Engine Building Part 10 - Hydraulic Lifters, Choosing, Cleaning, Assembling, Installing Roller Lifte 

I appreciate your videos, but let's not forget. The purpose of the hydraulic lifter, (roller, or flat tappet), is to ease maintenance of the valvetrain, and to quiet it down, and so you don't have to set the lash every few thousand miles. The oil pump is going to pump oil to the rest of the valvetrain through solid lifters as well. Some people are not aware that "solid" only means there are no moving parts. (plunger, spring, retainer, etc...). They do have an oil port machined into them to channel oil through the pushrods, to the rockers. Not trying to be a jerk. I just thought that info should have been included.

Subscribed,Pete you have the face of honesty and knowledge,been working on cars all my life but i enjoy watching others work,excellent video.

Hi Pete Just wanted to tell you I have a very popular automotive you tube channel that is machine shop based I have many engine builds from start to finish I pride myself on putting out videos that have accurate info and procedures, there are so many engine building videos that are terrible! bad lighting /bad information tons of profanity and so on however I have nothing but respect for you, your videos are very good some of the best I have seen keep up the good work well made videos and your information is spot on I always find myself watching videos and saying what is this guy talking about so much bad info with your videos I can't really find anything you have said that is wrong GREAT JOB!

The spring is for preload it does not act as a pump, oil pressure "pumps" up the lifter. solid lifters oil through the lifter and pushrod same as hydraulic lifters. hydraulic lifters require less maintenance to keep valve lash/preload in check, solid lifters have to be checked and relashed

My friend went full roller with all Howard's stuff and the end result was way beyond what I ever would have thought. I run flat tappet but will be going roller next go around.

I never knew how important the lifters were, great information Pete.

Thanks Pete! I really appreciate your explanation on how hydraulic lifters function. No kidding, this has been something I’ve wondered about for decades! Please help me clarify two details: 1. When the cam first pushes the lifter, is it hydro-locked, or does the push rod cap sink into the lifter, pumping oil up the push rod? 2. Is the push rod cap physically bottomed-out inside the lifter to cause the push rod to rise, or is the lifter hydraulically locked which results in moving the push rod? Thanks again! This is awesome.

I like those aluminum heads. I was reading an article that said that the new modern heads are better than the coveted double hump fuelie heads.

Great channel, very informative. Thanks!

I finally know how lifters work. Thanks Pete. Awesome video

Thanks Pete, I had questions on what was best and why. Another great video.

I run a Comp Cams street solid roller Extreme Energy Xr292R in my 438 Windsor 68 Mustang. I use all the good parts including Isky Bushed Lifters. Cam is 621 627 lift 254, 258@50 duration. Lash was checked at 500 miles and spot on. Lash was checked again 2 years later after 1800 miles and 2 exhaust valve lifters off .002-.003. Rest were off like .001. Car sees consistent 7200 rpm blasts and full throttle runs on street. Car is driven hard. I have no idea why lash backed off .002-.003 on 2 lifters but it did. Isky bushed are supposed to be the best. Can't see how you went 3k miles and lash never moved. But maybe you have smaller cam than me, or you don't run car to 7200rpm. Solid roller lash should be checked at least every 2 years. I am guessing maybe those 2 isky bushed lifters may be wearing or something else wearing. But to go 3k miles in a 950hp solid roller car and no lash change is hard to fathom. Unless you drive real mellow all the time. But who drives a solid roller car mellow?. Also. Comp cams needle bearing lifters are crap and ruined a motor i had before. That's why i went isky bushed. Maybe motor was still breaking in and that's why some lifters moved. But i have heard isky bushed are the best

I learn a lil something from almost all your videos. But I learned so much from this one! Thank you for doing what you do!!!

Another informative video Pete. Thx again for sharing your knowledge👍👍👍👍

Thanks Pete

I just ordered the Howard Cam link bar lifters....I just love throwing money into the Windsor! lol.....Big bucks Pete. It's a days wage..what the hell!! ..thanks again for the info....your vids rock!

Pete you´re bad ass!!Thanks!!

