Top end rebuild help
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Tourer
Joined: Mar 2008
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Top end rebuild help
So we are rebuilding the top end in my cousins 89 sportster 1200. Everything went fine until installing the rockers and pushrods. It's a 89 so you have to do the wire through the pushrod to bleed down the lifter so that everything lines up and you can install the rockers. This works fine with two of the lifters but the other two will not bleed down. Even took them all out and tried to compress them by hand to see if they work. The two that work do but the other two will not compress which is preventing everything from lining up enough to install the rockers. Any idea as to what's wrong and why those lifters won't bleed down?
And yes we did make sure the cam is at the lowest point
We're totally stumped at this point.
And yes we did make sure the cam is at the lowest point
We're totally stumped at this point.
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Tourer
Joined: Mar 2008
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I don't think they have collapsed there is a slight amount that they will compress but not enough only like a quarter of what the other two will. Almost as if something is binding them up
Also if they were collapsed wouldng that mean they would already be as compressed as possible? Or am I not understanding why you mean by collapsed?
Also if they were collapsed wouldng that mean they would already be as compressed as possible? Or am I not understanding why you mean by collapsed?
HDF Community Team
Joined: Jun 2006
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From: san antonio
Are you sure they are not hydro solids? have travel limiters? or plain old solids? Understand it might not make sense because the other two lifters compressed but I wouldn't assume anything. You can take them apart and take a look inside.
HDF Community Team
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From: san antonio
Are you sure about that? How is that you were able to compress the other two?
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Tourer
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Ok I was assuming they were solid because of the year but after looking online replacements are hydrolic so Im assuming the stock ones must be hydrolic also. It's hard to find info on 89's for some reason.
When I say we were able to compress the other too this is what I mean. Took the pushrods out and leave the lifter in the taper block. Stick you finger in and you can push down on the lifter. The two of them that work will squish down significantly more the the other two. And the rockers are off by just a hair preventing us from installing the pin. So it seems like the lack of squish on those lifters must be the problem.
Any thoughts? I guess it's difficult to explain online. But any help is really appreciated at this point were pretty stumped.
When I say we were able to compress the other too this is what I mean. Took the pushrods out and leave the lifter in the taper block. Stick you finger in and you can push down on the lifter. The two of them that work will squish down significantly more the the other two. And the rockers are off by just a hair preventing us from installing the pin. So it seems like the lack of squish on those lifters must be the problem.
Any thoughts? I guess it's difficult to explain online. But any help is really appreciated at this point were pretty stumped.
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HDF Community Team
Joined: Jun 2006
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From: san antonio
Normally, you can't compress a hydrualic lifter that is fully pumped up, at least not by just pushing down on the piddle valve (cup). You are trying to push the chamber full of oil out through a very small hole, hard to do by hand. I suspect that the two lifters you can compress were not pumped up and you are compressing the spring, not the oil.
If you have a piece of aluminum angle or some vice "soft jaws" and the appropriat pice of hardware ( the cut off end of a pushrod would be perfect) you should be able to compress the lifters you are having trouble with. You can also take them apart, drain the oil, reassemble and they should compress like the other two. I take them apart, carefully, by drilling a hole in a piece of 4x4 just a little bigger than the diameter of the lifter; that becomes a fixture to hold the lifter so I can take it apart. Take a pushrod and depress the piddle valve just a bit so you can easily remove the retaing spring clip; an extra pair of hands makes this task easy. The innards will come out, drain the oil and reassemble.
If you have a piece of aluminum angle or some vice "soft jaws" and the appropriat pice of hardware ( the cut off end of a pushrod would be perfect) you should be able to compress the lifters you are having trouble with. You can also take them apart, drain the oil, reassemble and they should compress like the other two. I take them apart, carefully, by drilling a hole in a piece of 4x4 just a little bigger than the diameter of the lifter; that becomes a fixture to hold the lifter so I can take it apart. Take a pushrod and depress the piddle valve just a bit so you can easily remove the retaing spring clip; an extra pair of hands makes this task easy. The innards will come out, drain the oil and reassemble.
Last edited by djl; Apr 25, 2012 at 02:50 PM.
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Tourer
Joined: Mar 2008
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Thanks for your help.
Just talked to my cousin he brought the lifters to the local Indy to look at. He said they were toast and need to be replaced and that was our problem. He sai even if we has managed to get them installed he would have been surprised if they made it through the season
Just talked to my cousin he brought the lifters to the local Indy to look at. He said they were toast and need to be replaced and that was our problem. He sai even if we has managed to get them installed he would have been surprised if they made it through the season
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From: deland,florida
evo sporty`s never had solids,just get them at the lowest point for each cylinder (comp. stroke) and slowly pull them down with the 4 5/16ths rocker bolts,let them sit till they can be spun (yes,kinda a bitch with those covers) and go on to the next cylinder