360 hydraulic lifter failure

[PRH]

Cam companies are not lifter “manufacturers”.

On your list, only Hylift is a manufacturer.

For Mopar offerings, to my knowledge they are the only one in the USA.
Eaton has manufacturing in North America (Mexico).

I’m not recommending or endorsing anything, just pointing out that most lifters come very few actual manufacturers.

Also, with as much “copying” as goes on these days, it wouldn’t surprise me if pulling apart a lifter as a means of identifying who made it, may or may not be a reliable way of doing that anymore.

It’s been a couple of years since I had a set of Hylift Mopar lifters here to look at.
Drop shipped direct from Hylift.
I was not overly impressed with the huge variance in how big the chamfers on the bottoms were.
Fortunately the engine those went in used an .842” lifter design cam, and everything survived.
I used a caliper and under a magnifying glass eye-balled what I felt was the usable footprint on one that had a pretty big chamfer……. It was about .875”.
Good luck with something like that on a true .904 design cam.

 

[Uncle Bob]

I was aware that Howard's was getting their lifters from Hylift, so I had some confidence but it's pretty disappointing that the one USA manufacturer turned out parts like the ones I got.

 

[RustyRatRod]

Melling makes lifters in the US, as well as several other countries, but they have manufacturing plants HERE. I have SET FOOT in the one in Georgia.

 

[RustyRatRod]

Right from Melling's home page:

"Melling serves the global transportation original equipment and aftermarket segments and is noted for its world-class engineering, product development, and distribution capabilities. Melling operates 7 facilities, 5 in North America, 1 in Mexico, and 1 in Europe."

Notice there is NO China.

And also followed by this:

2025 UPDATE​

COUNTERFEIT WARNING – –

The rapid growth of e-commerce has created opportunity for domestic and international sellers to offer counterfeit products in the market. We have found counterfeit Melling products on multiple online marketplaces. These sellers have become very creative in closely duplicating our box design and including our registered trademark and identification marks on the casting. Sadly, consumers purchase believing it is an authentic quality Melling manufactured part but receive an inferior, non-genuine product. We are monitoring these online platforms and will be taking legal action.

 

[PRH]

Then narrow it down to manufacturers who produce American made lifters for Mopars.

Near as I can tell, the Melling JB2011 lifter for Mopars is made in Mexico.

 

[Uncle Bob]

There's this too but not marked for country of origin on the rock auto site:
MELLING 290114 High Performance More Information for MELLING 290114

 

[TT5.9mag]

If your lifter pumps up and immediately bleeds down when the engine is shut off then there is trash stuck in the check valve. Disassemble them and clean them again. Use acetone, brake clean, etc but something stronger than simple green. Compressed air helps a bunch also. Steve Brule told me once the best oil filter in the world is a hydraulic lifter and he wasn’t wrong.

 

[NC Engine Builder]

A hydraulic lifter should NEVER be installed without disassembly and cleaning. And you should make sure the lifter rotates while spinning the engine over by hand, before installing pushrods, because if they dont, it WILL fail. The lifter manufacturer tolerance is so bad, I will not under ANY circumstances install a lifter that I dont personally reface first, right out of the box.

 

[PRH]

There's this too but not marked for country of origin on the rock auto site:
MELLING 290114 High Performance More Information for MELLING 290114

Well, you got me on that one.

But……. Is it “genuine Melling”……. Or a reboxed Hylift?

 

[junkyardhero]

melling has never done me dirty.

but no matter who makes 'em you must clean and inspect them before install.

 

[Bewy]

Get some factory lifters & get them re-faced......that is unless you want ANOTHER failure.

There are three possible reasons why your lifter collapsed:
- dirt under the internal valve
- malformed/leaking internal valve
- piston to body clearance too great allowing leakage

 

[Uncle Bob]

If your lifter pumps up and immediately bleeds down when the engine is shut off then there is trash stuck in the check valve. Disassemble them and clean them again. Use acetone, brake clean, etc but something stronger than simple green. Compressed air helps a bunch also. Steve Brule told me once the best oil filter in the world is a hydraulic lifter and he wasn’t wrong.

I completely disassembled the known bad lifter and there was nothing in it that shouldn't have been.

Well, you got me on that one.

But……. Is it “genuine Melling”……. Or a reboxed Hylift?

One or or the other pages I saw they mentioned that it used a disk, not a ball, similar to the Howard's and Hylift parts. With so many links in the chain there's no wonder things are so expensive.

 

[Demonracer]

It's been a few years since I tinkered with hydraulic flat tappet cams. The last time I bought a set of hydraulic lifters was about the time the chineseum parts were filtering into the states. I took all of the lifers apart and soaked them in acetone. Once I took them out, I strained the acetone through a white coffee filter and was surprised at the amount of trash that was left in the filter. I don'[t have a one size fits all answer, I just know that Chinese parts are "going" to fail no matter how good the look.

 

[TT5.9mag]

I completely disassembled the known bad lifter and there was nothing in it that shouldn't have been.

Then why doesn’t it work? I know you said you cleaned it already. I’m suggesting you weren’t thorough enough.

 

[MOPAROFFICIAL]

My .02……
The lifter being soft is not the cause of the low oil pressure.
More likely, the low oil pressure(or whatever is causing the low pressure) is the reason for the soft lifter.

Pump bypass stuck open.
I had a dirty bottom end, it was new when I pulled it out of the junkyard never broke in but I let it sit in the yard in a bag and well.. point is, I ended up using that as a backup short block in between my 340 build and as I was going down the freeway heading to San Diego one day.. I looked down and at highway speed at about 18 PSI.....
Needless to say I got off the freeway and checked everything I could on the outside of the motor. Made a phone call to an older friend of mine who used to race Circle Track , has a lot of experience with stuff like this.. and after talking we both came to the conclusion that the bypass was probably stuck and the only thing to do besides Towing at home.. was if I didn't give a **** about the motor too much just go ahead and wing it up to about 5 or 6 grand in neutral....