Hi Pete, I really did like the hydraulic lifter video, all with great detailed information. Tony

Best video on RU-vid! Great explanation, TYVM!

Thanks a lot, I couldn't find what a roller lifter was and what were the differences, now I know!

Thank you Man! For the details on this work 💪🤝🥰

Thank you for the Video. I have a Flat Tappet Ford and I am debating between buying a Retrofit roller kit vs. buying a used Short block!

Very Great Video.Well Done

Thanx again, Pete. I asked about new lifters in comments on another video, and this video clearly answers my question. Cleaning in mineral spirits should release new lifters so I can verify free piston/plunger movement. But it is funny, I find zero specs on acceptable wear limits on piston side clearance and spring pressure in the hydraulic roller lifters. Not even a roller wear limit for it’s 2 dimensions of movement or roller circumference. Why doesn’t anyone talk about specific wear limits or spring pressure on hydraulic roller lifters?

Did you forget to mention that 15 of 16 flat tappet lifters prefer zinc infused motor oil.? And that O2 sensors do not like zinc?

And now, I love solid lifters even more...

Honestly if your that far in might as well go with roller lifters because flat tap wear out fast with hp sounds awesome but who wants to tear it all down to replace

Hey Pete...love your channel and your tutorials. I'm new to Chryslers. My last Chrysler motor build was a huge success. And in no small part thanks to u, but I wanted a little more punch so I have decided to increase my cam lift a little bit (going from .488 to .545 lift) and in the process, I'm also upgrading to a roller cam and heads because the break-in on a flat tappet cam is always so stressful for me. Now I'm reading a lot of stuff about a roller cam requiring the same break-in procedure at 1800 -2000 rpm for 20-30 minutes or the cam will go flat just like a normal flat tappet cam. l think I saw u using a break -in oil, on another build w/ roller cam ( BB chevy maybe?) but does that mean I should be using a break-in oil with my Chrysler motor (like this one) and equally important, does it need to be broke in just like a flat tappet cam? 440 source says no need to worry of cam failure if using a roller cam. But I trust you and would like clarification on this subject. Thanks man.

Hey I enjoy your reply,s Heres a good one When I was a teenager I had push rod Fiats, and twin cam engines,, this will piss every one off but I like to set my valve lash when the motor is hot, yeah i know its not fun. , I set each cylinder at TDC to set the valve lash, im talking solids plus I rock the crank back and forth to check for timing chain slack wear, it may take longer, but it works for me

Cheers Dave

And now for a completely different set of opinions on this subject. Solid lifters pump oil to the top end just exactly like hydraulic lifters do. They have to or your rockers and springs would never get any oil and they would fail. The difference is that hydraulic lifters use a hydraulic component inside the lifter for valve lash. With solid lifters you are required to adjust valve lash manually with the correct width feeler gauge when the lifter is on the base circle of the cam. The roller reduces friction idea is a myth. The needle bearings that allow the roller shaft to roll are a source of friction and so is the roller wheel. Any time there is metal to metal contact there is friction regardless if the metal is rolling or not. The oil film only reduces the amount of friction by putting a molecular cushion between the metal parts so they don't destroy themselves. The oil film absorbs some of the friction which is a main reason that the oil gets hot. Same thing happens in a torque converter. Working the oil induces heat. A molecular level of oil film sits between the flat tappet lifter and the cam. The same applies for a roller. If it didn't do that, the lifter would wipe the cam lobe every time. It is only during the initial start up for the first few minutes that the cam lobe and flat tappet lifter face are worn in or mated. Actually, it is a hone operation that is built into the cam lobe face. Building an aggressive flat tappet engine is a bit more aggravation than a roller because at a certain level of aggressiveness on the cam profile you have to remove the inner valve spring for break in to prevent the lifter from wiping all the oil film off the cam lobe and that is what causes the cam lobe to be wiped. I've been running flat tappet solid cams and lifters for over 20 years. Never wiped a cam lobe. The always adjusting lash with solids is also a myth. The solution to that was invented eons ago and that is the poly lock. I check mine after the initial run in and then once every 6 months to a year. 6 months if it is a drag engine and once a year if it is a street engine. Regardless, the same applies to lash adjustment whether it is a flat tappet solid or a roller solid. Roller lifters are actually worse than flat tappet lifters in one significant respect. They are much heavier and moving the lifter up and down thousands of times per minute is more of a drag on power than with a flat tappet lifter. An advantage of a roller package is that you can re-use roller lifters with another cam but I would never advise doing it. New cam gets new lifters every time at my place. With flat tappet lifters and cam lobes matched, it is really not that hard to number them if you have to pull the cam and lifters for some reason. People that don't or can't seem to do that are just lazy. In all my engine work, the only time I have pulled a flat tappet cam and lifters is to replace it. Another disadvantage of roller lifters is what happens when a lifter fails. Most often, when a flat tappet does fail for some reason you are out a cam and lifters and flat tappet cams and lifters are relatively not expensive. When a roller lifter comes apart you have generally destroy the entire engine(not always, generally) because most often it is the roller that comes apart due to needle bearing or roller shaft failure. It will crack the lifter bore or bores, throw needles down into the engine and pretty much destroy it. Another common way the rollers fail is unlatching a link bar and I've seen link bars break. The roller rotates sideways and then destroys the cam, lifter bore or bores and the block. The are only a couple of advantages the roller lifter has. One is that you can run a more aggressive cam lobe and you get a broader power curve. The other is that you can run a higher lift with a roller before you risk the edge of the lifter face digging into the cam.

