Hydraulic Valve Lifters. Operation, Teardown, and Rebuilding.

I find a lot of misinformation concerning hydraulic lifters. This video will help you understand how they work, how to completely disassemble them, and how to rebuild them.

[@paulg444]

To this day I am astounded that the genius of the hydraulic lifter was designed almost 80 years ago !!

[@williambaisley8594]

Excellent video! The best one I've seen so far describing the operation of a hydraulic lifter. Good job JD!

[@junkdump2720]

Thank you!

[@yeboscrebo4451]

Finally, the info i was looking for. Thank you.

[@acwren3749]

Thank you Junk Dump. Just the tutorial I needed. Appreciated the explanation of how the lifter internals move as a piece once the lifter is on the cam lobe. AW

[@junkdump2720]

You're welcome, and thank you for the feedback. It's good to know my videos are helping people out.

[@noneckjoe948]

I have a valve train knock/tick and I’ve heard of collapsed lifters but never understood what that meant… this video helped me to understand what could be going on inside my valve train causing the noise… btw… it’s a brand new build from a respectable machinist…. But engine sounds terrible…. Only knocks once the engine is warm…

[@preciousndima774]

This helped me a lot in understanding the whole of the hydraulic lifter. Thank you 🙏🏽

[@junkdump2720]

Excellent, I am happy to hear it was informative to you! Thank you for the feedback.

[@troybrake5686]

This gives me great confidence to do mine, anyone who can tear down and reassemble a hydrologic lifter shaking like that and not mess it up make my steady hand feel confident, great video! Now go get you a stiff drink!!!😂

[@junkdump2720]

Your comment had me laughing out loud. Thank you, and if you run into any issues don't hesitate to ask.

[@troybrake5686]

Will do! this is first time for me, looks kinda tedious and aggravateing but that's the story of my life!! 😂 Lol

[@siliconvalleyengineer5875]

that you for your lifter rebuild tutorial

[@approachingtarget.4503]

Good luck finding new lifters that work!

[@junkdump2720]

It is getting harder to find good quality Oldsmobile lifters.

[@prancstaman]

The oil metering valve on the aftermarket lifter. Which way does it go? it had an imprint and it will either sit flat onto the pushrod seat and restrict flow to the pushrod, or makes a path through from the reservoir through the oil metering valve then through the pushrod seat to the pushrod?

[@junkdump2720]

Excellent question! This is hard to explain so I will do my best. The valve is a metal disc with two nearly complete circular impressions that are pressed into it from either side. There is a large impression pressed from the rocker side down making a large raised diameter facing the cam, and a smaller diameter impression pressed from the camshaft side up making a small raised diameter facing the rocker. The cross section will look a little like this when installed properly -v-^--^-v- When properly installed the smaller diameter raised portion will contact the bottom of the pushrod seat. I hope that makes some sense, if it's still confusing email me at [e-mail] and I will send you a picture. Thanks again for the great question.

[@ricksmith1574]

Thank you. That saves me 100.00

[@williamapostolu5062]

I was adjusting my hydaulic roller cam lifters and noticed most of the lifters preload was very easy with my half turn but a few were hard and actually depressed the valve sightly but would return to norman position in a 30 seconds or so. dirty lifter ? My ace mechanic friend said its normal. Any thoughts on this.

[@junkdump2720]

That is an excellent question. First be certain adjustments are being made when the lifter is on the cam heel or base circle. I have experienced what you describe on occasions where there was no problem, and sometimes when there was a problem. I suggest turning the engine over with a socket on the crank (not the starter) through the full engine cycle a couple of times. Then loosen and readjust the lifters that were questionable. You should find the "hard" lifters now act normally. There may be an issue if you repeat this a few times and a lifter remains "hard" every time. Be certain you use an oil viscosity that matches your internal clearances (like 10w30 for clearances ranging from .0010" to .0030") and quality oil filters like wix (stay away from fram, k&n, or overly restrictive filters like some purolator models). I hope this helps.

[@markgunther2502]

The Factory Service Manual I have mentions that one needs to line up the oil hole in the outer and inner cylinders. I noticed you didn't do this. Wouldn't yours block the oil without the internal hole lined up with the outer hole?

[@junkdump2720]

Excellent observation and question! Oldsmobile (and other GM) lifters have a channel that allow the oil to flow even if the holes aren't lined up. These lifters are not indexed and they tend to rotate naturally so they won't remian in the same orientation. I will double check my manuals and post a correction if I am mistaken. Thank you very much for the comment, I love it when people leave questions like this, I am very interested to find out the facts on this, thanks again.

[@stechmer]

Should i be able to shake the lifter and hear it moving up and down inside? Half of them the plunger moves freely up and down. Other half seem stiff and make no noise when shaken. Has something failed internally on half my lifters? Or they just bled down? Have been out the engine a week or so.

