Thread: 400 cannot remove lifters

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every single lifter in this motor is stuck in the bore. they'll spin freely but only come up about 1/4" and get totally stuck. after 3 days i cannot figure out how to do this. i cant get the cam out to remove them through the bottom any ideas or you think this block could be junk?

yep thats how you do them if they will not come up carb spray can help get them loose but when i take one apart for a rebuild i just push them out

I have always just grabbed them with a pair of vise grips and yanked them out if they were stuck.

Bug

way back when--squirt with gum out on bottom of lifter--wiggle them a few times and out they;d come---if not- turn block upside down, drive them up far enough to get cam out and them drive them out either way---just be careful to remove any dings from hammer or punch otherwise they will stick and kill cam when you put it back together

Grab with pliers and pull up to wedge lifters in their bores. Remove cam. Tap lifters out into cam bore from the top.

yep flip over tap them up in bores with a aluminum stick . keeps getting things screwed up . drive them out bottom using a 1/2 aluminum stick hard part is finding a aluminum tree to get a stick from

A brass drift will work as well.

okay so after many hours of blood and sweat i manages to remove about half of them w/ vice-grips and a 2' screwdriver to lever with. now for part 2 of the battle... ugh.

Originally Posted by 78c10

okay so after many hours of blood and sweat i manages to remove about half of them:

HUH? What are you doing?

With the block sitting with the main bearing bore down, grab each lifter with a pliers and pull and twist up. This will lodge the lifter in its bore and it will stay there. It should take about 2-3 minutes wedge all 16 lifters so that they are up off the cam. Now slide the cam out. Now take any kind of rod, punch or whatever and tap the lifters through toward the bottom of the block. They will fall out on the floor if the block has no oil pan on it. This whole operation should take no more than about 5 minutes.

engine is still in the vehicle makes it very hard to turn upside down

Originally Posted by 78c10

engine is still in the vehicle makes it very hard to turn upside down

I don't think you're taking the time to read anything that is written here. This is an excerpt from the previous post I wrote to you....

"With the block sitting with the main bearing bore down"

That's the same way it is sitting in the engine bay. I said nothing about having the motor upside down. I just don't think you're reading what is written.

Thanks Louey.

i got all of them out and i'm proceeding so thanks for the comments and help guys