valve train tapping, dounds like a diesel

hi guys, i have a 87 4wd, has about 210,000 miles on it. i think its the original engine but not sure. it runs great, doesnt smoke, doesnt over heat but it has this strange clicking noise from the engine at start up and low speeds, usually at fwy speeds the noise goes away. my oil pressure at idle is on the low end of the gauge. warmed up at fwy speeds it gets up to about half. is that normal?

ive been doing some research on the site and it seems like i might have some stuck lifters? how can i check them and is it possible to change them out without removing the head?

if there is a write up on this anywhere i would greatly appreciate the link. or if anyone has had the same issue, any advise would be great. thanks!

I've never actually replaced lifters with the head on, but others have. If you pull the spark plugs and the spark plug tubes this will give you more access. There's a special slide hammer tool for pulling lifters, sometimes it's needed & sometimes not. You might find one at a tool rental place or you could purchase. I think JC Whitney has them for a decent price.

Before changing lifters you should check the rocker arm bar to make sure it's right side up. It's possible to mount it upside down and this will increase the valve clearance (causing a racket). http://www.toyotavantech.com/forum/s...roubleshooting

PS: I moved your thread to the regular van section as your problem is not 4wd specific.

Thanks Tim!

i will probably check that first. is there anything tricky getting to the rocker shaft? i've done maintainece on the van but never taken the valve cover off. any pointers would be appreciated!

You'll probably need to replace the PCV hose and other vacuum tubes in the area. It's a PITA taking the little rubber/metal washers off the VC mounting studs. These get hard and stuck. Same with the PCV valve grommet. I use a big pair of side-cutters to force these things off, then once the VC is off I pick out all the fragmented pieces as required. Tim