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FE Power Forums => FE Technical Forum => Topic started by: drdano on February 15, 2020, 10:56:05 PM

Title: Freeing stuck roller lifter plungers?
Post by: drdano on February 15, 2020, 10:56:05 PM

How does one go about freeing up the stuck plungers in a linked roller lifter?  I went to pop the clip out of the lifter bore from the top, but...there is a link bar rivet blocking the internals from coming out so that isn't going to happen.  Very oddly, all the plungers on the 5-8 bank are stuck at the top most position.  All but one on the 1-4 bank are a-ok and move just fine when you push on them with a pushrod. 

Should I try to soak them in some sort of solvent?   Gas?  Something stronger?

Title: Re: Freeing stuck roller lifter plungers?
Post by: blykins on February 16, 2020, 06:07:47 AM

Let valve spring pressure push them down.  I doubt they are stuck.

Title: Re: Freeing stuck roller lifter plungers?
Post by: philminotti on February 16, 2020, 08:16:43 AM

I doubt they're stuck as well.  They're probably full of oil.  When I built my first FE, I mistakenly soaked my crane rollers in oil overnight.  They were so full of oil, I couldn't set the preload.  I had to make a fixture with a piece of oak and slowly squeeze the oil out using my bench vise.

Title: Re: Freeing stuck roller lifter plungers?
Post by: Falcon67 on February 17, 2020, 09:51:36 AM

As above - once having seen pressure and not being in a spot on the bore where it might be easier to bleed down, they will act a bit like solids.  If you did get the clip out, odds are you'd not get it back without pulling the lifter and doing a full disassembly.