Thanks for the feedback! I still am unsure what to do...again if it causes mechanical damage, I'll change them out pronto, if not I'll leave them in.

I think many suggest that I should just change them out...but I definitely believe in the "if it aint broke dont fix it"...and its still hard to tell if this lifter tick is just cosmetic, or if it is actually doing damage.

I think I still need some more advice to make up my mind!

The long and short answer is that over time worn lifters will cause excessive wear to the engine. They can wear the cam lobes and they can cause the valve seats to wear. If they clatter just at startup but go away soon after, it isn't something to really worry about. If they keep on clattering it's something that should be addressed sooner rather than later.

Collapsed/worn/clogged hydraulic lifters and tappets are a common problem on engine designs using them. Modern synthetic oils with their superior detergent package and better thermal characteristics help them last much longer, but they're not going to magically clean out 25+ years of varnish and other crap packed up in there.

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Current stable:
1995 E320 149K (Nancy)
1983 500SL 120K (SLoL)

Black Sheep:
1985 524TD 167K (TotalDumpster™)

Gone but not forgotten:
1986 300SDL (RIP)
1991 350SD
1991 560SEL
1990 560SEL
1986 500SEL Euro (Rusted to nothing at 47K!)

Do you know what tools you'll need for the job?

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1998 Ford Escort ZX2 5 speed - 279,000 miles My Daily

1992 Mercedes 300D 2.5 202,000 - Pure junk
2000 Mercedes E320 Black - 136,000 miles - Needs repair

Don't forget to grease the screw and threads on the spring compressor.