[@junkdump2720]

This is an excellent question! I had to check some of my old and new lifters on this one. What I found was the oil metering valve was making noise on some of the lifters, especially the ones that were more "dry", but this had no correlation to lifters that were bad. I discovered one lifter with a bad ball check spring did make noise that correlated to a bad lifter. The best way to check your lifters is to rotate the engine (the correct direction) while priming it. If your lifters are good, they will operate the valves correctly, maintain lash, and oil will seep from the rockers. Thank you for your question!

[@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

[@junkdump2720]

It is possible that debris circulated and jammed that plunger or it was damaged by heat. I would suggest submerging it in PB Blaster for 24 hours and then use a pick, like in this video, to grab the hole in the piston and try again to pull it free. Hopefully you have some luck, but it may just need to be replaced.

[@denpepp4342]

how to take it apart when full of oil? How to get the oil out. the retainer is really tight with oil in it.

[@junkdump2720]

Get a small socket that fits in the cup of the lifter. Carefully use a small C-clamp to depress the lifter just enough to barely loosen the retainer to facilitate removal. Don't force it, just apply a little pressure. Thank you for the question.

[@ramthaLord]

hi there , i used you video to clean mine , my quotation how to tell if the lifter is bad or good ? as i still have the original one running as i cleaned them and put them in oil over knight

[@junkdump2720]

Unfortunately it is quite difficult to spy some issues when it comes to a bad lifter. The good news is that some issues are easy to spot, like any debris, damage, scratches or galling, and excessive wear. You should be able to move the plunger easily after assembling the lifters and lubricating them. One test I use to test mine is by installing them back in the engine (with a head bolted in place), prime the oil and make quarter turns on the crank pulley until you see oil exiting all of the rockers and observe the valves being actuated properly. Lifters that fail to lock will typically make a tapping or rattle noise (while engine is assembled and running), if the problem persists after cleaning and reassembly you will notice the rocker fails to fully depress the valve spring when performing the above noted test. I hope this helps, and thank you for the question.

[@ramthaLord]

@@junkdump2720 thank for replying , my engine is out of the car and next week i will install the head gasket and the heads , as far as i understand is to return the lifters after checking there are full of oil and turn the engine by hand and put some load on the lifters to see if leak down or collapse , is that correct

[@bigdaug67g]

Just a lil confused, what makes the check ball open when the cam comes off max lift?

[@junkdump2720]

Excellent question! Once the cam lobe is no longer applying force to the bottom of the lifter it's not being "squeezed". Without pressure from the lobe, the plunger return spring will allow enough room for the check ball to open. Once oil pressure is equalized inside the lifter, the plunger and lifter body can operate independently.

[@jessievert]

When removing the inside plunger piece, all you need to do it touch the check ball at the bottom with a pick lightly & it will pop right up. When there is oil in them that is, not empty like those & when reinstalling the check valve retainer, put the plunger on top & just press down & it will pop in place

[@junkdump2720]

Thank you for the commment, it's true the check ball will release pressure making removal easier when full of oil.

[@Spiritof_76]

The music, and its tempo, do not add to or enhance the content. Otherwise, good info.

[@paddyodonohoe5862]

Should they be hard or soft

[@junkdump2720]

When removed they could be either. After you disassemble, clean, and reassemble them, they should be very easy to compress.

[@freemanfornow264]

One question..... why didn't you use the c clip pliers to remove the retainer clip? That's exactly what they're for Otherwise EXCELLENT video

[@junkdump2720]

That is an excellent question, I am glad you asked because I didn't mention this in the video. On some lifters like these the C clip pliers won't work because you need the C clip ends to overlap themselves to remove or install them. You will need to release or install them one side at a time. I find it easiest using the method in this video, but there are certainly others ways and tools to help accomplish it. Thank you for the comment!

[@freemanfornow264]

@@junkdump2720 ok gotcha

[@torrlowe3832]

Bros hands shake more than me holding a camera. Great video. Gatta do some hand work. If you drink caffeine or smoke. Stop. Our hearts aren’t meant to constantly be over stimulated. If it’s natural. As in nothing you’re consuming is causing it. Find your peace. You can still work on it. It’ll help the life of your heart either direction. Hope this helps buddy.

[@junkdump2720]

The shakes are a permanent side effect from a prescribed medication, effects less than 1% of people, just bad luck.

[@torrlowe3832]

Wish I could help you find an alternative to the medication. I hated having the shakes. Now I’m just crazy with super calm hands. Let’s call this. Handshakes 2nd edition

[@type2523]

Don’t they wear though ?

[@junkdump2720]

Good insight, you are correct, they do wear out, so you wouldn't be rebuilding high mileage lifters. This is more geared toward rebuilding lifters that suffered internal damage, clogging, or failure. I have seen many lifters damaged internally from silicone, debris, and additives. That is why I minimize silicone use, discourage the use of any engine additives, and promote quality engine oil and filter use.

[@philipcbarrera1537]

Great video tear down, but get rid of the background music!!! Don’t need it