1955 F250 239 V8 ohv original engine

Can solid lifters be cleaned or is it just best to replace them all?


Thank you for any info.


Chris

 

Any engine work in that area should include cleaning and inspection of the lifters. Be certain they go back in the same hole where they came out.

 

Not sure what you have going on exactly. As stated above, they can be re-used if they aren't damaged provided they are returned to the bore they came from. Be sure to coat the cam end with moly-lube and the sides / bore with regular oil when re-installing.

If they are removed and mixed up, replace them.

If you have replaced the camshaft, you must use new lifters compatible with your cam, and perform the proper break-in procedure with zinc infused oil.

 

Chris have ya got some sticky lifters?
If so Marvel Mystery Oil works wonders
when put in the crank case at oil change.
Like they said if a solid lifter isn't damaged
and goes back in the same bore it will be fine.
A varnished or gummed up lifter can be cleaned
and reinstalled. And would be the only reason
I can think of that would have you ask this.
I have ran diesel in the crank case for a few minutes
at low speed to help clean a gummed up engine.
Or to clean it up before an overhaul. But just for
a sticky lifter or valve the MM oil works pretty well.
May save an overhaul and let ya drive her a bit more.
Remember that if ya put diesel or MM or even High
Detergent oil in a gummed up engine it will knock
all the sludge loose and could plug stuff up and do
more damage. So be prepared to chance the oil
several times in short order to get the gunk out.

 

Solid lifers (and hydraulics for that matter) will "seat" to the cam lobe...this means that they will dish in the center of the face where the cam lobe rides against the lifter. The face of the lifter can be reshaped by a machinist so that when it is reinstalled it will once again seat to the cam lobe. As for cleaning, it is always good to have the oil passages clean and free of varnish and crud. You can soak them in a good carb cleaner and then blow the oil passages out with some compressed air.
I just looked at the Summit site to see what a set of lifters are selling for these days...CompCams - $163; Isky - $347. Maybe it is worth the time to refurb your OEM set.

 

My machine shop charges about a buck a lifter to reface lifters. If they are cupped pretty deep, the case hardening will be gone by the time you get them flat.

 

Thank you all for the responses! I used mystery oil and oil for high mileage engines when I changed the oil (I really did not change it because the guy that gave it to me drained all the oil and it did not run for 2 years). So, maybe that is why my pushrod moved or my valve is stuck down thus making my pushrod loose and jumped out, sort of speak; and/or loosening all the crud up to get stopped up creating the problem.