Disassemble and Recondition GM stuck hydraulic lifters

How to disassemble and clean lifters that are noisy due to clogging or plugged with deposits

[@geezman1000]

I use a pocket screwdriver to lightly press the ball away from the center body to release air. Makes disassemble/reassemble simpler. I also usually use a small tub of oil to submerge the lifters and bleed. Thats just the way i like to do it. The amount of garbage that settles in the lifters is amazing

[@SchrodingersBox]

Ah, what a great point Binnsh- I wish I had mentioned that in the video. You prefill the lifters by squirting oil into the oil feed hole on the side before reinstall (you can also soak them in oil). Also, pre-fill the pushrods with oil as well with reinstallation.

[@wylecoyote6090]

Thanks for the refresher. Been a while since I've cleaned out lifters. One thing that worked better for me was using 90 degree snap ring pliers to hook onto the lip of the body to work it out. Also, when putting the body back in with a thin film of oil, I found it easy to use a phillips screwdriver on the check valve. One slight tap and the trapped air escapes and the body drops right in.

[@jasonbeason4780]

I used my air compressor and blowed air in the oil hole. Just be careful. Once the piston the piston starts to move, stop. So the piston doesn't fly out. Also, a nice pair of small needle nose pliers to get the retainer out. Just a extra stepping to keep from losing the retainer clip. Great video.

[@rickfouts4810]

Thank you for the hydraulic lifter video. Spot on for my 2000 Mercrusier 4.3L GM Vortec engine rebuild. My engine was contaminated/damaged by exhaust water back flow. After watching your video I disassembled & cleaned each lifer to reuse which saved me over $200 dollars. My lifters were full of water/oil sludge but not mechanically damaged. There is no other content on KZbin regarding the Mercruiser engine & the lifters that I could find. Thank you again.

[@spelunkerd]

I've never seen these taken apart.Thanks.

[@beavis1416]

Thank you very much !!! you have save me lots of unnecessary spare parts purchasing simply by cleaning out those lifters. I would buy you a beer anytime mate. thanks again.

[@SchrodingersBox]

Glad I could help

[@wordreet]

You've convinced me to do this. Luckily I only have and 8 valve engine. OMG! I used to have a 24 valve V6. Now that would have been a lot of work!

[@yoshimoto2600]

Thanks simple and straight to the point

[@freesafe7]

Worked like a charm. My 4.3 doesn't sound like a diesel anymore.

[@MarcsRandomVids]

Great video...now the plunger actually moves in mine. Thanks!!

[@jameswiz]

YOU ARE THE 1st PERSON Who's video I've seen that got it right!!!! Most people say its the SPRING causing the plunger to stay up. Its DEF the AIR in there!!! lol. ALSO, you want a thin layer of oil to help that air build up in there. If it doesn't have resistance because of the air pressure, its a very good possibility the lifter is too far worn out, and even with good oil pressure, is likely to collapse and make that famous "lifter clicking sound"... So the Air Pressure is a MUST. Make sure your lifters have that resistance when you reassemble them. Great Job on the video!!!!!

[@SchrodingersBox]

Thanks- I always try to be accurate on any content I put out.

[@pablocruisefromsocal]

Thank you very very much for this vid! Awesomely helpful. Although I could and did disassemble some of my silverado 4.8s lifters, I couldn't get the inner body out of the outer body bores on many of them. So, for $100 bux I bought a new set. Not bad. Still, the ones I did clean move real nice now compared to before. Thank you again.

[@SchrodingersBox]

pablocruisefromsocal That's fine but I am not really a huge fan of replacing the lifters without replacing the cam and vice versa. The cam and lifters sort of "break in" to eachother and replacing one without the other can increase engine wear- but it's not like it's an irresponsible practice- it depends on the mileage of the engine and the engine application. I would have to say after reconditioning the lifters on my "engine noise diagnosis" video- $100 for new lifters would have been more than a fair substitute for all the labor it required to unstick them!

[@terrya450]

saved me tones of cash thanks for the good info

[@T--fl8it]

As usual a very informative video.

[@DIYExcavator]

Thanks. It took allot. I even ran them in a heated ultrasonic cleaner I bought. Finally got them apart, some springs seemed weak so I replaced mine from my 2000 GAGT with Corvette LS6 springs as some people do. Only did this to avoid buying new lifters, but regret it. One or more bleed off or something now cause the first second after starting there is a tap but its gone fast. sometimes barely notice it it goes away so fast. Next time new lifters I guess.

[@Gims110]

Great tip, thanks for video, I thought this was possible but now I know for sure.

[@rustlecroak2621]

Great video, good info. I have a GM six cylinder and have no oil to the head. All rockers are moving, one pushrod was stuck but has limited spin now. No lifter/ tappet noise, engine sounds good. No oil to any of the rockers. Oil comes up to the lifter chamber, I've had the cover off. Squirts out the pressure sending unit hole. Does pressure from the oil pump play a role in the function of the lifters? Thanks.

