Take heads off for rebuild

[Ian Arnold]

Compression test 15 years ago was good. Not a lot of miles since then. Summer car.

Last year had a oil pressure issue. Found an aluminum flake had stuck open oil pressure relief valve. (Low pressure at low revs). Fixed, but got noisy lifter. This year, pop off valve cover on passenger side and find broken lifter rod(in pic) and seized lifter. So no valve movement No. 4 cylinder. 

Question is....during compression test, add oil to cylinder and get 5-10 psi increase, meaning good pistons??

I have done timing chain and water pump, so formiliar with double oil ring pain in butt cooling connector. 

Any issues, ?? Trying to keep this project reasonable, instead of sending engine out.....

[Ian Arnold]

Screw it. I'm pulling the engine. Do it right or not at all. Argh. There goes that mexican vacation.

[Dennis P. DiBari]

Hi Ian,

     I think you are doing the right thing.  Don't want to take chances, as I read your last posts.  You want good compression in all eight cylinders and new push rods and lifters.  Good luck with this.

Dennis DiBari,  NY

[Jason Edge]

As they say "better safe than sorry". I rebuilt the bottom end (block) of my 64 Coupe de Ville in 2012 and it wasn't that bad.  The trickiest part for me was the oil rings. They are some finicky things.   I did end up with a defective (bit short) lifter but eventually figured it out. I took my time and documented as I went along and it fired right up as it should. I probably took 3 months and was in no hurry on that project when made it go well.