very very good info and teaching, keep'em coming please. A BIG thanks bud!

Great video !!!

fantastic video. Thank you!

Glad I found your video, I’ve built no telling how many flat tappet sbc engines, were fixing to convert a 78 010 high nickel block 4 bolt to roller cam for a supercharger, thx for sharing

Searching around the YT for cam intel, gathering data. After the "just rebuilt" engine in my 62 C10 project truck rounded a cam lobe, seeing all the trouble on the internet, I'm not so sure I should have ordered a Comp 274H cam. Probably going to spend the money for a roller retro, but man they are expensive. In the 5 years since this video was made the kit is now $1100-$1500 now depending on if it includes pushrods and chain components. . After that it's Comp, Lunati, Howards or another brand I haven't thought of?

Pete, Quick question. What is the best way to estimate engine HP in the design phase? I have seen many engines built and helped during different areas of the build as my friend does dirt track racing, but this will be my first build and want it to go off without a hitch as it is going in a street car and want to make sure things are done right. Any insight and help you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Also thanks for all the videos they are a great help.

Hi Pete, great video as always. Thanks for the lesson on hydraulic lifters. Never realized how complex they are. Did you announce the winner of the bottle opener? Sitting here with a cold one waiting for the news and very thirsty.

Great video. Thanks

Awesome info Thanks Pete

Found out recently that our You tube mentors do not get paid if you don't play the ads! So play the ads....... just mute them like you do on tv

I say this because my old lifters have like 1/8” piston/plunger side play and no spring pressure to speak of.

Good educational video that's what I'm seeing so far on RU-vid I think a couple of my lifters have broken Springs in them

I'm almost 100% sure that hydraulic cam lifters do not "pump" the reason they have all the mechanisms you illustrated, are for the engine's oil pressure to make the lifters turn into a solid lifter after engine starts. When oil pressure has depleted because the engine was turned off, the lifters relax, allowing the engine to turnover more easily for the next start. I could be wrong, but I don't think so.

nice vid , don't forget oil in the lifter under pressure inside the lifter takes up the valve train lash under hydraulic lock an bleed down.

A simpler explanation has to do with reduction of friction at the lobe that allows for much higher valve spring pressure and that allows for more aggressive cam lobe profiles.

Very helpful Pete!

If you push the plunger down while removing the clip it will never go flying.

From the early nineteen nineties most manufacturers have designed their engines to use and installed roller lifters and cams in their engines.