[@4NaturesStory]

Great video, THANK YOU!

[@tzb05]

Very Good Video, We want another one for the fire valve lifter, because Chaevy has two types of lifter ( long and short ) , the long is for fire valve , and short for air valve.

[@adambedell73]

Great video- thank you!

[@SchrodingersBox]

Charles, sounds like you have very gummed lifters. I found Carb Cleaner also works better than gasoline as well. You can also soak in that Berryman parts cleaner which works well too.

[@RICKAFIX]

Nice I have to work on my lifter thanks for the video

[@DIYExcavator]

Thanks, I had the top off and couldn't get the sleeve out. I am going to soak them first now.

[@Ralphieisthegreatest]

Thank you!

[@GhostVanguard]

Hello, I had the same problem but one of my lifters was extremely worn on the roller side. It looks as if the roller stopped rolling and the cam was just slapping it. Has anyone gone about changing the cam in one of these cars? Mine is a 2001 pontiac grand am so not the exact same but similar. Same engine. I just want to know what I'll have to do and then decide if it's worth it.

[@binnsh]

What's start up like with no oil in the lifters? How long does it take to self fill?

[@4NaturesStory]

To squeeze out air with zero effort, just touch the ball on that spring-ball/check valve on the plunger.

[@GhostVanguard]

this worked for me too. I pressed the ball down with a pick a pressed the plunger down and just kept working it back and forth till i could grab it and wiggle it out. I also found that diesel works much better than gasoline for soaking, scrubbing then a gas rinse.

[@Camam6977]

actually these are roller lifters so it's OK to run new lifters on an old camshaft

[@timpearce8346]

I figuring that this is pretty much the same for ford hydraulic lifters minus the check ball since its solid.

[@pedroloreto909]

Amigo Schrodigers, después de limpiarlo se instalan sin pre-cargarlos de aceite? Gracias por tu repuesta

[@SchrodingersBox]

No habla espanol, mi amigo.

[@pedroloreto909]

@@SchrodingersBox Friend Schrodigers, after cleaning it, do you install it without pre-loading it with oil? Thanks for your response

[@SchrodingersBox]

I crank the engine without letting it start for a few seconds to pre load it.

[@DIYExcavator]

Well soaking in gasoline over night and half the next day did nothing for mine. 3 cycles of 380 seconds in harbor freights 2.5L heated ultrasonic cleaner seems to have worked. I just used laundry soap in it.

[@therealspixycat]

On my vw lupo 1.4 4 cyl: can stucked lifters be the cause of poor leak down test results? And thus rough idling misfires etc because a stucked lifter can be compared to a bad value in terms of symptoms?

[@SchrodingersBox]

No because You should still have a point where you have sealed intake and exhaust at compression stroke even if lifters are sticking.

[@jgizzy]

Nice video and good everything except: Needs *tons more* light! It's hard to see and therefore concentrate.

[@SchrodingersBox]

Duly noted. This is an older video done before I got an HD camera in 2014. Unfortunately all my earlier vids are poor video and audio quality but the later vids are done with HD camera and much better sound. Many thanks to my first subbies 12VGS, Spelunkerd, and Stuzman for assisting me with video and audio improvements in my later productions.

[@Carlostype]

Can any harm come from delaying the repair to lifter? Great videos

[@SchrodingersBox]

Absolutely- the constant clanking will eventually cause damage to the pushrods rockers, and camshaft lobes, Get it fixed now and you're just out the cost of an intake manifold gasket instead of a major top end rebuild!

[@trillrifaxegrindor4411]

THEY JUST COLLAPSE AND WIPE OUT THE CAM

[@waynew2831]

I have watched several videos on dis assembling a lifter. Everyone does it pretty much the same way, and it works very effectively for everyone. EXCEPT ME ! The piston inside my lifters, will NOT come out. In have tried all the tricks I have seen, like pushing the check ball down to relieve suction. I even tried heating the lifter up a bit, based on the simple premise that air expands when heated. That didn't work either. I thought maybe I just had a stubborn lifter. I tried 3 more. Same thing. I am at a loss. Do I simply need new lifters? Thank You

[@SchrodingersBox]

The gasoline soak always works for me. It’s often the only way I get them to loosen.

[@laserfalcon]

Would the saturn Sc1 lifters be similiar?

[@SchrodingersBox]

Yes

[@laserfalcon]

@@SchrodingersBox I just today decided to take one apart and am glad i did, nothing to them,. They were gunked up bad and now have spring back to them. What a difference it made, no noise and no clatter Thanks so much

[@wolfy9005]

Considering doing this when I remove the balance rod and clean the intake runners out at christmas time, might as well kill 3 birds with 1 stone

[@siliconvalleyengineer5875]

the sound is missing on this video

[@SchrodingersBox]

Ummm I am pretty sure it isn’t.

