The Fix For Noisy Hydraulic Lifters

Ccrp 1208 Noisy Hydraulic Lifters Fix 01

We bought a set of used hydraulic roller lifters and inspected them mainly by cleaning the rollers and making sure the bearings didn’t feel damaged. What we didn’t consider was the hydraulic side of the lifter. We put these lifters in a roller-cammed small-block and were rewarded with a very noisy valvetrain.

We bought a set of used hydraulic roller lifters and inspected them mainly by cleaning the

When it comes to building engines, those equipped with hydraulic roller lifters offer major advantages to budget-conscious car crafters. Starting in 1987 with passenger-car small-blocks, including the Corvette and Camaro, Chevrolet began gearing engines with hydraulic roller cams and lifters. Ford was actually a year ahead of Chevrolet, first equipping the 5.0L Mustangs with hydraulic roller cams in 1986. We don’t need to go into all the advantages of roller lifters here, as we’re more concerned with adapting them to a performance engine. The big plus with roller lifters is, unlike their flat-faced predecessors, they can be reused on both new and used roller cams with little fear of failure. But while it may seem as though you can use hydraulic roller lifters repeatedly with impunity, we’ve discovered that’s not entirely true. Most discussions regarding scouting used roller lifters concentrate on the roller bearings, which is important, but the lifter’s internal check valve is an area that is also susceptible to failure.

We were able to identify the offending six lifters in the engine because we could easily collapse the pushrod side of the rocker arm soon after shutting the engine down. This is a gross indicator and will only work on engines that are fully warmed up and then quickly checked. It generally indicates that a lifter’s check ball is inoperative, allowing the oil to escape out of the internal chamber.
We were able to identify the offending six lifters in the engine because we could easily c
The foot valve at the bottom of this production small-block Chevy roller lifter retains the tiny check ball and spring that functions to retain the oil in the area between this valve and the oil-filled chamber below. Noisy lifters can often be traced to crud preventing the check ball from sealing to the piston. Injecting carb cleaner into the foot-valve slots and following with compressed air might be enough to clean the check ball and restore lifter operation. Of course, we’re not guaranteeing anything, and this requires complete disassembly of each lifter.
The foot valve at the bottom of this production small-block Chevy roller lifter retains th
If new roller lifters are part of your engine upgrade, it’s a good idea to soak them in a high-zinc oil before installing them in the engine. We used Rislone high-zinc additive, but something like Comp Cams’ Break-In oil is an excellent choice. The high zinc content helps the roller bearings during the initial lifter break-in period. Yes, even roller lifters experience a break-in period. We found this Country Crock margarine tub will easily hold 16 lifters and a quart of oil and can be sealed with the lid for overnight soaking.
If new roller lifters are part of your engine upgrade, it’s a good idea to soak them in a

Buttoning up a recent budget small-block Chevy engine build, we tried a set of used hydraulic roller lifters that appeared to be in good shape. We disassembled all 16 and cleaned the internal pistons, being careful to do only one at a time. But after starting the engine, it was clear from the loud clattering that we had a problem. Immediately after engine shutdown, we yanked the valve covers and discovered that six of the lifters could very easily be depressed (the remaining lifters appeared to be good). Initially, we thought excessive clearance between the lifter piston and body was the problem, but after talking with Mike Golding of Gaterman Products, who sells high-quality performance roller lifters, we learned that dirt or debris in the check valve inside the hydraulic piston is more likely the culprit. Sometimes, the caged check ball can be cleaned with a shot of carb cleaner and high-pressure air to restore its proper seal. If you connect the top of the piston to a vacuum source, you’ll see that any lifter that can’t maintain a vacuum has obvious check-ball leakage and will likely be noisy. Of course, performing this test requires disassembling each lifter, making the purchase of used hydraulic roller lifters with an unknown background a bit of a crapshoot. Check-valve problems are generally tied to engines that have not been properly maintained. While you could experiment with multiple sets of lifters to find 16 good ones, that’s a lot of work, especially when the task involves removing the intake manifold. Golding also warns that the pistons used inside the hydraulic lifter are carefully sized to within 50 millionths (0.000050) of an inch. That means you should not mix lifter bodies and internal pistons. If you disassemble a hydraulic lifter, you should always keep the internal parts together for reassembly.

Noisy lifters can also be aggravated by excessive valvespring pressure. The Dart heads on our small-block use 1.250-inch-diameter single springs with 110 pounds of seat load and around 280 pounds over the nose. This seat pressure is about 20 to 30 pounds higher than production springs and could contribute to noisy lifters. The bottom line is that a high-quality lifter with more accurate clearances and clean check valves will allow higher spring loads without additional noise. But also be aware that performance camshafts will often create some noise, which is a direct result of the more aggressive lobe design rather than any fault of the lifter. We’ve included several sources for hydraulic roller lifters along with some other performance lifter recommendations to help you find the right fit for your application.

This is how Chevrolet retains the stock hydraulic roller lifters. Each pair of lifters is aligned with a retainer (Ford guys call these dog bones) along with a spring-steel retainer called a spider. Factory ’87-and-later cylinder blocks are fitted with three center boltholes used to locate and retain the spider. In addition, the front of the block uses a small retainer to prevent cam walk.
This is how Chevrolet retains the stock hydraulic roller lifters. Each pair of lifters is
Once all the components are back in place, the easiest way to set lifter preload is to use the exhaust opening/intake closing method (EO/IC). With the valve covers off, rotate the crank clockwise by hand until the exhaust valve starts to open. You can identify the exhaust valve because it will line up with the header pipe. When the exhaust valve is roughly one-quarter open, stop and set the preload on the intake valve. A typical preload value for a street engine is between 1⁄4 and 1⁄2 turn after all the clearance between the pushrod and the rocker is removed.
Once all the components are back in place, the easiest way to set lifter preload is to use
With the intake lifter preloaded, resume rotating the engine until the intake valve is roughly halfway closed past peak lift. Stop rotating the engine and preload the exhaust lifter with between 1⁄4 and 1⁄2 turn on the adjuster. We prefer to do the lifters in order so we don’t lose track, starting with one front cylinder (doesn’t matter which side you start with) and continuing down one side at a time. Button up the valve covers, and you’re ready to rock!
With the intake lifter preloaded, resume rotating the engine until the intake valve is rou

Parts List

DESCRIPTION	PN	SOURCE	PRICE
Summit replacement hyd. roller SBC	HT-214	Summit Racing	$7.50 ea. ($120.00 / 16)
Summit replacement hyd. roller SBF	HT-220	Summit Racing	$6.95 ea. (111.20 / 16)
GM OE replace hyd. roller SBC	12499225	Summit Racing	132.95
Comp Cams replace hyd. SBC	850-16	Summit Racing	216.95
Gaterman LS high-perf. hyd. roller lifter, LS	GP-1012	Gaterman Products	Call
Crane replace OE hyd. roller SBC	10530-16	Summit Racing	209.6
Comp Break-In 10w30	1,590	Summit Racing	5.95/qt.