Oil pressure came right back up. It was trash in the bypass valve holding it open.
That same engine also had a ticky lifter at first. They were old stock Pioneer brand lifters.


Not hydraulic, but I did just break in a new set of comp solid lifters on an old 528 purple shaft I had laying around for this 340 in my car now. Must have gone through about three of those cams now. One of them ended up with pock marks on one lobe so I replaced it with a new one from Mancini... The next one one of the comp push rods welded balls busted off and the lifter got ping ponged between the tube and the lobe and put a flat spot on it. This third one was a used one I got into parts swap, it was in a 557 box which I was going to actually throw in the stroker years ago... after degree and figured out it was a 528 to put it back in the box for a 575 solid roller instead. That .528 cam is now in my 340.
Those comp lifters have little nics and all kinds of stupid **** with about a third of them but none of them in the contact Zone. I ended up having to buy one new one because one of them did have a nic in the contact Zone. I swear to God when they machine these they must toss them over their shoulder into a bucket. Garbage quality control in that regard. Needless to say the break-in went fine using 120 seat pressure with some 995 Springs, which in my opinion are garbage as well. After break in, oil change and some test n tunes, I pulled the rocker shaft and saw the stars on the valve tips and immediately changed those valve springs out for some doubles- 150/ 340 PSI..that ****** revs through seven grand like nothing , and breaks tires at 60. I can put it to the floor , hit second and go through third... feels like you're a rock skipping on a pond.

Going to be put in a 360 together for my brother here this week and I had decided to buy some eBay hydraulic lifters as I did for my Magnum in my truck. In the truck I had one lifter that's just ticked off and on for the first couple months till it finally stopped and now it runs smooth quiet. Funny thing about that is is I had already blown the entire set out and relieve them because a couple of the wheels didn't roll very smooth. Trash in the lifter seems to be a common thing.

Clean them out 1st...or roll the dice.

Ps, this novel was in the spirit of AJ.lol

 

[mgoblue9798]

A hydraulic lifter should NEVER be installed without disassembly and cleaning. And you should make sure the lifter rotates while spinning the engine over by hand, before installing pushrods, because if they dont, it WILL fail. The lifter manufacturer tolerance is so bad, I will not under ANY circumstances install a lifter that I dont personally reface first, right out of the box.

Who are you getting to do the refacing sir?

 

[NC Engine Builder]

Who are you getting to do the refacing sir?

Me, I have a tobin arp tappet grinder

 

[RustyRatRod]

Me, I have a tobin arp tappet grinder

When I was a kid in school and worked for the local machine shop, we had a BIG Sioux valve grinder that had a lifter refacing attachment on the right side that did lifters. It was a badass machine. I've never seen another one like it. I've seen them that had the valve stem grinder but this one had all of it.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Then why doesn’t it work? I know you said you cleaned it already. I’m suggesting you weren’t thorough enough.

I can take constructive criticism, so I cleaned it again, with acetone, wiped inside and out until the towel stayed clean, blew it out several times, then reassembled and dropped the lifter in a can of 30w break in oil to pump it up. There were air bubbles but it never pumped up. So, maybe you can tell me why it doesn't work, because other than bad machining I don't know what else could be wrong.

I decided to just order the same lifters again; they're all the same at a certain price point anyway.

 

[PRH]

Personally, I would only replace the one.
I’d have bought 2 new ones, “just in case”.

 

[TT5.9mag]

I can take constructive criticism, so I cleaned it again, with acetone, wiped inside and out until the towel stayed clean, blew it out several times, then reassembled and dropped the lifter in a can of 30w break in oil to pump it up. There were air bubbles but it never pumped up. So, maybe you can tell me why it doesn't work, because other than bad machining I don't know what else could be wrong.

I decided to just order the same lifters again; they're all the same at a certain price point anyway.

Was not meant to be criticism just advice. I’ve been there, and it can be frustrating. I could very well be wrong and internal tolerance could be causing the bleed down but I feel like that is much less likely. I’m glad you went through it again and if you’re happy with your finings then so am I. Like said above ^^^ just replace the bad one and maybe get a spare. No reason to spend more money.

 

[RustyRatRod]

Well, like it or not, there SOMETHIN wrong with the effin thing. I don't like it any more than any of the rest of you, but it's what we gotta put up with now. It is unfortunate. I wish you luck, Uncle Bob.

 

[Inertia]

Hey Uncle Bob, so's you know, depending on the heads, lifters can be fished outta their bores, and carefully pulled thru the opening in the head, using a magnet.
Sometimes you gotta loosen a manifold bolt a coupla turns, as it protrudes into the opening.
Easy with fresh engines/lifters, a little more challenging on older engines with deposits.
I've done it a few times, cleaned/changed one or whole sets with the intake on.

I'd clean it, if it's noisy, fish it out and replace it.

 

[Swinger 340]

melling has never done me dirty.

but no matter who makes 'em you must clean and inspect them before install.

The same reason I change the engine oil after a 50 mile break-in. I don't care how clean you think the engine is during rebuilding, there is trash hidden in it somewhere. Getting backto the lifter issue, years ago I bought a new set of lifters, and one was bad. I just changed the one and that's been 35 years ago. Sometimes people over think. Just a thought, is it possible the lifter bore is over bore.

 

[cudamike13]

Melling makes lifters in the US, as well as several other countries, but they have manufacturing plants HERE. I have SET FOOT in the one in Georgia.

Melling Racing had a shop with Awesome Bill just outside of dawsonville.