[@siliconvalleyengineer5875]

I just checked it and at highest volume I can just barely here you talk. I mentioned it as a favor. @@SchrodingersBox

[@SchrodingersBox]

It’s an older video and may have been recorded in mono. Try adjusting for the other speaker.

[@MosKarck]

This is not GM lifter. This is comp cams lifter.

[@SchrodingersBox]

Uhhhh no- it’s a GM original lifter.

[@jessievert]

Bet you felt dumb tryna tell somebody what there disassembling, or working on

[@deankay4434]

Never use gas for any solvent! Christ! Use a carb spray, simple green, anything. Water heaters, furnace and the smell alone will produce a homeless condition. DK ASE master tech since 78, retired.

[@SchrodingersBox]

ummmm. hardly. know your environment. another “master tech” that’s just a safety nazi who doesn’t know the basics. you use gas in your lawnmower and it doesn’t blow up. you use paint thinner and acetone when painting or cleaning surfaces. it’s all about common sense and understanding the thermodynamic basics of volatile solvents. glad you are retired, we are all better off now.

[@deankay4434]

@@SchrodingersBox You have to keep the idiots from burning their house down. To be a common sense gentleman to point this out never requires a non ASE master tech, as you have to be a man first as you fall short on the other three. Otherwise, I don't care because god love stupid people to as he made you!

[@warrenzevonsangryghost6055]

Only complaint: I do NOT recommend using gasoline for parts cleaning. Kerosene or diesel is cool, as well as other solvents designed for parts cleaning. Gasoline is simply too dangerous...both because of the toxic effects on bare skin, and certainly because of the fire hazard it presents.

[@SchrodingersBox]

As if Kerosene or Diesel is not as carcinogenic. Come on man. wear gloves and stay in a ventilated area and it's fine. And exactly how is the fire hazard even remotely an issue with 10ml or less??? What you clearly don't have an understanding of here is basic organic chemistry. remember the function here- do you REALLY want 75% composition of saturated hydrocarbons in this application?? Please explain why- because clearly even a beginner would recognize the advantage of standard gasoline in the aromatic hydrocarbon volume percent composition. Please explain why you would possibly advise against this. Safety Nazis, I swear. As if they have some type of "authority" in their "recommendations" when in reality they only criticize because they want to look they are experts in the material when they actually don't a clue. "I never took apart an engine before but that guy isn't wearing safety glasses so he doesn't know what he's doing nearly as much as I do!!!!!"

[@warrenzevonsangryghost6055]

Safety Nazi because I don't recommend gasoline? OK, whatever. You clearly are beyond help, but for anyone else with a modicum of common sense, use something that won't burn down your house or put you in the hospital burn ward. Kids who are just learning this stuff watch these vids, and to suggest that they do something so foolish and dangerous is simply irresponsible - period. In doubt? Call your local fire station and ask them if they think it's a good idea.

[@SchrodingersBox]

And as you all can see he NEVER ANSWERED THE QUESTIONS... They never do. They never ever do. "Experts"- meh. Simple question- why is not even 10ml of gasoline going to spontaneously catch fire where stoddard solvent wouldnt and most importantly WHY on earth would you use a saturated hydrocarbon in this application? Will you please answer that? Stupid safety nazis.... He won't answer- trust me. Another red herring will be coming is all we will see.

[@warrenzevonsangryghost6055]

Only in your world would you think that it takes an expert to understand the dangers of using gasoline to clean parts. Your questions go unanswered because they are nonsensical and meaningless in this context. And as to your ad-hom attack, “When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser.” - Socrates You know, I actually liked the video, poorly shot though it was. I made my first comment about using gasoline simply because it's just a piss-poor idea and just too dangerous. It wasn't an attack on you or your video or anything other than a comment for garage noobies to play it safe. I really don't get why you felt it necessary to come on like a wounded rabid ferret in your replies, but obviously you have issues you need to work out. I wish you luck with that.

[@SchrodingersBox]

And there it is---- the red herring EXACTLY as I promised. Did I call that or what. Safety Nazis... all morons who just have to give their .02 We ALL KNOW my questions go unanswered due to your lack of comprehension and nothing else. It has nothing to do with flammability which is not a concern at all unless only an idiot like you is doing this and even then it wouldn't possibly burn your house down unless you fell asleep in which case Diesel or Kerosene would do the same thing. Stop being stupid. The issue is the chemistry of this application using a saturated hydrocarbon vehicle and you still have yet to show competence in the application. If I am wrong here is your chance to prove it- just answer the questions. He won't. In fact he'll respond with yet another red herring. They always do. "The measure of one's incompetence is proportionate to their attempts at misdirection"- Schrodinger's Box 2018.