Hi,
I rebuilt my engine (Zetec silvertop) last winter. Now i seems to have one follower that is filing.
I have used the car for one track day and run it on the street for like 100 km. Suddenly i nioticed a strange ticking noise.
It comes from one of the exhaust valves, on cylinder 4 (right under the oil filler). When i put pressure on one of the followers(using a screwdriver)
it is soft. The other one on the same port is hard as a rock (almost).
This is after i have run the engin for a couple of minutes.
has anyone else came a cross of a failing new follower?
Should i do some more investigation instead of just replacing the follower?
[Edited on 24/7/09 by Micael]
Sorry to say this but this is why i had to go blacktop as they have solid followers. Dont know if i am wright but i put it down to a zetec tintop redlines at 5600ish and i was reving it to 7300rpm. If you do sort it out let me know as it drove me nuts.
i had loads fail early in life,they were all pattern parts,best to dig deep and get genuine ford ones and make sure your oil is kept clean
These followers are cheepo stuff form Ebay.
As always, you get what you pay for.
The oil (5w30 Zetec type) is so clean you almost can drink it...
I think you answered your own question then... cheapo followers = failers....
What are your oil temps and pressures like?
Been suffering the same
Even went with a new set of eBay lifters,mains and big ends, but it still did it (exhaust side -same as yours by the sound of it, but more like on
first cylinder or perhaps second- and only once engine warmed up)
I eventually threw in the towel, after trying various suggestions of "other oils" and additives and just got another engine to replace it
with...which also has the same problem, but only after a long hot run, so not as bad as the first engine
recently fitted an oil cooler as my oil temps were getting a little hotter than I would have expected and I think it has helped..a bit
Going to fit another deeper and winged sump soon and replace shells whist engine is apart and I may put the newest lifters in as well as they only did
a few hundred mles in the first engine
I am fairly confident it will still tick though!
I did make a youtube vid of the problem (on original engine), and genuinely tried all suggestions I got but never got to the bottom of it
Thankfully the replacement engine only does it after a thrash, rather than as soon as it gets to running temps, which was embarrassing
youtube vid...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0IFPfBuDMM
Good luck and if you fix yours let me know :-)
Regards
Rob
[Edited on 24/7/09 by robocog]
Can I suggest using uprated followers from Dunnell engines. They do two types, uprated and full race, you only need the uprated ones. Then use a fully synthetic 5W40 oil, either Valvoline or Ford's own. This will run at 7500 rpm for ever...
In any engines with hydraulic tappets I always use Wynn's Hydraulic lifter treatment stops them varnishing up ---- and with Ford Zetecs
always use 5w/30 oil -- good brand ideally fully synthetic.
Morrisions petrol forecourts sell 5ltr Havoline 5w/30 fully synth at a really good price. ----
Oil has to be 5w/30 anything else is a no -no even Mobile 1 0w/40 has been known to cause problems with tappet jacking which why you can
now buy Mobile 1 in 5w/30
[Edited on 24/7/09 by britishtrident]
I use Q8 formula (synthetic) 5w30 which have the right markings for Zetec.
I also have oilcooler and a Scholar Engines shortened sump. I have been running this setup since 2007.
I will never buy followers from Ebay again 
quote:
Oil has to be 5w/30 anything else is a no -no
I hav now removed the failling follower. it seems that the non retun valve dosen't work at all. I can with my finger compress the piston with no
effort at all.
A new follower will arrive on tuesday