Hey, guys. I've seen varied opinions on this. Some say pre-soak hydraulic lifters in oil to pre-lube and some say don't. Part of the reason for not doing it is to prevent the lifter from being in solid state when it should be plunging initially. I figure that if I soak them, they should bleed down by the time I'm all assembled and ready to start anyway, so I'll most likely be soaking them.

Also.... what if I pull the injector or fuel pump relays and let the starter crank the engine without firing? If I do that a few times, shouldn't that activate the oil pump and pretty much lube things before starting.

Opinions?

 

Read the directions that come with your lifters. Some want to be pre-soaked, others do not. I would generally give them an oil bath for an hour or so before installation, and douse 'em good with break-in lube as well. (flat tappet hydraulic lifters....)

 

Directions? I must've lost all 16, or the boxes came empty. LOL (Sealed power brand)

 

Ah, the "Here are the parts, YOU figger it out." philosophy of engine building.

Soak 'em. When you have the valve train fully assembled, roll the motor over BY HAND a couple times, to make sure nothing is binding.

 

Yeah, I'll do that and crank it over a few times too.

 

Yep, soak them. They may or may not go full stiff, but put them under pressure and they will bleed down. They need the valve spring pressure to bleed properly.

 

They're a soaking. Found out that if you put them in a water bottle and squeeze it, you'll probably duplicate soaking overnight due to the pressure.

 

I was taught to soak them. I haven't rebuilt an engine since the early 90's though. I'd be a little lost at sea now. Technol

 

Just to be clear, I'm doing all this without removing the engine.

Hey guys, along with the lifters, I'm putting in new valve springs and stem seals. I'm going to use my compressor to keep air in the cylinder while I remove the valve springs. Does the piston have to be at TDC while I do this? Only reason I can think of is to support the valve if it happens to fall in. Anyone know if when the 4.7L pistons are at TDC and say (God forbid) valves fell in, would part of the valve stem still be sticking out, or would they fall completely into the cylinder and disappear?

Gotta admit, I'm not real comfy doing this. I'm using one of these miller 8387 type tools (actually a knockoff combo tool) to compress the spring and it looks like it's going to be a real bear doing the upper springs as the tool's foot blocks me from seeing the keepers. That is currently the rocker removal leg attached in this pic. There is another similar spring compressor leg that I'll be using.

 

Can't offer advice on the tool as I've never used one, but I'd make sure the piston was close to the top. Why chance losing the valve when you'll have the spark plugs out anyway and the engine will be easy to spin?