Lincoln/Mercury Repair: 94 Mercury Tracer engine problems, valve tappets, feeler gauge

Question
My car has this ticking noise like I need oil, but I checked the oil and it's fine. Also while i'm driving down the road it putters like it's going to quit and when I slow down to turn a corner (or curve) it quits on me. It will start right back up again though. I do need an oil change, but my uncle said it might the ?EGR valve (I have no idea where that is) or something like that. I checked the air filter it's fine and the pcv valve is brand new. Any advice?

Answer
Hi Laura,

Valve adjustment would be my first guess. The ticking you here is lifters in the valve train. oil changes should be done every 3,000 miles or three months. Here are the specs:


VALVE CLEARANCE

The 1.9L engine is an in-cylinder head camshaft design engine with hydraulic valve tappets.

Valve stem-to-valve rocker arm clearance should be within specification with the valve tappet completely collapsed. Repeated valve tappet reconditioning operations (valve and / or valve seat refacing) will decrease the clearance to the point that, if not compensated for, the valve tappet will cease to function and the valve will be held open.

To determine the rocker arm-to-tappet clearance, make the following check:



Connect an auxiliary starter switch in the starting circuit. Crank the engine with the ignition switch in the OFF position until the No. 1 piston is on top dead center after the compression stroke.
Checking Tappet Clearance

With the crankshaft in the position designated in Steps 3 and 4, position Tappet Collapser T81P-6500-A on the rocker arm. Slowly apply pressure to bleed down the valve tappet until it is completely bottomed. Hold the valve tappet in this position and check the available clearance between the rocker arm and the valve stem tip with a feeler gauge.
The collapsed valve tappet gap, when the cylinder head is on base circle, should be as follows:

Minimum: 0mm (0.000inch)
Nominal: 2.2mm (0.087inch)
Maximum: 4.5mm (0.177inch)

If the clearance is greater than specification, check the following for wear:



Rocker arm seat.
Valve tappet.
Camshaft lobe.
Valve tip.
With the No. 1 piston at the TDC end of the compression stroke (Position No. 1), check the following valves:
No. 1 Intake Valve, No. 1 Exhaust valve.
No. 2 Intake Valve.
Rotate the crankshaft to position No. 2 and check the following valves:
No. 3 Intake Valve, No. 3 Exhaust valve.
Rotate the crankshaft another 180 degrees from position No. 2 back to TDC and check the following valves:
No. 4 Intake Valve, No. 4 Exhaust Valve.
No. 2 Exhaust Valve.