Changed lifters now 3 valves stuck open. What in the world

[Chrispycajun]

I had a lifter ticking, so I ordered all new ones. follow the videos on YouTube where you just slightly push the rockers out and change the lifters..now I have three valves in different places each one on a different cylinder stuck open. you can tap the side of the spring or the top of the valve and it will pop up. But if you put the rocker back and spend the motor over again the valve will stay stuck open again. I've did this about 20 times and all three valves will stay stuck . I'm not sure if they intake or exhaust I didn't look. Anyone ever have a problem like this. Truck ran perfect just had a little lifter tick. only 148000 mi. PS one good thing I did find a bad lifter

 

[19Walt93]

It sounds like you have carbon build up on the valve stems and the new lifters are opening the valves a little more than the old ones so the carbon is sticking them in the guides. I assume and hope you didn't fill the lifters with oil before installing them, if you did try removing them and carefully squeezing them in a vise to get the oil out, then reinstall and try again. Otherwise I'm afraid you're looking at a valve job, it may be worth running some combustion chamber cleaner through it first, assuming it will run.

 

[Chrispycajun]

It sounds like you have carbon build up on the valve stems and the new lifters are opening the valves a little more than the old ones so the carbon is sticking them in the guides. I assume and hope you didn't fill the lifters with oil before installing them, if you did try removing them and carefully squeezing them in a vise to get the oil out, then reinstall and try again. Otherwise I'm afraid you're looking at a valve job, it may be worth running some combustion chamber cleaner through it first, assuming it will run.

How would the carbon get in the guide? even if the valve opens further it would push the carbon away from the Guide not suck it into the guide.Correct me if I'm wrong. But the carbon wouldn't be around the valve spring it would be on the outer side of the valve that gets pushed out not pushed in.. and no the lifters are not primed

 

[19Walt93]

The carbon builds up on the stem below the head of the valve, not uncommon on an early 2.0/2.3. What did you use to compress the valve springs? Even if you didn't have the correct tool it seems unreasonable that you could have bent a valve stem.

 

[RonD]

Welcome to TRS

So a 2.5l Lima engine in a 2000 Ranger

The exhaust valves can get carbon build up on the stems as they open and exhaust exits the cylinder
I would look again and see if all 3 sticking valves are exhaust valves

But yes it does seem odd for this to happen just after changing lifters, but I am not a Lima engine guy
The "ticking" issue you were fixing could have been the valve's sticking, same noise occurs from the gap between valve and rocker, so may not have been lifter issue at all

These Lima engines were first used in a 1974 Pinto, and last used in a 2001 Ranger
So there should be loads of similar occurrences over those 37 years if this was a common issue

Try Google search: Lima engine sticking valves

See if anything seems similar to your issue, the 2.0l, 2.3l and 2.5l SOHC Lima engines are the same engines, same heads/valves, just different displacement

 

[Chrispycajun]

I I found the problem. 3 bent valve stems. I did it taking out the roller rockers

 

[19Walt93]

Ouch, sorry to hear that. Time for a valve job.

 

[RonD]

Bummer