Stuck Lifters

1969NovaSS · #1 04-29-2008, 01:12 AM

im taking out my old lifters because they werent working properly and replacing them but so far i have got all but 7 of the lifters out. they move a little but then stop.after getting the other ones out, i think they are just kind of gummed up more than the others. any suggestions on how to get them loose?

MrPbody · #2 04-29-2008, 01:24 PM

Get some carb cleaner spray or brake cleaner and spray them at the base. Work them up and down until they free up.

Jim

inafogg · #3 04-29-2008, 01:59 PM

i agree use carb cleaner & if your replacing them use vice grips to work them up & down. they will come out pretty easy then.GOOD LUCK

big dwag · #4 04-29-2008, 08:00 PM

If they are stuck, try turning your cam around make the cam push them out, if that don't work you might check your cam to, it could have worn lobes to.

1969NovaSS · #5 04-29-2008, 11:03 PM

alright ill give that a try what should i do about that getting in my oil? just let it drain out or should I flush it out with oil or will it not cause any harm?

Will Help · #6 04-29-2008, 11:24 PM

Any solvent you use will get to the oil galley before it ever gets to the bottom of the lifter where the varnish is. This dilutes the oil in the galleys which never drains out with an oil change. Just letting it set for awhile after pulling the lifters will let this drain out of the galleys by way of the lifter bores.

You can either pull up and keep turning the lifter or just keep working it up and down. This scrapes the varnish off a little at a time. Patience is a virtue.

Rotating the cam will do nothing to help push the lifters out. If that were the case and the cam pushed the lifter up that far, they would not have any varnish on them to start with.

big dwag · #7 04-30-2008, 05:53 AM

The lobes on a cam do push lifters up but will not push them all of the way out, because if they didn't then your pushrods wouldn't move your rocker arms opening your valves. lifters aren't that hard to take out, try a pair of needle nose plairs.

big dwag · #8 04-30-2008, 05:55 AM

Will Help how many motors have you rebuild????

Will Help · #9 04-30-2008, 12:45 PM

Dawg: How rude!!

I did not say the cam wouldn't push the lifters up.

If you read it right , I said the cam would not push the lifters out. I clarified that statement by adding if it did you wouldn't have the ring of varnish on the bottom of the lifter.

I have been reuilding engines diesel /gas for 4o years.

MrPbody · #10 04-30-2008, 02:03 PM

Will,

I guess that makes you older than ME!!! (:-

I recommend the brake cleaner because it evaporates and won't dillute the oil. Carb cleaner, same, but leaves a bit of residue behind. You're right, solvents such as SafteyKleen or Varsol WILL dillute the oil.

If you're replacing lifters, you'll need to change the oil anyway...

Jim

1969NovaSS · #11 05-01-2008, 01:35 AM

well i tried BOTH carb and brake cleaner and i sat out there for 4 hours working on one lifter and still dint get it out and went through half a can of each so i dont know whats wrong maybe theres something worse than build up of just gunk.... so idk what to do now besides either be patient and keep trying or .... pull my engine out and take out the cam so the lifters can slide out but this would also be good because then i can check the wear on my bearings and all that stuff, since this is a new engine well any input is appriciated

big dwag · #12 05-01-2008, 02:52 AM

Ok you said new engine, Do you mean new to you or everything in it is new? because if the motor is new then the lifters should come out with no problem.
what kind of tool or you using to pull them out. Did you try using piliers (needle nose) did the keepers on top of your old lifters come out? if the keepers fell out you can take the top off of the lifter and get a better bite on it, and if the keepers did fall out you need to tear your motor apart and just redo it because the keepers will get caught somewhere in the motor and cause more damage.

Will Help · #13 05-01-2008, 12:39 PM

That is why I said patience is a virtue. The problem with trying to use a solvent is that the lifter bore is at least 1 1/2" deep. The oil galley is drilled in the middle of this. The lifter has very little clearance to let any solvent through any way and the first open area it comes to is the oil galley which then dilutes/absorbs the solvent leaveing very little if any at all to slip farther down to the bottom of the lifter. This engine must have alot of varnish either from bad oil/poor oil change practices or over heating. Now you are back to working the lifters up and down and twisting to cut the varnish off.

Tearing the engine down may not help much as somes crankcase geometry may prevent some of the lifters from coming out the bottom.

MrPbody · #14 05-01-2008, 01:34 PM

Dawg brings up a very good point. Just how "new" is this? If the lifters are still "shiny", it sounds more like they're "mushroomed" around the bottom. They'll NEVER come out the top if that's the case. It also means the cam is toast as well. If they're worn too much on the bottom, some of the material will create a ledge that will prevent them from coming up through the top.

Lisle makes a "hydraulic lifter puller" that is a small slide-hammer with a special end on it. A pair of "inside" snap ring pliers can also be useful.

I hope, for your wallet's sake, Will is right!

Jim

1969NovaSS · #15 05-01-2008, 10:10 PM

The engine isn't even a year old and the lifters are still shinny but the lobes on the cam look fine but i dont know if that means much but im starting to think the lifters might barely be mushroomed from when i first heard the lifters "clacking" and thought the lash was loose and then i over tightened them... but when u say the cam is toasted do u mean i wore my lobes down completely or no?

POST REPLY TO THIS THREAD