I am replacing the lifters on my 05 FHLT, 46K miles. The front started making noise and taking a few miles to pump up. I was told the new lifters need to be pumped up (filled) prior to assembly, but I find this impossible. I tried pushing down on the plunger using the bottom of an old pushrod in my drill press but the plunger does not move at all, I tried soaking the lifters but this too did not seem to be effective. Suggestions? Do they need to be filled prior to start-up?

 

Heres a little trick that really works. Have a cup or small bowl of the oil you want to use. Find a piece of hose that has the same ID as the OD of the lifter, you only need a piece about 6-8" long. Slip the hose over top of the lifter, ensuring you don't push it onto the lifter too far as to cover up the side oil hole. Put the lifter in the oil so that it covers the side hole. Start your shop vac, and using your hand, create a seal from the vac hose to the hose on the lifter. When you see oil starting to come out the top of the lifter, it is primed..

 

Wow thats a good idea.Never would of thought of that.

 

Well I had tried that in reverse, pulling a vacuum at the small oil hole with a small AC vacuum pump, and filling the pushrod cavity with oil, that did not work. Perhaps there’s some check-valve action going on. I’ll give this a try in the AM.

 

no need to prime them. In fact i find it easier to adjust pushrods with lifters dry. If you don't want them to clatter for a few minutes on start up you can always just turn the motor using the rear wheel until they pump up.

 

Damn, I think you could spin the rear wheel forever by hand before you would get them completely pumped up! You can also leave the spark plugs out, and crank the engine over with the starter in short bursts not only to pump up the lifters, but if a new build, to prime all of the oil galleys, get the filter full and to have an easier start.

I find no difference in adjusting primed or not primed lifters, zero lash is zero lash, and all adjustments are made from that point.

 

No need to pump them up, they bleed down every time you shut the engine off if the lifter ends up on a high spot on the cam when the engine stops turning, they pump up right away on starting. No big deal.

 

I put them in dry and all I do is spin the rear tire until I see oil coming up to the rockers. It does not take very long. (I prime the oil pump) When I adjust my pushrods I extend the pr all the way to bottom out the lifter and then back off 1/2 as many turns as it took me to get from 0 lash to the bottom. When the lifters are primed it is just more difficult to bottom out the lifter. It works for me and my drive trains are always quiet.

 

Check valve operates from small hole on the side and out the pushrod. Dalton's method works as it should.
Ron

 

Just to close out my portion of this thread. I used a modified version of Dalton's process, using my vacuum pump. Worked, to my surprize, quite good. Bikes back together, and running great. Thanks all.