On a 1972 302 should the lifters be "primed" by submerging in an oil bath and compressing them before I install them? :confused:
Read the instructions, or the box. When I installed the lifters in my mav, the box had in caps, NOT to do that. The technique I used was to put some engine lube on the outside so not to wear the cam, then crank the engine over with the rockers loose. If you tighten the rockers, the lifters will not pump up properly. I did have problems with this, and some would not pump up, and I had to back off the rockers again and crank. I believe when the fill up, you can see oil come out of it. however, ever since I replaced them, (with a head rebuild) I have not had full compression on 2 cylinders. Even though my heads were rebuilt by a kid in an auto shop which I believe to be the culprit. However, I wouldn't put it past the lifters though. What are other peoples opionions about this?
priming the lifters If you do it by turning the oil pump with them in the engine and pushrods and rockerarms loose that's fine. You can leave the intake manifold off to do that and that way you can check to see if all are getting oil. They just don't want you putting them in a can of oil and thinking they're primed. Use a little dab of cam moly lube of the bottom and where the pushrod goes into the lifter. Don't want them to start up dry.
There were no instructions... I'm still unclear on this. 1. I will prime the oil pump with an old distributor shaft. 2. I have put assembly lube on the cam and lifters. I guess my Question was unclear, So I should lube the exterior of the lifter ( the cam contact area and the push rod area also the sides) Just wondering if they should be primed by pumping them before I accually install them? (sorry for the confusion) Thanks, Mark B
Lifter Installation You are doing it right when priming the pump, do not prime them by hand. If you watch closely when priming the pump you will see the pushrods and rockers take up any lash in them and also you will be able to make sure all valve train components are oiling as they should be. Yes, you should coat the bottom and sides of each lifter with a quality assembly lube available at any parts store. Run the engine at 1500 to 2000 rpm for about 5 or 10 min. Vary the rpm's up or down so as not to hold a constant speed. This should break in the cam and valve train correctly. I would go back afterwards and recheck rocker adjustments before buttoning up the valve covers etc.
Question ? Just a quick question ... Could you prime it by pulling the coil wire and turning the motor over ??
76 Mav: The idea is to get oil distributed through the engine before turning it over. Not sure what to look for on a V-8, but when I primed the 250 six in my (now David's) 72, I spun the oil pump until oil started leaking out where the pushrods contact the rocker arms. If you use assembly lube it may take a while to get oil running out all the holes cause you have to push motor oil through the thick lube. Since I plan on buying something with V-8 power next year, can one of you V-8 boys comment on how you know that you've throughly pre-oiled a fresh motor? Thanks. Tom
Well...heres what I did. I took an old distributor drive shaft (minus the cam gear) and spun it counterclock wise ( the direction I believe the dist turns when running) I turned the drill till quite a bit of resistance was felt. continuing this, Soon after oil began filling the lifters and working its way up the push rods. This made me aware of a new problem. One of the push rods had some vertical play in it. I traded the rod with the one next to it and then it had play. So, worn push rod? I suppose. I do not have any thing to accurately measure something that long. The other push rods might also be worn past the recomended tolerance. I think I will just replace them all. Dang it! more money in the maverick! Well spent though!?
Pre-Lube Engine I would think that having the covers off the valves is one indicator but I have always used a mechanical gage and if the pressure goes up while priming then it's a good bet all is well in the system. Not saying there couldn't be a restriction in one of the oil galleys which would still show pressure on the gage, but 99 times out of a 100 everything is ok. Just a thing that I do on my engines on rebuilds or just plain oil changes, is to fill the filter with oil before installation. This will allow almost instant oil pressure on start up instead of having to wait for the pump to fill it. The Ford FL-1A filter is located on the early cars so is rather simple to do. Some other models with filters in the most god awful locations can get a bit tricky and messy to put on with oil in them. By the way if you use a good 1/2 drill to prime the system, did you notice how it pulls down and almost stops when pressure builds. Imagine the horsepower the engine uses while running to do the same thing, especially in extreme cold weather. Like trying to stir mollasses at 10deg F with a toothpick. See my neighbor every morning start up his older truck and before the engine makes 400rpm it's in gear and away he goes pedal to the floor. Will that motor last long? probably not, it's a CHEVY anyway. Couldn't resist that one He He.
