Hydraulic Lifters and Cams

[Opelotus]

I was in the process of reinstalling the hydraulic lifters in the cam housing when I noticed the center of one lifter popped out. The lifters were sitting in my basement with the oil ports facing up for about 3-4 weeks (which is what the WSM says to do, although all of them lost oil anyways). So now I am confused; are the lifter centers supposed to be flush with the body or popped up? Is the one lifter broken? Why would it pop out after a few weeks?

Also, is the cam supposed to be offset as seen in the photo? I recall them being a bit odd like that, and the bearing surfaces are all lined up, so am I ok?

[Danglerb]

I could be wrong, but sounds like you have one good lifter. ;(

The little poking out peg is the compliant part, spring loaded it fills with oil, and ideally just takes up the slack so the valve fully closes without need for adjustment.

[Opelotus]

In that case, can the other lifters be freed up? Not sure why one decided to unstick like it did, but if one can, couldn't the others do the same (perhaps with a little help)? Also, there was no lifter noise when the engine last ran.

[Opelotus]

I spoke with my boss today and he said it could be just the opposite; that I have one BAD lifter. Does anyone else have exerience with these lifters?

[Danglerb]

I would give them all a tablespoon of Marvel Mystery oil. The internal design is a real dirt trap, you should see the stuff come out when they are ultrasonically cleaned.

[Barbapapa]

Originally Posted by Opelotus

I spoke with my boss today and he said it could be just the opposite; that I have one BAD lifter. Does anyone else have exerience with these lifters?

I know little about 2v stuff but have noticed those lifters normally look "in" when removed. Can you pluck that protruding one out with pliers?

[76FJ55]

Don't think I would grab it with pliers. If it is salvagable now, as soon as you put any nicks/gouges in it pulling on it with pliers it wont be.

[Opelotus]

Pliers aren't necessary; I can grab it with my fingers. Pulled it out, there is a small spring behind it.

So, is the general consensus that the lifter that popped apart is broken or at least abnormal, and the other 15 that are still flush are good?

Do the 4 little indented marks around the lifter's center valve actually hold the valve in place (it looks like they do on the other ones). If so, can I depress the valve and make the marks deeper with a chisel in an effort to keep the valve from popping out again?

Just as an experiment I tried depressing a valve in one of the other lifters (one that was flush) and it didn't budge, does that mean that they too are stuck, but still usable if they can be freed?

I'm still not sure how these style lifters work - is it the small center valve that actually actuates the valves, or does the entire inner body move with oil pressure?

Too many questions to ask! Perhaps it is a good thing that the popped lifter caught my attention and prevented me from reassembling the valvetrain with improperly functioning parts!!!

[Barbapapa]

Scrap that lifter. Check out the valve where it was for contact or bending. I have a vague idea that these lifters are a possible problem in pumping up at certain conditions.
You can get a good used replacement, it sounds like the others are fine.

For posterity, how about pulling that plunger out and taking pics? I'm curious.
And feel free to use those pliers if you think you can be trusted

[Opelotus]

I will take photos tomorrow morning. I rechecked a bunch of the lifters and found ONE in which I can actually depress the little plunger into the lifter and the spring returns it to flush. I would imagine that all the lifters are supposed to work like this, correct?

How can I clean the other lifters at home? Is it safe to lightly tap them with a brass punch and rubber mallet until they loosen, or do they need soaking in a solvent? I was really hoping to get my car running again by next weekend, so any quick tips would help alot. Thanks!!!

[Danglerb]

I suggest nothing drastic until somebody chimes in that knows instead of guessing.

[JhwShark]

Originally Posted by Danglerb

I suggest nothing drastic until somebody chimes in that knows instead of guessing.

+1 Maybe a local speed shop or performance machine guy can be found.

[76FJ55]

maybe try calling 928 international they deal in used parts so surely someone there would know how to evaluate them.

[Opelotus]

Thanks for the advice, I will try calling 928 Intl and see what they say before I do anything else with the lifters.

[Opelotus]

I plan on calling 928 Intl during lunch tomorrow, in the meantime here are the pictures requested of the lifter in question.

[Danglerb]

Here is a nice guide (.pdf so requires the adobe thing).
http://www.cabby-info.com/Files/CleaningHydroLifters.pdf

[Opelotus]

I spoke with an instructor at my school who is familiar with the 928 and has worked on cars (VW) with the same style lifters. He said that I should try repairing the popped lifter, which I succeeded in doing by pushing in the valve as far in as possible and making the 4 retaining indents flatter with a small chisel and hammer. The valve in the repaired lifter can now be depressed, but will not pop out as before. I then injected oil into the repaired lifter using a dental syringe.

The instructor also said that the reason all my other lifters seem "frozen" is because they are still pumped up with oil. I verified this by putting a lifter in a hydraulic press with a small socket on top of the valve and compressing the valve very slightly; oil began running out of the fill hole on the side of the lifter. After removing the lifter from the press, the valve could be depressed slightly by hand since some oil was displaced.

The final test will be when everything is back in the car and the engine is running.