double check you’ve got it timed right!
Did you use the same oil as the engine or ...
Justin martinez for filling the lifters back up, yep! Use the same oil you’re putting in the engine.
I use to work for a lifter manufacturer. The piston in each lifter is size specific to the lifter. Big mistake to mix piston and lifter.
Oof lol
I have a really really bad tick it's better just to get new ones where is a good place to buy them
Great video! Is the process the same for a MK2.5 1.8 with VVT?
I believe that one has solid lifters, not HLA’s. So pulling them out would be the same but there won’t be parts on the lifer to pull apart/ clean
@@TomlinPerformance Thanks for the reply! Would I be able to solve ticking lifters if they're solid? Or is there more to it?
@@olli98wood48 I would first find out if they have solid lifters, if they do then lifter tick wouldn’t be caused by the lifter. If they have the same HLA’s then it should fix it for you.
How did you make sure they were dry?
Isaac Kaufmann I just let them sit out for awhile, you could also use a heat gun or something similar.
Bro that is not simple, I will definitely need to send it to a mechanic
OK Bro this is anything but EASY, do you have any idea how much you can destroy the engine if you don't get it back together correctly?
If u follow along it’s easy
You have to be pretty dimwitted to not do this with good results if you simply follow instructions.
If it scares you don't do it. Take it to a mechanic, but if you get a bad one they'll tell you your engine needs a rebuild.
Mine sounds nothing like that and mine is 32 years old.
do you have to put the camshafts in the same position if you took off the cam gears?
Gavin Bukouras the cam gears only go on one way. So you don’t have to worry about that, as long as the cans are still in time.
Mason Tomlin so what about the cam shafts? If the gears are in time but the camshafts rotated, is that a problem
Cool
I notice at 9:08, you have "@125ft inches" do you mean 125 ft lbs?
Nope! 125 inch pounds. Which is just short of 10.5 ft pounds.
@@TomlinPerformance Thank you for the correction! I didn't think nearly that much torque was necessary, or physically possible, but the correction for the sake of the video was well worth asking! Thank you!
"125 ft-inches" is not a torque value for reassembling the cam bearing caps. Probably more like 125 in-lb I'd guess.
But the video is a good one. Nice that you took the time to reassemble everything. It's not always "reverse the process of disassembly"! Thanks.
This is correct, that was a typo and can caps are to be torqued to 125 in-lbs.
you know what works way way way easier? liqui moly pro line complete engine flush.
Why am i watching this. I don't even own a miata. Even worse, i don't even have a car
Bc you’re supporting a homie and learning about miata’s! You’ll get it one day
so how long did it last before it started again
Not sure. I don’t keep cars very long. Sold it shortly after
@@TomlinPerformance bruh hahahaha
How long did you have to soak them in your degreaser?
I just waiting until I stoped seeing a lot of oil coming off of them still. Took maybe 5-10 mins.
@@TomlinPerformance wow thank you that took way less time than I thought it would. Way better than buying new ones Bc for some reason O’Reillys selling those hydraulic lifter 16 sets for 400 bucks. So really great video here
@@Angel-xe2de glad I could help! And thank you I appreciate it!
at how many miles did you have to do this?
I was at 100k miles when I did this. I’m not sure how long it had this problem before I fixed it as I was a new owner.
9:07 ft inches? In pounds In guessing?
Yes, typo. Inch pounds.
nice orginised vid :)
How long did this take?
Maybe an hour, hour and a half
You need to fix that torque setting ... i just snapped a bolt in the head 🤬
You should read better mate, it clearly says 125 in-lbs
And not ft-lbs which is about 10,5 ft-lbs or so
(Don’t quote me on that tho)
Ripperoni
if you dont have a clue about appropriate torque do not open up your engine, especially true on motorcycles
Anthony Hitchings fuck off
F :(
Yeah i can’t do that
Yes you cannnn take your time you got it
Bro im 4999 view
Haave you ever heard of a torque wrench?
TAKE OFF YOUR WATCH!
No gloves?
"Easy" ...LMAO, slightly hard=welding crack in block.
"foot inches" facepalm
When you install them, do they have to face a certain direction? Not only did i mix mine up when they fell out, i also just threw em back in there. 🥲
Theres a hole in each of the lifters, do they have to line up? Or does the grove in them send oil all around it?
Late reply but no it doesn’t matter, the lifters move around anyways when they’re in the engine so it’s perfectly fine to not have them in a certain direction