Thread: Hydraulic lifter help

Tweet

Hey guys,

I picked up a set of lifters from AutoZone for a 1965 283 SBC. Is "Melling" a decent name brand? Anyway, got four identical boxes with p/n JB-817. Right off the bat I noticed 8 of the lifters had gold colored retaining clips and the remaining two boxes had silver colored retaining clips. On closer inspection I noticed the gold clipped lifters seat was closer to the top of the lifter body (.105) and the silver colored clipped lifters seats were further down in the body of the lifter (.185). These measurements were taken from the top of the lifter body to the outside diameter of the lifter seat. I have included a picture. Other then that they are identical in outside dimensions. Oh one other thing. The silver clipped ones I can easily push the seat through it's travel with a push rod. The gold ones are rock solid. I did install them and turn the oil pump with a long screw driver in an attempt to "pump" them up to see if they would get hard. They did not. But I don't know if that method would be enough to pump them up? The boxes appeared to be new and unopened. What should I do? I'd imagine they would work once the valve lash was set. But it just doesn't seem right to have different lifters. Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Kevin

Melling is a well-known brand name in the automotive industry and I have used their stuff for years. But everybody makes mistakes and this time, you just happened to be on the receiving end of someone's error.

Box the lifters up and return them to AutoZone. Double check the applicable part number with the counter guy and inspect another box of lifters at the store before you leave. Take an old pushrod with you and your dial caliper to check 'em out before you leave the counter.

Thanks Richard. I'll do that. The ones I originals I removed are a match with the silver clipped ones. I'm curious as to which ones Autozone will come up with being that two boxes were of one type and two of the other. So, if they come up with a ?? box, does that make it the right ones? Go with 2 out of three?
Thanks again,
Kevin

Yeah, thats probably the case Denny. I'll exchange them. Any thoughts on the differences? Just curious...because if they have more mixed up ones and I just want to match them up...which ones should I get? Also, again just curious...why do you thing the gold clipped ones are so hard and the silver clipped ones, the seats can be pressed in easily? How can you tell the difference between a solid lifter and hydraulic?

Kevin

That's why I mentioned taking an old pushrod to the store with you. If you can't depress the plunger, it's a solid lifter. Now, some may argue that the lifter could be a hydraulic that is full of oil and I suppose that is possible, but all the hydraulic lifters I've bought and installed over the years have not had a lick of oil in them from the factory. It is possible also that someone bought them, pumped them up and then returned them.

Bottom line: find 16 lifters that you can depress and that measure the same from the bottom of the lifter to the plunger surface. Take pad and paper with you if you have to. Measure the total length of the lifter, then measure the distance from the top of the lifter body to the plunger and subtract that figure from the total length. Again, find 16 that measure the same and that you can depress the plunger with your pushrod. If these guys don't have any more lifters, go to another AutoZone or have them order some more lifters in for you to check. Or use another supplier like NAPA or whatever.

Thanks Richard...I called AutoZone and they pulled more off the shelf. Again they had the gold clipped and silver clipped (majority silver clipped). I am going to go pick up the silver clipped ones. I was able to push the gold clipped seat down ever so slightly (maybe a 1/16th to 1/8th of an inch). No oil on them though. Would a solid lifter have any movement? I took apart an old hydraulic lifter and it has a spring, a ball and a plunger. What's inside a solid lifter? (just curious)

Thanks again for your help,
Kevin

"Would a solid lifter have any movement?"
No
"What's inside a solid lifter?"
A plunger that is just there to provide a pushrod cup and a retainer wire at the top. No check valve, spring or any other superfluous parts.

All SBC lifters, whether solid or hydraulic, will have a hole in the side of the lifter body and a hole in the pushrod cup because that's the only way oil is provided to the rocker pivot to lubricate it, the pushrod/rocker interface, the rocker/valve tip interface and to provide oil to the springs to cool them. There is a hole in the side of the lifter bore in the block that is pressure fed from the oil galley and the lifter picks up oil through this hole.

Just a quick follow up. Exchanged the lifters at AutoZone and put them in. I pulled one of the ones with the gold clips and sure enough it was hydraulic but it had a very heavy, thick spring compared to the other type. Thanks again for everyones help. Now I have a question on oil priming. I'll post it separate.