Lifter tick/collapsed lifter

[insanity]

I have a motor that has had tick ever since we got it. It is an HP 500 Carb, we had to tear it down because it dropped a valve seat and I got to looking at the lifters. In one of the lifters for #3 cylinder I noticed the plunger doesn't seat up against the snap ring, there is probably about 1/16 of an inch space between the plunger and the snap ring. I shot some compressed air in the oil port and the plunger would go up to the snap ring, then fall back down when I took the air away. Is this what a collapsed lifter looks like?

[Ted]

I have a motor that has had tick ever since we got it. It is an HP 500 Carb, we had to tear it down because it dropped a valve seat and I got to looking at the lifters. In one of the lifters for #3 cylinder I noticed the plunger doesn't seat up against the snap ring, there is probably about 1/16 of an inch space between the plunger and the snap ring. I shot some compressed air in the oil port and the plunger would go up to the snap ring, then fall back down when I took the air away. Is this what a collapsed lifter looks like?

In a word, yes. There is a little spring in there that should keep it against the ring at all times, it is failed. That BTW, is usually what makes lifters "come apart" the plunger hammers on the ring and eventually either breaks the ring or works it loose, then the mayhem starts

[MERPerformance]

Call Bob @ RM BUILDER and get a new set of lifters from him at a good price along with what ever else you need for your valve train.

[insanity]

Ok, thanks for the feedback. It always sounded like the tick was coming from the middle of the odd bank, I picked up the #3 lifter set first and saw the gap between the snap-ring and the plunger. Looked at all of the other ones to compare and it was the only one with any space, the others were right up against the snap-ring.