Pre-lubed Hydraulic Lifters

Pre-oil Hydraulic lifters

  • Yes

    Votes: 12 38.7%

  • No

    Votes: 19 61.3%
  • Total voters
    31
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65 Dartman

65 Dartman

1 of None 65 Dart Sedan Delivery
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Friend and I were discussing small block hydraulic lifters. He said he thought that if hydraulic lifters were pre-soaked in engine oil, it would really lessen the time to get them pumped up on a new engine build. I thought it might be a recipe for bent pushrods. Neither of us are engine gurus, so what do the knowledgeable members say - pre-lube or not?
 
I voted prelube. Dad always prelubed and pumped them up somewhat the old school way. He'd stand them up in a metal coffee can, submerge them in marvel mystery oil, or the thinnest Kendall oil he could get and hand me a pushrod saying "here ya go. Start with one and push it down and let it up - repeat for a while, until you get no more air bubbles out of them" . I still do it the same way. I've only built 7 or 8 motors, so not a lot of experience with it, but never had an issue related to lifters.
 
A good way to pump up the lifters before pre-start is to install them, then prime the oiling system with a drill.

Have an assistant slowly turn the engine over by hand with the spark plugs out.

This will line up the oiling holes in the camshaft to the oiling holes in the block that send the oil up to the oil gallies at the lifters and on up to the heads from there.

With the valve covers and intake off you can watch as the oil makes It's way up to the valve rockers.

Can cut some cardboard skirts on the bottom half where the valve Covers go to help catch the oil that is coming off the rockers as you are cycling through the priming process.

Then you are all pumped up ready to start.
 
65 Dartman said:
Friend and I were discussing small block hydraulic lifters. He said he thought that if hydraulic lifters were pre-soaked in engine oil, it would really lessen the time to get them pumped up on a new engine build. I thought it might be a recipe for bent pushrods. Neither of us are engine gurus, so what do the knowledgeable members say - pre-lube or not?
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DO NOT do that. they are filled with a light oil
so that they can be pumped down to the proper preload more easily, that's why you run the rockers down by hand, so that you don't bend pushrods. Years ago, we used to soak them in motor oil, but not anymore.
 
ragtopfury said:
I voted prelube. Dad always prelubed and pumped them up somewhat the old school way. He'd stand them up in a metal coffee can, submerge them in marvel mystery oil, or the thinnest Kendall oil he could get and hand me a pushrod saying "here ya go. Start with one and push it down and let it up - repeat for a while, until you get no more air bubbles out of them" . I still do it the same way. I've only built 7 or 8 motors, so not a lot of experience with it, but never had an issue related to lifters.
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That is what My Bro passed down, to me, from his Dad
 
I don`t understand why you would bend a pushrod if prefilled.
Solid lifters bend pushrods? what's the difference?
On hyd. maybe if using aftermarket adjustable. I`d imagine most will tell you to measure for correct length.
Most recent set I installed, the manufacture recommends not filling lifters. I tend to just follow instructions if provided.
I wonder what changed from back in the day to modern lifters, that require not prefill?
 
I believe the conversation here is that if you pump the lifters up full by hand and then install them with the stock mopar hydraulic rocker shafts and rockers.

The lifters will be pumped up too far and hold the valves open, or heaven forbid make contact with the pistons.

They may bleed down on their own if given enough time.

The idea is to have the lifters to pump up to the middle of their travel, so that they remain self adjusting with room to compensate.
 
One thing that confuses me is that the literature that came with my hydraulic lifters specifically said to soak them overnight in motor oil, and meanwhile lots of people say absolutely, positively DO NOT EVER soak them. Don't you think the manufacturer would know best?

I soaked mine and while I did have one lifter fail, I don't think it was because I soaked them. I think it was because there was too much dry cranking before startup. Put new lifters in (and soaked them as per the manufacturer's instructions), no problems whatsoever.
 
You don’t prelube them. There is no need for it. Once you prime the engine, the lifters fill with up before you start it. If you prelube the lifters they can hold a valve open.
 
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The preload of a hydro lifter could be as much as .060. If you soak them or pump them, you got that much more lift they will generate on the first few strokes. If your valve springs are maxed or you run a high lift cam and your piston to valve clearance is on the bleeding edge of contact, that .060 more that you didn't factor in could be an issue. Lifters usually bleed off in about 10-12 seconds (read that in a Johnson lifter white paper) so if you do install them pumped, the ones you crank down (on lobe) will eventually bleed off but the ones that are on the base circle are still .060 taller than spec and will lift that valve right up past its designed lift. Even if you set the preload, you could still force the valve off its seat .060 during set up. Just put em in dry and prelube, your gonna prelube anyway right?
 
Factory did not soak them...got them out of the tray and they were pumped up when they test ran the engine on compressed air...
 
ragtopfury said:
I voted prelube. Dad always prelubed and pumped them up somewhat the old school way. He'd stand them up in a metal coffee can, submerge them in marvel mystery oil, or the thinnest Kendall oil he could get and hand me a pushrod saying "here ya go. Start with one and push it down and let it up - repeat for a while, until you get no more air bubbles out of them" . I still do it the same way. I've only built 7 or 8 motors, so not a lot of experience with it, but never had an issue related to lifters.
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I was taught the same way, that is the way to do it.
I never lost a lifter or cam.
 
My motto ..........If half say "yay" and half say "Nay", then it probably doesn't matter. Pick the one that makes the most sense to you. Just Saying:)
 
:drama:
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pishta said:
The preload of a hydro lifter could be as much as .060. If you soak them or pump them, you got that much more lift they will generate on the first few strokes. If your valve springs are maxed or you run a high lift cam and your piston to valve clearance is on the bleeding edge of contact, that .060 more that you didn't factor in could be an issue. Lifters usually bleed off in about 10-12 seconds (read that in a Johnson lifter white paper) so if you do install them pumped, the ones you crank down (on lobe) will eventually bleed off but the ones that are on the base circle are still .060 taller than spec and will lift that valve right up past its designed lift. Even if you set the preload, you could still force the valve off its seat .060 during set up. Just put em in dry and prelube, your gonna prelube anyway right?
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You can't set preload until the lifter is pumped up.
Rhoads lifter specifically says to pump up the lifter before install to set preload.
 
The lifter can't pump higher than the retainer spring. If you set .060 off the spring.........contact the cup on the base circle and then turn down .060 or whtever the preload is spec'd at.
 
It'll work fine either way. I prefer to install them not pumped up, set lifter preload and then prime the engine. Either way will work. You won't magically "lose" the ability to set preload if you pump them up first. However, there is always the risk that an already pumped up lifter will not bleed down all the way and hang a valve open on initial start. That's why I prefer to assemble them not pumped up. All that said, I doubt very seriously I will ever use another hydraulic lifter on anything. So that solves that problem "for me".
 
pishta said:
The lifter can't pump higher than the retainer spring. If you set .060 off the spring.........contact the cup on the base circle and then turn down .060 or whtever the preload is spec'd at.
Click to expand...
I soak 'em 1 at a time & let a few air bubbles burp, yank 'em & put in w/assy lube, giving them a fingertip twirl to make sure they spin easily. It's been 2 decades+ since the last time I waited to pump-up or worse, set preload running, a wholly un-needed affair. If it's mild perf/stock, I do .050"-.060", if it's gonna get wound tight, I won't do more than .025".....
 
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