THX

Fascinating how the hydraulic lifter has that little check valve so it pumps up the oil ! thanks

hey, was just wondering, I have a set of crane roller tip rockers, not cheap, however, I smoked my cam my have metal in the bearings of the rollers , can I clean them with a hydrosonic cleaner or should I start over with new?

🔥🔥🔥A hundred years ago, (well, maybe 50 or so,) when we used to build engines, we would drown the hydraulic lifters in oil overnight to fill them just before installing the pushrods and rockers to get a more accurate initial adjustment. Do you think that's something we should do with hydraulic roller lifters? BTW, Great video 👍👍👍

You may have already covered this but do I have to change the length of my pushrods with this type of lifter? Also do I have to change the rockers as well? Thank you very much for your video really good watch

this is excellent, great channel.... subbed

What's the difference between a roller block and a non-roller block? I have a 351w C30E-6015-B-6 block number. I want to put a new cam in with roller rockers and lifters. Is there a retrofit type of set up to allow me to use my block?

another great vid. tks Pete

I have 327 motor . Can I change flat hydraulic lifter to roller hydraulic lifter and roller cam . Thank you

Awesome video and explanation Pete! Just two quick questions: 1. What happens if the plunger on the lifter has no movement at all. That is, it doesn't feel "springy", it only feels hard? 2. When putting them in, what if it takes good force to get them in, and they feel rough going up and down?

How about if .. I were to upgrade to roller lifter . would I have to shorten the push rod size ?

Another thing to add for hydraulic lifters, coat in oil and then wipe the face off and smear a little cam lube on it before installing,

Hey Pete, I have a 302 that is a roller block but don't have the spider bar or dog bones. With the retro fit lifters do I need to add the spider bar and dog bones or is they already setup. Will I have to change push rods?

Good video thanks

I was waiting to see what holds them in

Pete where can I get a rebuild kit for my 1987 Chevy stock hydraulic roller??? Some of my lifters don’t have any spring to them.

If I disassemble a lifters, will it fix when they get hard to push?

Hello friend, I have a question related to this, if I remove all the lifters and activate the oil pump, should the same amount come out of all the ducts that feed the lifters? I am telling you this because in my engine, with the engine running and the rocker arm covers removed, not all of them release the same amount of oil on the rocker arms and if there is one that shoots jets that make the pressure clockwise The oil oscillates, is it possible that this lifter is causing so much noise in the engine, knock-knock type, and that the oil does not reach the other lifters properly, why does the pressure go away from that one? Greetings I hope you can help me

So say I’m building a mid 70’s 454 can I run roller lifters on it even though it doesn’t have the spider thing?

I like your garage awesome video.

Thanks Pete. Great Video. I never knew a hydraulic lifter has so many parts.

And What benefit does the Flat Tappet Lifter has?

Thanks bro.

Hi I have a 73 Nova with a 350. I want to go roller tired of wiping out flat tapped. I'm confused I keep seeing video's of a spider being installed to convert to roller cam?

hi Sir, just wants to asks does the wholes on the lifter need to be straight to each other or it doesn't matter

I'm building a 70 ls7 454 and I'm putting a roller camshaft in can I just order a set of roller push rods or do I have to measure them all

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

Great video

My question is do you pump them before install lifter or just soak them in the oil

can you make a video on whats happens when lifters "tick"?

Hi Pete, you must have noticed some lifters have different oil metering plate. They have no holes and the pushrod cup bottom does not have the passage guiding the oil to the middle hole. You should do a part 2 video where you show this. Because those lifters are worse quality and i bet have problems oiling the top as they will only pass oil on "leak" phase of the lifter. And some Compcams lifters wont even do that. People should be warned and showed different brand lifters and their innards so they can choose working one. Im trying to do video about it myself soon.

