Cleaning Lifters?
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 2,512
Likes: 49
From: Franklin IN
Cleaning Lifters?
If you are rebuilding a motor or replacing a cam and want to re-use your lifters. here is how I did it.
Diss-assembly:
1)Remove square clip.
2)Remove the Push rod cup.
3)Remove the Flat disk
The easiest way to tap it on a piece of wood.
Then I used a Snap On lifter puller to remove the internal cup. (see photo below.)
The build up of varnish is what prevents the inner cup from comming out.
It is what all the internal parts will look like.
After I got everything apart I rinsed all the parts off in mineral spirits. That will get the oil that is inside off. Then I used compressed air to dry the mineral spirits off. Then I soaked the parts in Lacer Thinner over night. That is what will cut the varnish off. if you don't do the initial rinse in mineral spirits it deludes the thinner and it won't work as well.
Once everything is clean its time to reassemble.
First I put the nose end of the inner cup together, the ball, sping and retainer. Next I used a pencile magnetic to dip the inner cup about half way into clean motor oil I put the spring on and slipped it into the lifter body. Now holding it up right I inserted the flat disk and the pushrod cup. Using an 11/16 scoket on my rachet wrench I could steady the lifter while I used a round nose punch to depress the inner cup enough to reinstall the clip. See photo below.
Diss-assembly:
1)Remove square clip.
2)Remove the Push rod cup.
3)Remove the Flat disk
The easiest way to tap it on a piece of wood.
Then I used a Snap On lifter puller to remove the internal cup. (see photo below.)
The build up of varnish is what prevents the inner cup from comming out.
It is what all the internal parts will look like.
After I got everything apart I rinsed all the parts off in mineral spirits. That will get the oil that is inside off. Then I used compressed air to dry the mineral spirits off. Then I soaked the parts in Lacer Thinner over night. That is what will cut the varnish off. if you don't do the initial rinse in mineral spirits it deludes the thinner and it won't work as well.
Once everything is clean its time to reassemble.
First I put the nose end of the inner cup together, the ball, sping and retainer. Next I used a pencile magnetic to dip the inner cup about half way into clean motor oil I put the spring on and slipped it into the lifter body. Now holding it up right I inserted the flat disk and the pushrod cup. Using an 11/16 scoket on my rachet wrench I could steady the lifter while I used a round nose punch to depress the inner cup enough to reinstall the clip. See photo below.
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 2000
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From: Phila., PA burbs
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 2,512
Likes: 49
From: Franklin IN
I guess if they ain't broke why replace. The units I have are inspected and clean. If they were flat tappet we wounldn't be having this discussion I would have just piched them.
Pro
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 686
Likes: 4
From: Austin Texas
I did the same thing but used gumout in a can instead of the mineral spirits. I didn't remove all the varnish though, just lightly de-varnished with stainless steel wool pan scrubber. When I re-assembled, I gave them a little motor oil inside. Tedious work but hey, it was money saved & every little bit counts.
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