How do I remove the valve cover in order to service lifters?

Hello. Yes, the camshaft must be removed to 'service' the lifters beneath it. Your car's 'lifters' are dirty; this is why they make a 'ticking' sound' as the engine 'runs'. Good luck and keep me informed; if you want to.

Your lifters ride on your camshaft. You must remove your intake manifold to get access to your lifters. And you can not just replace the lifters! Your engine is a flat tappet cam and lifter setup, you must replace all 16 lifters along with the cam and a proper break in procedure must be followed, and I highly suggest a ZDDP break in additive be used. And there will still be a good chance of the cam wearing out upon break in thanks to our legislators removing the natural zink and phosphorus lubricants from engine oil.

Not necessarily a common thing that I know of or by the technical service bulletins for that year/make. I can tell you that it's almost impossible to figure out which lifter is making a ticking sound and any dealer or shop will advise you to replace the complete set if you choose to have them repair it. This is a fairly detailed repair in which you'ld have to remove some valve train components to in order to remove the pushrods from the lifters in order to remove the lifters. You will also have to remove the intake and all other components which would hold it in place in order to access the lifter valley.

it sounds like a valve lifter to me, it could be dirty, or possibly worn, the best way to find out is to remove the valve cover, and check the valve lifters , and springs, for looseness, or possibly broken parts, you can have someone to start the jeep up quickly to see what part is clicking, but it will start pumping oil and it will get messy real quick, so if you do this , do it fast, then once the clicking has been found, shut off the engine, and wipe up any oil that might have sprayed out. also you can purchase a mechanics stethoscope from sears, or from a auto part store, it is simiular to the onesrthat dr's use , only this one has a metal probe that you move the probe around while listening through the ear inlets of the scope for the noise, you can then take a piece of chalk and mark the area on the valve cover , where the clickin was coming from, and then check that area, if the valve lifter is defective , it can be replaced, but a person would have to either take it to a service center to have it fixed or do it your self. if you decide to do it your self, where the defective valve lifter is, you will have to bring that valve up on it's compression stroke, and then remove the spark plug from that cylinder, and you will need a adapter that you can buy at a auto part store that screws into the plug hole and has an air inlet on the outer end, [ and you will have to hook an air hose up to it to allow air to go into the cylinder to hold that valve up. in some cases you might need 90- 100 psi of air to do this, in order to remove the top bolt, and the rocker, and spring, in order to replace the lifter,] this can be a serious job, because if a person doesn't do this right, the valve of that cylinder can fall down on top of the piston, and the the whole engine head has to come off in order to get the valve back, so if you are not familar with this procedure, please , let someone that has the experience do this job, hope that this has been very helpful to you.

not a valve, but a lifter. I will paste procedure below. You judge if you can do it or not. Recommend you replace them all while you're in there. If you let this go, the lifter will wear out the camshaft. Lifters are $22 each, and you have 8 of them. You will also need a new valve cover gasket.
Please let me know if you have questions, and thanks for using FixYa.

2.0L Engine
SOHC engine
See Figures 6, 7, 8 and 9

1. Disconnect the engine air cleaner-to-valve cover hose from the cover by compressing the hose clamp with pliers and sliding the clamp back, then separate the hose from the cover.
2. Remove the spark plug wire separators from the valve cover and set the wire assemblies aside.
3. Unfasten the three valve cover retaining bolts.
4. Remove the valve cover and gasket from the cylinder head.
   

WARNING Do not use any abrasive grinding discs to remove gasket material. Use a plastic manual gasket scraper to remove the gasket residue. Be careful not to scratch or gouge the aluminum sealing surfaces when cleaning them.

1. Remove the old gasket material from the cylinder head and valve cover mating surfaces.

Fig. Fig. 6: Remove the spark plug wire separators from the valve cover

Fig. Fig. 7: Compress the engine air cleaner-to-valve cover hose clamp with pliers, and slide the clamp back ...

