Lifters on 1 Lt. engine

On some of the old posts there was some mention of the lifters being full of oil or drained by squeezing in a vice before reassembly. How should they be when putting things back together? It seems to me they should be full of oil like they would be in operation.

They should be full. If the engine is going to be apart for a while, it's recommended to submerge them in oil so they don't leak down.

Lifters should be stored in oil, but bled down before reassembly. This allows the valvetrain to recalibrate and also gives you an opportunity to identify bunk lifters.

They should give resistence while bleeding out, and extend back as you release the vice (spring loaded). If they give little/no resistence while bleeding, or don't spring back they must be replaced.

-MechanicMatt