97 wrangler valve lifters...

According to my 2000 FSM, the 2.5L 4cyl does not require removal of the head, but you do need a "Hydraulic Valve Tappet Removal/Installation Tool C-4129-A."

Should be similar to this tool.

Teloscoping magnet is the tool, good luck finding a lifter removal tool none of my area parts stores have them (Advance, Autozone etc.).

That said don't change your lifters, Cam's and lifters should be replaced at the same time, they wear into each other developing unique wear patterns and unique patterns of work hardening (which is a lot like forging metal) on both surfaces. A new lifter (or vice versa a new cam while reusing old lifters) can quite possibly eat a lobe (or lifter face).

Imagine it this way... that old lifter has been sitting on the same Cam lobe for thousands of miles, the shoulders and face of the Cam lobe are slightly rounded and the face of the lifter is dished, these surfaces are WAY HARDER than when freshly milled... Your new softer lifter is not dished... that means the Cam lobe is contacting the new lifter only on a tiny POINT, Cam lobe AND lifter face is going have extremely accelerated wear. Because the same lifter preload and spring pressure are being born on a MUCH smaller surface area, one side of which is MUCH harder than the other.

Don't ask me how I learned this... Lets just say that it cost me the price of a nice set of Crane anti-pump up lifters (64 bucks), as the stock Cam shaft had 140k and was going to be replaced anyway.

Has anyone replaced lifters without the possible problems listed in this post?

cal

"Sim>> 2.5l, '97 wrangler, valve lifters....do I need a special tool to remove

I have had rocker noise or tappet noise in mine since I bought it, twelve years ago. Simon is like one of those old geezers in the balcony of "The Muppet Show", but in this case he knows what he is talking about. I wouldn't replace the lifters unless the noise problem got EXTREME, and in that case I would replace the cam too. That lifter removal tool is probably in the KD Tools catalog.

Earle

My lifters were recently giving a lot of noise at startup and I figured a clean needed or maybe old age....

I then changed the oil and tossed the Fram oil filter in the garbage and went with a different brand and no more noise...

Mike

Of course, it's always possible, go ahead and report back here if you suceed.

Or if need be report back and we'll help you pull your radiator, core support, grill, alternator, harmonic balancer, timing cover, chain, gear set, intake, exhaust manifold, valve cover, rockers, head, lifters, and finally Cam if things didn't work out that great.

All joking aside, all of the lifter and cam manufacturers will tell you the exact same thing, of course they want to sell you a new cam to go with your new lifters (or vice versa). So don't let them stop you :)

I had to laugh just now. This brings back a memory that I'd long since forgotten.

I once owned a '68 Toyota Corona wagon. It actually ran well, but I remember it had terrible brakes. Anyway, it began making terrible noises at startup, so I took it in for repair. The dealer diagnosed it as a bad timing chain and gear, and $300 to fix. I instead traded it in for a new '78 Corolla, an overpriced piece of junk that I should have never bought.

Later, I chatted with a dealership mechanic who was fixing yet another problem on the junky Corolla. I mentioned a Corona wagon, and he laughed, and said, "I remember that thing; clean wagon, but some idiot put a Fram filter on it that caused valve noise; we changed it out and the noise went away, and we sold it for double what we paid him for it."

You can only imagine how stupid I felt.