hey gearheads,

I gotta a 350 with a Comp Cams 280H Magnum
with standard johnson (i think thats who made em) hyd lifters .I suspect one or more to be bad.I'm thinkin bout pullin the intake(its gotta a small oil leak at the front anyways) .What am looking for aside from a concave bottom where it contacts cam lobe.Are there any methods for testing the integrity of the hyd mechanism or tell tale signs of failure?? thanks as always

Chad

I really suspect that your lifters are not "bad" as much as probably "crudded up" due to who knows what and why...

Anybody got a better idea??

I do know that you can run them up and down one at a time while the engine is idling close to the total adjustment of them and sometimes they straighten out, (purge the crud)..

I always ran mine turned about a 1/4 turn down b/c I tried the 1/8th turn and popped a retainer and lost my P/R which launched a lifter from it's bore thus causing me to shut my engine off real fast when she started hammering!!!

Didn't hurt anything, BUT scared the h-ll outta me!!!!!! pdq67

Thanks pdq67,I'll set em at 1/4 turn or more as to avoid any severe heart truama,not to mention the change of shorts.If I take em out should I soak em in solvent and try to pump the crud out.Then blow em out with compressed air, coat em with cam break in compound reinstall in the order removed,then prime the engine with drill motor.All suggestions welcome and appreciated.Please everyone try not to reply all at once,might crash the server.Just kiddin :rolleyes:
Thx Chad

LongRod406,

I know this may sound strange.... But I can remember an old school trick that may help you out! Back in the day when I worked on em for coin, I can remember the old guy's pouring a quart of ATF in the motor and running it for a few miles to "Clean" up the lifters. I do know that ATF is lighter and high detergent lubricant and would possibly clean/loosen things up. Has anybody else heard the same from the older crowd?

Maybe worth trying


Cheers,
Tom

ATF is a great cleaner. Only once I put a little in my oil the day before an oil and filter change. In artillery we called it cherry juice. Used it clean the tubes in the 8 inch artillery tubes. Worked better penetration and cleaning wise than the army's standard break free on the books that we should use. I've been told the same thing about trans fluid being ok and not hurting the engine to have a quart in the oil.

I use good old-fashioned Marvel Mystery Oil!!!

Excellent "top oil", both in the tank and in the oil!!! pdq67

Take a close look at your rocker arms where the pushrod seats.
Sometimes the pushrod socket area get's worn so much, the holes don't line up right, and the oil can't get out at the correct time to vent air. Compare yours to a new rocker.
Rocker angle geometry also affects this.
David