hydraulic tappets (lifters)

WernerVC · March 11, 2012, 09:31:59 PM

I am in the final stages on assembling my rebuild Rover 3.5 L engine.
Not sure what I should do with the lifters. I disssembled them all and cleaned the insides making sure all the parts were not interchanged. My question now is: Do I install the lifters with no oil in it and run the oil pump with a dummy dog and drill or fill them up with oil before installing them in the engine. I did research on the net but got contradictive answers depending who I am listening to.
Your input please. The camshaft and lifters have about 50,000 miles on it.
Werner

mgbrv8 · March 12, 2012, 03:48:43 AM

Fill and then soak them for a day just to make sure.

BlownMGB-V8 · March 12, 2012, 08:23:48 AM

The lifter is a pump. Put it in a container of oil and pump it with a phillips screwdriver or something, and you'll feel it get stiff as it fills up.

Jim

Moderator · March 12, 2012, 12:05:00 PM

+1 on manually filling the lifters... but prime the engine with a drill motor too.

WernerVC · March 12, 2012, 12:55:41 PM

I tried to pump up the lifters but some would not get hard. I mean no resistance when I punch with a screwdriver on the piston.
Does that mean they are bad and should be replaced ?
Werner

crashbash · March 12, 2012, 04:25:37 PM

just to not pass up the opportunity when they are presented try sildenafilling cheeky I couldn't resist...........

roverman · March 12, 2012, 06:43:22 PM

Werner, sbc lifters are so cheap, IMHO. I would by new. Good Luck, roverman.

WernerVC · March 15, 2012, 08:50:23 PM

Thanks for the info . I tried to clean the lifters again by taking them apart and soak in carburettor cleaner. Put them back together and pump up with a lighter grade of oil. Now they all work fine.
Werner