Fig. Fig. 8: ... then disconnect the hose from the valve cover

Fig. Fig. 9: Unfasten the valve cover retainers and remove the valve cover-2.0L SOHC engine

If removing more than one valve lifter (tappet), mark the lifters and their locations as they must be installed in their original bores.

1. Remove the rocker arm(s).
2. Unfasten the lifter guide plate retainer.
3. Remove the guide plate and the lifter.

To install:

1. The oil feed hole in the lifter must face away from the oil feed hole in the cylinder head.
2. Lubricate the lifter(s) with clean 5W-30 engine oil and install them in their original bores.

Make sure the lifter guide plate retainer tabs are towards the rear of the cylinder head, and the lifter guide plate tabs are towards the front of the cylinder head.

1. Install the lifter guide plate and tighten the retainer.
2. Install the rocker arms.
   

Do not use any sealer with a silicone type gasket.

1. Install a new gasket and the valve cover.
2. Install and tighten the valve cover retainers to 71-97 inch lbs. (8-11.5 Nm).
3. Attach the spark plug wire separators to the cylinder head.
4. Connect the engine air cleaner-to-valve cover hose and engage the hose clamp

Inspect/Test/Service/Replace Hydraulic lifters can fail for several reasons:

• Dirt lodged in the check valve can allow the lifter to leak. Too much wear between the lifter and the body can cause excessive leak-down. This results in a noisy lifter.
• A lifter might be noisy because of an oil pressure problem.

NOTE An oil pressure problem will be evident on hollow pushrod engines if no oil is reaching the rocker arms.

• A lifter can become stuck because of varnish that accumulates between its plunger and body due to a lack of periodic oil changes.
• A stuck lifter can sometimes be freed up by the addition of an additive to the oil, or by spraying fuel system spray cleaner down a hollow pushrod oil channel.
• Lifters that stick because of varnish buildup can sometimes be loosened up by squirting carburetor spray cleaner down the hollow pushrod lubricating channel, where it contacts the rocker arm.

Hydraulic lifters are not rebuilt because they are relatively inexpensive. It is possible to disassemble and clean lifters but they must be reassembled with their mated parts. Because of the labor time involved, this procedure is usually impractical.
Sometimes a piece of foreign material becomes lodged in the lifter check valve. If the lifter is removed and disassembled before serious wear between the lifter and cam lobe results, it may be cleaned.
Worn mechanical (solid) lifters can be reground.

• The base of the lifter is ground to a radius on a special lifter grinder.
• Roller lifters have a longer service life than standard lifters.
• Wear can occur on the roller pin. Some of these pins are serviceable.

It might occasionally be necessary to disassemble a hydraulic lifter to clean it or to inspect it.

• If this is necessary, disassemble one lifter at a time and pay attention to the order of the check valve assembly.
• Lifter disassembly is done by pressing down on the pushrod seat with your thumb and using a screwdriver to remove the snap ring.
• Remove the plunger from the body; this may require tapping the body.
• Next, remove the check valve assembly.
• After thoroughly cleaning the lifter components in solvent, visually inspect them for signs of wear.
• If the internal components pass inspection, the lifter can be reassembled.
• During reassembly, cleanliness of the parts is of utmost importance.

Hydraulic Lifters REMOVAL & INSTALLATION 4.8L Engines

1. Remove the rocker cover.
2. Remove the engine side cover.
3. Back off the rocker arm adjusting nuts and remove the pushrods. Keep them in order for installation.
4. Reaching through the side cover opening, lift out the hydraulic lifters. If your are going to re-use the lifters, remove them one at a time and mark each one for installation. They must be re-installed in the same locations. If a lifter is stuck, it can be removed with a grasping-type lifter tool, available form most auto parts stores.
   
