When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Engine Mechanical TopicsDiscussion for motor builds, cams, head work, stripped bolts and other engine related issues. The good and the bad. If it goes round and around or up and down, post it here.
Automotive service manuals have preliminary lifter fill procedure.
And??????????
Harley lifters are basically identical to some GM lifter; only difference is the diameter of the hole in the piddle valve. Properly functional lifters will pump up in a minute or less, primed or not. Pre-fill is not required but certainly a personal choice.
I personally do not prefill my lifters. This way I don't have to wait till they bleed down to adjust. I also adjust from the top down. Just like when doing SBC lifters adjustments. It is very accurate....
Sorry, been real crazy at work lately. Originally asked the question because I wasn't sure if it was an issue with one of the new lifters or the fact that I was using stock rods and the pre-load wasn't enough. What caused me to be unsure was the fact that it seems to be consistently noisy at start-up but quiets as it runs. I've only been able to get it out for one actual ride thanks to it being January in Chicago but when I got home it was REAL quiet. I have a set of SE tapered adjustable rods I could replace the stocks ones with but I'm trying to make sure it's not one of the new lifters not staying pumped up. I know that I should expect at least one to leak down while it sits because the valve springs are likely to be pushing on one but it was never this noisy at start up before the new lifters.
Found my noise! Can't upload a video but looks like the loc-tite in the crank gear bolt didn't hold. Gear is roating about 20-25 degrees on the cranks. Probably not clean enough. Total Fxxk up on my part! For those that don't know, the gear is MUCH harder than the crankshaft! Only fix now is a new crank or a new motor. Sucks to be me!
Might want to do a search on "increasing size the drainholes under the breather"
That small hole is more then enough to drain what the baffle catches. By opening it up, you are allowing a lot more air go straight up thru rather the the 180 turn the baffle and then mesh filter does.
Any lifter should pump up in at least 30 seconds. Know if they are collapsed and you start one, you will think it's throwing a rod if that is possible on a Harley with no rod cap.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.
Looks bad, no?