How To Repair and change HLA's

[1stgenWizard]

How to replace Hydraulic Lash Adjusters for the 88'-92' Ford Probe
2.2L 4-cylinder engine with or without turbo.

1.) Remove PCV hoses from valve cover.
Tools needed; Hands

2.) Loosen Valve cover bolts.
Tools required: 3/8 drive ratchet, 3/8 drive 6' inch extension, 10mm socket

3.) Loosen rocker arm assembly bolts. When loosening the bolts, loosen them in a pattern, loosen the first one starting from left to right skipping one ever time, and then going back to the left from the right skipping one ever time till they are all loosened.
Also do the same pattern when tightening these bolts after you have installed the rocker arm assembly back in the cylinder head.
Tools required: 3/8 drive ratchet, 3/8 drive 6' inch extension, 12mm socket

4.) When removing the rocker assembly leave the bolts in the assembly for easy reassembly.

5.)Replace HLA's as necessary,

6.)Use pliers to remove the HLA as shown in the picture. When you are inspected each HLA, you should be looking for collapsed HLA's and also a really loud tapper can be a burnt HLA, these are like frozen and will not adjust anymore, you can check for these by doing a compress test with each HLA, by putting them in some clean oil and try compressing them your fingers or pliers carefully, They should compress and squirt out oil out one end, if it doesn't compress and its hard as a rock toss it and get a replacement.

Tools required: Pliers, clean oil, spray can cap to put oil in.

7.)Reinstall the rocker arm assembly into the cylinder head, Might be handy to have another person help you install the rocker arm assembly in the cylinder head. Watch the springs.
Make sure all rocker arms all lined up with the valves.
Torque the bolts to 13 ft-lbs, or about 200 inch lbs, this is dependent on what type of torque wrench you have. (in or ft.lbs wrench)

Tools required: 3/8 drive ratchet, 3/8 drive 6' inch extension, 12mm socket, 3/8 drive Torque wrench

8.)Reinstall the valve cover, I recommend as an option at this time to replace the factory bolts, and replace them with new ones from your local auto parts store or dealership, also if you need a new valve cover gasket this is a good time to change it. Get a Mazda OEM Gasket, their the best! Don't forget the RTV on the gasket on each side of the hump. Small bead!
When tightening the valve cover bolts I recommend using just a 1/4 ratchet and extension and the 10mm socket, Tighten in a criss cross pattern by hand tightening with just using the extension like a screwdriver, and then one little snug with 1/4 ratchet. The bolts don't need much torque, very small amount.

Here are some pics to help you in this related repair
Rocker Arm assembly removed from cylinder head

DSC03467.JPG (61.02 KiB) Viewed 4946 times

HLA Location

DSC03468.JPG (91.16 KiB) Viewed 4946 times

Using pliers to remove HLA, I did this with one hand, so their easy to get out

DSC03469.JPG (59.8 KiB) Viewed 4946 times

HLA Removed, This an example of a good HLA

DSC03470.JPG (60.31 KiB) Viewed 4946 times

Bottom of HLA

DSC03471.JPG (59.89 KiB) Viewed 4946 times

[1stgenWizard]

Also,

1.) I recommend soaking them overnight in clean oil.

2.) If you can compress them completely down with your finger as easy as squeezing a cloths pin, and it doesn't come back up, it's definatly no good.

3.) How the hla is designed; they recieve oil through the rocker arm and they pump up and hold the desired distance between the rocker arm and valve top.

(after years of heat and if oil changes weren't done frequent enough, the passages become clogged and the hla it's self becomes frozen, and it looses it's strength.)

You should only be able to squeeze them down with some pliers, which is necessary to do with them in some clean oil to squart out old gunk and prime them up with some clean oil.

Now if you come across an hla that you can not even squeeze down with pliers, and seams likely frozen toss it, it will never work properly in the rocker arm.


Major things; the small oil passages in the rocker arm is clean and the oil passage in the hla are clean, and the hla are primed/ pumped up and holding it's own.

[1stgenWizard]