PT Lifter and Shims Installation Instructions

Installation of the PT Lifters and shims in most 8 valve 2.2 and 2.5 liter Chrysler engines found in the cars of the 80’s and early 90’s is typically very straight forward, requires a minimum amount of common mechanic hand tools and only about an hour of time.

We suggest that if you are not very familiar with the placement of cam followers and lifters that you carefully read the entire installation procedure to familiarize yourself with the process.  This is actually a very important preparation step.

One piece shims are installed with the beveled side down. Two piece shims are installed with the bottom shim rounded side down, top shim we suggest rounded side up!  Use an installation tool such as a Phillips head screw driver to keep the shim in the proper orientation all the way to the bottom of the bore. Note that the shims are only slightly smaller than the lifter bore and that the bore seems to be very slightly tapered at the top!

The 1 piece shims can not be installed at an angle, they must be inserted perfectly square with the bore opening and then once inside the bore they will slide to the bottom.  Two piece shims, because they are much thinner are easier to install but still should be square to the bore when inserted.

INSTALLATION SUMMARY

The installation process can be broken down into just a few simple steps. You should take all the standard precautions any time you are working on your vehicle to avoid either damaging your car or yourself.  SAFETY FIRST IS AN IMPORTANT FIRST STEP!

• Make sure the car is in park or in a forward gear and the emergency brake is firmly set
• Disconnect the battery to prevent sparks or accidental cranking of the engine during the installation process
• Remove the valve cover

METHOD A

• Using a suitable pry tool such as a large screw driver, or a overhead cam spring compressor tool, depress one valve spring at a time to remove the slider or roller cam follower
• Remove the old lifter from the lifter hole by simply pulling it straight up, a pair of pliers to grab the tip might make it a bit easier to remove but typically they are pretty easy to remove
• Install shim(s) squarely in the empty lifter hole WITH THE SHIM’S ROUNDED EDGE FACING DOWN.  On two piece shims, the upper shim can be either way but we suggest that it be installed with the rounded edge facing up.  DO NOT simply drop the shims down in the lifter hole and expect the shim to always have the rounded side down.
   
• One technique that works very well is to place the shims on a Phillips head screw driver shaft, and then insert the Phillips head screwdriver shaft down into the hole all the way to the bottom while holding the washers against the handle portion.  Then when the screw driver is all the way at the bottom of the lifter hole, release the washers and they will drop into place correctly.
   
• Lubricate and install the PT lifter in the lifter hole after the two shims have been properly installed.
• Depress the valve spring again and slide the follower back into place. Be certain that the follower is square and centered on the lifter as well as the valve stem.
• Repeat for each lifter/follower combination till all 8 PT lifters and shims have been properly installed.

METHOD B

• Mark the front cam gear and timing belt with a suitable felt tip pen marker or a dab of touch-up paint. You want to mark them so that you can determine exactly where the timing belt is located on the cam gear because you are going to actually loosen the cam caps, a little at a time, and lift the cam just high enough to remove all the followers.  You are NOT going to remove the cam. You are going to just lift it from the drivers side end, but if the cam and belt do slip a tooth, you want to know where the proper position of the cam pulley and timing belt is so you don’t have to do a cam timing reset.
• Using a 13mm socket, loosen each of the cam cap bolt pairs just a little at a time, maybe 1 full turn each time.  Do not completely remove the pair of bolts from a single cap and work your way across the cam, completely removing cam caps as you go.  It is critical that you simply loosen each cam cap bolt pair maybe a turn at a time till all the cam cap bolts are loose enough to slip out the cam followers as needed.
• Once you have all the bolts loose and the cam can be lifted up just a bit from the drivers side, you should be able to begin removing rock arms and old lifters.
   
• It is important to keep the rocker arms in order, do not mix them up!  Remove them carefully, place them on a clean surface and place them in the order of the cam lobe they were removed from.  OR...do just one lifter at a time to avoid the possibility of mixing up the rocker/followers.
   
• Remove the old lifter from the lifter hole by simply pulling it straight up, a pair of pliers to grab the tip might make it a bit easier to remove but typically they are pretty easy to remove
• Install shims squarely in the empty lifter hole WITH THE LOWER SHIM’S ROUNDED EDGE FACING DOWN.  On two piece shim sets the upper shim can be either way but we suggest that it be installed with the rounded edge facing up.  DO NOT simply drop the shims down in the lifter hole and expect the shim to always have the rounded side down.
   
• One technique that works very well is to place the shims on a Phillips head screw driver shaft, and then insert the Phillips head screwdriver shaft down into the hole all the way to the bottom while holding the washers against the handle portion.  Then when the screw driver is all the way at the bottom of the lifter hole, release the washers and they will drop into place correctly.
   
• Lubricate and install the PT lifter in the lifter hole after the two shims have been properly installed.
• Slide the follower back into place. Be certain that the follower is square and centered on the lifter as well as the valve stem.
• Repeat for each lifter/follower combination till all 8 PT lifters and shims have been properly installed.
• Begin tightening the cam cap bolt pairs, again just a single full turn on each pair and working your way evenly back and forth across the cam.  This is to insure that you do not actually bend the cam by tightening just one cam cap set at a time.  This is a step where patience and attention to the process will potentially pay a huge dividend and you will avoid an “Oh...Darn It All!” moment.
   
• Note that on the drivers side, you will want to apply some cam seal sealer such as an anaerobic sealer before you tighten the end cap down too far and you are unable to insert the cam seal. Also note that a very small dab of anaerobic sealer should also be used on the two edges of the end cam cap.  This is to help prevent leaking past the cam cap seam.  Be sure to not use so much anaerobic sealer on the cam cap seam as to clog the very small rocket arm oil squirter passages that are machined into the cap.
   
• Remove the old valve cover gasket end pieces and any gasket residue from the valve cover (multi-piece covers only) and the mating surface on the cylinder head and then replace the rubber valve cover end pieces with new gaskets, place a dab of sealer in each end piece corner and across the valve cover front and rear rail.  A 1/8” bead of RTV is sufficient. Allow this to set about 5 minutes.  The 1 piece valve cover gasket can almost always be reused at least a few times, just give it a good wipe first. Then place the valve cover squarely back on the cylinder head.
• Install the valve cover fasteners in each hole and then working your way around the valve cover, tighten them just a little at a time, about 1-2 turns only.  It’s a good idea, to work the corners first and then the three front side bolts and two rear side bolts.

INSTALLATION VIDEO