Oil soaking lifters???
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
From: Utah
Oil soaking lifters??? I have just bought some new ls7 lifters and i've been told by some people that I need to soak them in the oil im using in my car for 24 hours before I install them? Is this correct?
never soak your lifters...you need lifter preload when setting up the valvetrain so you dont hurt the lifter. if it is soaked, it will pump all the way up and when you fire it the first time, it wil collapse a little and run the risk of bending a pushrod. let the lifters pump up on their own. it says this right on the box from sealed power when i got my lifters for my 355.
people will tell you to soak them because it will have them pumped up upon startup, which will eleminate lifter tick on initial startup. but the lifters drain down when you shut the car off anyways. not totally but enough. if you leave your car sit overnight when its cold out, the lifters will tick for a few seconds untill oil pressure stabalizes. of course this is normal. i have never soaked any lifters and the only adverse effect i have gotten was lifter tick for about 10 seconds on initial break in of the engine. i just got my 355 running and it ticked for about 10 seconds. now i primed the oil system, but none of the lifters pumped up when i primed it.
the engine holds 60-80 psi cold, and when it warms up it holds steady at 35-45 at hot idle. no noises no problems.
the engine holds 60-80 psi cold, and when it warms up it holds steady at 35-45 at hot idle. no noises no problems.
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Brett Foote
Staging Lane
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 96
Likes: 0
From: Stanwood, Wa.
never soak your lifters...you need lifter preload when setting up the valvetrain so you dont hurt the lifter. if it is soaked, it will pump all the way up and when you fire it the first time, it wil collapse a little and run the risk of bending a pushrod. let the lifters pump up on their own. it says this right on the box from sealed power when i got my lifters for my 355.
No offense there bww.. but huh..
I've always soaked mine, my old man did, and everyone else that I know does..
**** my dad asks me if I plan on soaking them any time I tell him that they are out..lol
I've always soaked mine, my old man did, and everyone else that I know does..
**** my dad asks me if I plan on soaking them any time I tell him that they are out..lol
talk to TSP or LME and see what they say. i used to soak my lifters untill i took my HP engines class at school. there are more adverse effects to soaking them than not.
the thing is, you have to adjust the valves WITH lifter preload. if you soak them, you lose a lot of your preload because they will fill up totally with oil. if you dont soak them, you still have your preload and the lifter will only pump up as far as the plunger will let them. so if the pushrod is pushed down into the lifter where it should be, the lifter will only fill up that far. if you soak them, you have essentially turned them into solid lifters untill they bleed down.
we had problems on my buddies olds 350 when doing the valve train. we got a bad set of pushrods and about half of them broke within the first 50 miles. so when we changed pushrods, on the ones that broke, the lifters were totally hard, we had to take them apart to get them to bleed down so we could set the valves correctly.
the thing is, you have to adjust the valves WITH lifter preload. if you soak them, you lose a lot of your preload because they will fill up totally with oil. if you dont soak them, you still have your preload and the lifter will only pump up as far as the plunger will let them. so if the pushrod is pushed down into the lifter where it should be, the lifter will only fill up that far. if you soak them, you have essentially turned them into solid lifters untill they bleed down.
we had problems on my buddies olds 350 when doing the valve train. we got a bad set of pushrods and about half of them broke within the first 50 miles. so when we changed pushrods, on the ones that broke, the lifters were totally hard, we had to take them apart to get them to bleed down so we could set the valves correctly.
never soak your lifters.
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 24,241
Likes: 89
From: Turnin' Wrenches Infractions: 005
^^^I dont care what this guy says. I soaked mine for like a month waiting for my motor to go together. Then after install it took another week for crank up anyway 
So does that count or not???
So does that count or not??? 
Again, when Morel starts including a Caution card that states "soaking your $500 lifters will destroy them in short order" I will remember your advice. Until then however, I will do what I always have without issue, soak em.
On The Tree
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 197
Likes: 0
From: Huntsville, AL
http://cranecams.com/?show=faq&id=3
These folks seem to agree with you. Now, I'm not familiar with Crane Cams, but seeing as how they're in the engine business I would have to think that they know a little something about putting in a hydraulic lifter.
You have some pretty good reasoning behind what you're saying.
http://cranecams.com/?show=faq&id=3
These folks seem to agree with you. Now, I'm not familiar with Crane Cams, but seeing as how they're in the engine business I would have to think that they know a little something about putting in a hydraulic lifter.
http://cranecams.com/?show=faq&id=3
These folks seem to agree with you. Now, I'm not familiar with Crane Cams, but seeing as how they're in the engine business I would have to think that they know a little something about putting in a hydraulic lifter.
"mistakenly believe that hydraulic lifters must be soaked in oil overnight and be hand pumped up with a pushrod before installing into a new engine.
We are only discussing soaking the lifters in oil. Nothing involving hand pumping with a pushrods before install. Crane does not make lifters, MOREL makes them under contract for Crane cams. Morel has never stated soaking their lifters is a bad thing. I think you guys are reading into this WAY too much.
^^^Agreed!
I was NOT suggesting to soak the lifters for "pump-up" reasons at all. A lot of people take for granted or overlook the fact that roller lifters have wheels that roll on needle bearings. They come packed with heavy grease, that should be removed/cleaned, then soaked with the same type of lubricant that the engine will use upon initial start-up and break-in. That is the only reason that I have always cleaned, then soaked ALL of my hydraulic roller and solid roller lifters for numerous SBC/BBC engine builds. It's just extra, added insurance and most importantly, peace of mind for me. To each is own though.
I was NOT suggesting to soak the lifters for "pump-up" reasons at all. A lot of people take for granted or overlook the fact that roller lifters have wheels that roll on needle bearings. They come packed with heavy grease, that should be removed/cleaned, then soaked with the same type of lubricant that the engine will use upon initial start-up and break-in. That is the only reason that I have always cleaned, then soaked ALL of my hydraulic roller and solid roller lifters for numerous SBC/BBC engine builds. It's just extra, added insurance and most importantly, peace of mind for me. To each is own though.
ALWAYS CLEAN ENGINE COMPONENTS before assembly/useage!
Treat your engine like your body. Would you buy chicken from the grocery store and not wash it before you cook or eat it?
---On a serious note though...Keep all engine components sterile. No matter how expensive or inexpensive...it's just good practice. Your oil pump and filter will also thank you.
Treat your engine like your body. Would you buy chicken from the grocery store and not wash it before you cook or eat it?
---On a serious note though...Keep all engine components sterile. No matter how expensive or inexpensive...it's just good practice. Your oil pump and filter will also thank you.
Last edited by sixt9er; Feb 24, 2010 at 07:47 PM.