Good day thanks for the lifters information. I know you did this video three years ago. I’m going through a previously rebuilt 351 Windsor. It has flat tappet lifters. My question is when I prime the engine with oil by turning the oil pump will the lifters get primed.? Will the lifters only get hydraulic pressure after pumping/spinning the crank and cam? If so will they pump up quickly? The reason I’m asking is because the lifters are completely flat therefore there’s no pressure on them to lift the rockers. I think you know what I’m getting at. Thank you

So do you not prime new lifters.prior to install? I've looked all over and couldn't find a good answer. Some say just coat in oil, and drop in. Others say to use a vice to compress new lifters, drain them, then prime them by hand...then install. I just replaced lifters in my 5.4 2v ford.... Majority of rattle is gone...still have 1 slight rattle, And have hazing at idle. Nothing changed other than new lifter installs. No haze prior to replacing lifters.

does it matter which way the tiny oil bleed hole in the roller lifter faces?

Hi Pete. I recently had my 402 Chevy engine rebuilt, I hope my mechanic performed the cam break in properly. I'm at the point where I need to change its oil for the first time since driving it about 700 miles. Which type of oil do you recommend for a flat tappet cam?

So, just dipping the lifters is sufficient? You don't have to "prime" them?

Do you have to break in hydralic roller lifters and cams like you do flat tappet cams?

how much shorter are the pushrods when going to the taller rollers . .

I GOT A PROBLEM I NEVER SEEN BEFORE , I PUT A SET OF HYD ROLLER LIFTERS IN MY MOTOR AND I NOTICE SOME PUSHRODS ARE SHORTER THAN THE OTHERS BUT THEY ARE NOT !!! I ADJUSTED THE ONES THAT WASN'T COLLAPES BUT THE OTHERS WHERE TO SHORT TO ADJUST, SO TURN THE OIL PUMP WITH A DRILLL TO 60 LBS AND THEY PUMPED UP SO I KEEP THE DRILL RUNNING AND ADJUSTED THEM BUT WHEN I SHUT THE DRILL OFF AND THE PRESURE WENT DOWN THE PUSH RODS ARE SHORT AGAIN AND THERES PLAY IN THE ROCKER ARM , WHATS MY PROBLEM ???

A very informative video. I'm looking into converting a 400 to hydraulic roller, and wasn't sure if you had the link bar that you still need the spider or dogbone. Just the durability,the more choices for oil, and lack of maintenance for a roller setup makes it worth it to me. Then on top of that the possibility of more aggressive cams. I am wondering though, would there be anymore benefit of running zddp in the oil still with hydraulic roller tappets and hydraulic roller rocker arms?

How do you know if a lifter is of good quality?

1989 ford mustang 5.o roller short block xxx e303 heads gt 40 can you put these together

Can you confirm the brand of retro lifters used in this video? (Stamped "c") - Thanks!

pete, did you find those lifters a little chatty? great share by the way! larry

Don't forget you may have to change the gear on your distributor when switching from a flat tappet cam to a roller cam.

Hi im rebuilding my enging and installing a bigger cam if i use roller lifters do i still need to run my engine for 30 minutes at 2000 rpm or i dont need to do it?

I'm getting ready to convert my 88 f150 302 from flat to roller it's all stock beside headers and intakes what push rods would I need?

Question, if my engine sat one year. Lifters are soft. They could leak during time?

Which style is more durable, i.e., does one have a longer expected service life than the other?

How noisy are those retrofit roller you installed in that engine ? I've tried numerous times to quiet mine down some. I've built 10-15 of these small block 350's. Some with stock roller setup, and some really wild big lift Camshafts. I just finished a 406 stroker using these retrofit hydraulic roller lifters with a mutha thumper camshaft. First adjustments were 0-lash then 1/2 turn more. These things sounded like they were hitting the inside of the intake lol. And the oil pressure is at 80psi and 55-60 when up to temperature. So I readjusted them using 3/4 turn after 0- lash. A little quieter but still loud. Final adjustment was 1 full turn after 0- lash and they are all still tapping pretty loud. I am not going any further than that with the adjustment. I don't like running them tight like that. The engine runs good but I am scared there's something is not right. And I don't want to keep running it and smash all these expensive things to bits. Is it just the way these lifters are ? or is there something I'm missing ?

I've never worked on cars but wouldn't putting a spring oil pump in the lifters exacerbate valve float and timing issues?