Lifter Going? Does My Thinking Track?
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Road Master
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 997
Likes: 96
From: Channahon, IL.
Lifter Going? Does My Thinking Track?
Upgraded the cams with SE adj. push rods. I think the lifter for the intake valve on the front cylinder is going or gone south. Have increased valve train noise with the new cam which it's my understanding can be expected with the higher lift. Just to be sure it wasn't something I did I went back in to double check my adjustment. Took them all back down, one cylinder at a time and made sure they were set correctly. What I noticed is that the front intake bled down much faster than the other three. By much faster I mean I could spin it before I was finished taking the lash out of the rod on the exhaust for the same cylinder. The other three took at least 20 minutes, probably closer to 30 before I could get some spin with my fingers. I was planning on replacing them all anyway but this may escalate the time frame to now. Does my thinking track on this? Also, if this is the case I may have found a big contributor to the increased noise.
Any input is much appreciated, Thanks!
Any input is much appreciated, Thanks!
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Road Master
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 997
Likes: 96
From: Channahon, IL.
Thanks, wasn't planning on going OEM or used. Sorry if I made it sound that way. Just seeing if someone with more knowledge of lifter operation could either confirm or deny if my suspicions on the one lifter are correct.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 19,900
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From: poway
You should have replaced the lifters with the cams.. It's possible that you might have not had the front intake off the lobe so it's a little loose.. Depending on how you took the motor apart that lifter may have simply bled down before disassembly making it soft on assembly.. It might make a racket on startup but if it didn't quiet down completely, suspect adjustment first / bad lifter second.. Still new cams - new lifters...
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Road Master
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 997
Likes: 96
From: Channahon, IL.
Would of, should of, could of. I'm sure I should have done them at the same time but, and I'm sorry if this comes across as ill willed, whether I should have changed them at the same time isn't the question at hand. It's also why I specifically stated that I've already gone back in and double checked the adjustment on the rods. That is what I suspected first. That is when I noticed how fast the lifter was bleeding down. I don't mean to come across as a jerk but it seems to be becoming increasingly difficult to come on here trying get an answer and instead you get a host of opinions on what should have been done.
Road Warrior
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 1,712
Likes: 410
From: Puyallup, WA
bwoltz has a good point. How long did you let it run? Long enough to allow the lift to pump up? If you ran it for awhile and it keeps making noise, then maybe you have bad lifter. How many miles on the lifters. What year bike? B lifters, or later?
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2005
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From: poway
Would of, should of, could of. I'm sure I should have done them at the same time but, and I'm sorry if this comes across as ill willed, whether I should have changed them at the same time isn't the question at hand. It's also why I specifically stated that I've already gone back in and double checked the adjustment on the rods. That is what I suspected first. That is when I noticed how fast the lifter was bleeding down. I don't mean to come across as a jerk but it seems to be becoming increasingly difficult to come on here trying get an answer and instead you get a host of opinions on what should have been done.
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Road Master
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 997
Likes: 96
From: Channahon, IL.
Don't think you did. Hope I'm not.. In simple terms the 99C lifters that HD installs in the current bikes are not all that hot and if you have any miles on any lifter, I'd recommend getting into the habit of replacing them when doing cams.. I run aggressive cams and the lifter can get a little weak after 30-40,000 miles. If you've re-adjusted and still noisy, for sure, dump them all for a new set.
You guys mentioned "depending how I took it apart". I primarily followed the S&S video. Got each cylinder on the base circle, cut the stock rods with a bolt cutter, removed and replaced the cams, bearings, tensioners, etc, took the adj. rods to zero lash, then adjusted to 15 flats. I've had it out twice for about 50 miles total so they have had time to pump up. So when I went back in to recheck the adjustment is when I noticed that the one lifter bled down so much faster than the others. This led me to think that it may not be staying pumped up as well as the others and that coupled with the higher lift of the cam is contributing to the increased valve train noise.
So I'm getting lifters either way, along with the rockouts...(if you haven't seen the play at the bolt look up the video...the MoCo should be ashamed). I originally asked the question in an attempt to better understand the inner workings of our motors.
Road Master
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 1,040
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From: Susanville CA
If your using SS adjustable pushrods I dont think 15 flats is enough. I used ss Lifters and pushrods and the instructions for the pushrods says 27 flats or four and a half full turns.
Nevermind I re read I dont know the TPi on the SE adjustable rods.
Nevermind I re read I dont know the TPi on the SE adjustable rods.