5. Inspect each lifter thoroughly. If any of them shows any signs of wear, heat bluing or damage, replace the whole set. To install:
   
6. Install and coat each lifter with engine oil supplement.
7. Install the remaining components by reversing the removal procedure.
8. Once installation is complete, adjust the valves as described in the valve lash procedure. Fig. 1: Stuck lifters must be freed using a slide hammer type lifter removal tool
   

4.3L, 5.0L, 5.7L And 7.4L Engines

1. Remove the cylinder head cover.
2. Remove the intake manifold.
3. Back off the rocker arm adjusting nuts and remove the pushrods. Keep them in order for installation.
4. Remove the lifter retainer bolts, retainer and restrictor.
5. Remove the lifters. If your are going to re-use the lifters, remove them one at a time and mark each one for installation. They must be re-installed in the same locations. If a lifter is stuck, it can be removed with a grasping-type lifter tool, available from most auto parts stores.
6. Inspect each lifter thoroughly. If any of them shows any signs of wear, heat bluing or damage, replace the whole set.
7. Coat each lifter with engine oil supplement prior to installation. Tighten the retainer bolts to 12 ft. lbs. (16 Nm). Adjust the valves as described in the valve lash procedure.

6.2L And 6.5L Diesel Engines Fig. 2: Diesel engine valve lifter

1. Remove the cylinder head cover.
2. Remove the rocker arm shaft, rocker arms and pushrods. Keep all parts in order and properly identified for installation.
3. Remove the clamps and lifter guide plates.
4. Remove the lifters by reaching through the access holes in the cylinder head with a magnetic lifter tool. If you are going to re-use the lifters, remove them one at a time and mark each one for installation. They must be re-installed in the same locations. If a lifter is stuck, it can be removed with a grasping-type lifter tool, available form most auto parts stores. To install:
   
5. Inspect each lifter thoroughly. If any of them shows any signs of wear, heat bluing or damage, replace the whole set. NOTE: Some engines will have both standard and 0.010 in. (.0039mm) oversize lifters. The oversized lifters will have "10'' etched into the side. The block will be stamped "OS'' on the cast pad next to the lifter bore. and on the top rail of the crankcase above the lifter bore. WARNING
   New lifters must be primed before installation. Damage to the lifters and engine will result if new lifters are installed dry!
   
6. Prime new lifters by immersing them in clean kerosene, engine oil or diesel fuel and working the lifter plunger while the unit is submerged.
7. Prior to installation, coat the lifter roller with engine oil supplement. Re-used lifters must be installed in their original positions!
8. Install the lifters.
9. Install the guide plates and clamps. Tighten the clamp bolts to 18 ft. lbs. (26 Nm).
10. After all the clamps are installed, turn the crankshaft by hand, 2 full turns (720°) to ensure free movement of the lifters in the guide plates. If the crankshaft won't turn, one or more lifters may be jamming in the guide plates.
11. The remainder of assembly the reverse of disassembly.

YOU HAVE TO REMOVE VALVE COVERS LOOSEN REMOVE ROCKER ARMS ASSEMBLY KEEP ROCKER ARM ASSEMBLY IN ORDER SO THEY GO BACK IN THE ORIGINAL POSITION.YOU HAVE TO REMOVE INTAKE MANIFOLD ALSO.YOU NEED A REPAIR MANUAL FOR TORQUE SEQUENCE ON THE INTAKE MANIFOLD AND ROCKER ARMS TORQUE.

you will have to remove the upper and lower intake in order to access the lifters

Get you a new gasket for the rocker cover, make sure you clean the mating surface good,and all traces of old gasket, and silicon etc. make sure you dont overtighten the bolts to the rocker cover. the torque for the rocker cover is 35 in lbs (4nm). as far as vavle clearance it is none adjustable. A clicking valve can indicate worn lifters, sometimes an oil change will quiet down noisy lifters. If noisy lifters persist you would have to service the heads. If you decide to do that yourself you can ask for a procedure on that too later on. Removal of the head is very difficult, because you need to remove a lot of things, and require you to do a timing on the engine.