Thread: Question About Hydraulic Lifters

So I got my low mileage lifters in today and I was kinda curious so I cleaned up all the oil and stuff on them and noticed the bottom of them is held in with a clip. So, I took the clip out just to see what everything looked like.

For some reason I expected a spring to be in there but they are hollow inside (I assume this is where the oil fills up and you get the hydraulic action). The hollow area seems to be a sleeve of some type. At the bottom of this is a small hole that has some sort of spring actuated plug. I stuck a really small screw driver down in there and when you press on that plug, the sleeve moves inside the lifter pretty freely. Plug it up and you get some resistance (As one would expect).

So, my question would be if you buy new lifters, they will come to you dry, correct? And you need to soak them in oil, correct?

If I were to somehow get that sleeve out (not sure how I'll do that, because there is considerable resistance in pulling it out without pressing also on that plug to relieve the suction), I should be able to clean everything out and put it back together and then soak it in oil to get all the air out right?

The reason I want to do this is so that I can clean out all the oil and have the lifters cryo treated. If you are unfamiliar with this, just do a google search. But the process would probably gum up any residual oil in the lifters and so I want to get all the oil out that I can.

In addition to this, I was thinking, if there is a spring on the other side of that sleeve, then all one would have to do is find a slightly stiffer spring and perhaps reduce the chance of valve float since one way to reduce this is to use higher preload lifters.

Anyway, I appreciate any insight anyone can provide.

All I know about the lifters is that they need to be soaked in oil before installing.

LOL. Well thats a start. I actually figured something out since I posted so look for a photo shoot popping up here after I go out and run an errand.

usually if you "tamper" with aftermarket lifters it voids warranty.......

I personally would not touch the inner workings of the lifter...simply for the fact the OE-R's are so finiky....

just soak them very thoroughly in oil. I set mine in a quart of oil for an 1-2hours...and waited for all the air bubbles to come up.

Too Late. Experiment, Exploration, Disassembly complete. It may interest some and others may not care, but I figure I'll never learn if I dont dig in. So I figured how to get the thing disassembled and I took some pictures.

Lifter Body

Lifter Roller End

Lifter Pushrod End

Lifter Disassembled
From Right to left - Retainer Clip, Pushrod Socket, Oil Disk (Dont ask me what it does), Plunger, Plunger Spring, Lifter Body.


Lifter Inside


Inside the tip of the lifter plunger is another check ball and spring. This appears to regulate the oil flow. I dont understand the mechanics of it completely, but thats whats in there. Looking at the tip of the plunger there is a clip that seems to hold all that in place but I didnt have the ambition to try and get it out of there and risk chasing around that little ball or spring let alone trying to get it back in there.

I completely cleaned this lifter. I submerged it in some degreaser and wiped it all down and you can definitely feel a difference in the plunging action without the oil in there. Its still relatively stiff but moves much more freely than those I have not drained all the oil from. The trick now will be to see if I can soak it in some oil, work the plunger some and fill it back up sufficiently.

There are NO seals on the thing. Apparently the tight tolerances are what keeps it all working and sealed up. I'll try and keep the thread updated with what I find. If Im successful in refilling the lifter then I'll drain it again, do a final clean up and go through the same process with all the others and then vacuum seal them up until I can get them treated.

Originally Posted by archemedes

soak in oil and press on the plunger it flushes out pretty well. I usually set them overnight, but I'm weird

Yeah, thanks for that tid bit, I was wondering what I was going to do with regards to filling up the oil cavity again. But I think that would work and I too would probably let them soak overnight as well along with working the plunger a couple times just to be sure.

I love when others take their stuff apart so I can look w/o screwing my stuff up.

Originally Posted by archemedes

I just want to see you get them back together lol

Already got it back together. Relatively easy if you remember to depress the check ball so that you can relieve the air trapped in the cavity. The go back together easier than they are to take apart because its kinda tough to pull up on the plunger and depress that check ball at the same time.

Originally Posted by IndeedSS

I love when others take their stuff apart so I can look w/o screwing my stuff up.

LOL. Yeah, its nice isnt it. I wouldnt have done it had I thought I would have ruined them. I may yet try and take apart the check ball end just because Im curious and if I ruin them then so be it, Ive learned something and sometimes education costs something. It isnt like I have the engine disassembled and am screwed if this doesnt work.

Originally Posted by IndeedSS

I love when others take their stuff apart so I can look w/o screwing my stuff up.

x2 & "nods head in agreement"