Best way to clean hydraulic lifters?

[JSP]

I have a 1993 Legacy, 2WD non-turbo EJ22. I have issues with my car running roughly (as if it's dropped a cylinder), while climbing a long, steep hill. When I get to the top of the hill, I just need to slip the car into neutral, and give a few revs, and the engine comes good again. The car also lacks power under strong acceleration. A Subaru specialist told me it could be a problem with lash adjustment in the hydraulic lifters. The car has done 140,000 miles, and has never had any major work. I have recently replaced the MAF and also new plugs, leads and coil and cleaned the throttle body. The specialist believes the easiest way to clean the lifters is to run the car on a very light oil - he recommended 0W-20 viscosity. Is this oil too thin to run in an old, worn engine, especially in a warm climate area? He said he wasn't a fan of oil additives, but would a hydraulic lifter additive be a better and safer way to go?

 

[MattC]

I have a 1993 Legacy, 2WD non-turbo EJ22. I have issues with my car running roughly (as if it's dropped a cylinder), while climbing a long, steep hill. When I get to the top of the hill, I just need to slip the car into neutral, and give a few revs, and the engine comes good again. The car also lacks power under strong acceleration. A Subaru specialist told me it could be a problem with lash adjustment in the hydraulic lifters. The car has done 140,000 miles, and has never had any major work. I have recently replaced the MAF and also new plugs, leads and coil and cleaned the throttle body. The specialist believes the easiest way to clean the lifters is to run the car on a very light oil - he recommended 0W-20 viscosity. Is this oil too thin to run in an old, worn engine, especially in a warm climate area? He said he wasn't a fan of oil additives, but would a hydraulic lifter additive be a better and safer way to go?

Try Seafoam, read directions on the can. It is a good product