I have heard about that the lifters in these engines are a weak link and should be replaced. According to the parts book the lifters used in this engine are 18572-13 and if I look at Screamin Eagles shop the recommended parts are the same 18572-13.
Should I upgrade, and if I buy a new set of 18572-13 are they still the same as the old ones or are they upgraded?
Thanks
Fredrik

 

Many here recommend Hy-lift Johnson lifters from WFO Larry

 

Welcome to the forum from central Texas.

If they were upgraded in any way there would be a letter after the -13 (e.g. 18572-13A).

 

It's not the lifters that were an issue in the SE 110 motors.. It was the fact the spring pressures in the valve train were on the high side taking out the lifters. I'm currently running Comp Cams 850 lifters with #185 seat and #400 open pressures and the lifters are handling it not problem, even over 6500 rpm...

 

I ordered a set of 2313SE from Larry.

 

Yes, the stock lifters are a known weak point, especially in Twin Cam engines. The part number 18572-13 has been revised over the years; new ones from Harley will be the current, improved version. For a true upgrade, many go with aftermarket lifters like S&S or Feuling for better durability and performance, especially if you're running a cam. Stick with the updated OEM if you're keeping it stock.

 

FWIW...

Just to be accurate for those who may not know the lifter history for Twin Cams....


The #18572-13 Screamin' Eagle Lifters:

The number you have posted above, #18572-13, are Screamin Eagle Lifters. They are not, nor were they ever, OEM in non-CVO Twin Cam engines. Only newer than 2012 CVO Engines had them as OEM. The older CVO engines came from the factory with the same lifters as non-CVO engines of the same year.

I am admittedly ignorant about the #18572-13 SE lifters. I have never owned/worked on a '13+ CVO Engine.

Whatever level quality they may or may not be, I doubt they have been updated through the end of their twin cam engine run in 2017. Per HD protocol, they always added a suffix letter, at the end of the old part numbers if the part was changed but compatible with the prior versions, upgraded, or even if they just changed vendors. Through their run, they kept the same part number with no suffix added. That pretty much means no upgrades or vendor changes.

Strangely enough, if you check the lifters used on M8 CVO engines, the MoCo went back to using the #18538-99C lifters...

For my part, when Harley went to the subpar "C" lifter in 2011, I stopped using Harley Lifters altogether, and never considered these SE Lifters when upgrading lifters. I started using TopLine Automotive Hylift Johnson lifters from WFO Larry.



The OEM #18538-99 (including the "A" through "C") Lifters:

Harley introduced the #18538-99 lifters with the Twin Cam engines. The very early TC engines had the #18538-99, & #18538-99A lifters. By 2001, they went to the #18538-99B lifters. If you had any of these lifters, they were considered good lifters. The "B" lifters were particularly well liked by many knowledgeable owners and professional Harley mechanics.

Harley went to the #18538-99C lifters, as OEM in production motorcycles, in 2011. They first appeared in engines made in June of 2011. The older, better "B" lifters were gone from inventory by August of 2011. So if you have an engine build date from August 2011 or newer, you have the "C" Lifters.

The #18538-99C lifters were used as OEM in the M8 engines until at least 2023 that I am aware of.

These "C" lifters are notorious for being subpar. There are many, much smarter than me, that would say calling them subpar is being too kind...

Just remember, the "C" lifters are the "crappy" lifters. Any bike I work on (mine or a friend's) that has the "C" lifters, gets them replaced if I go into the cam chest for any reason, regardless of mileage.

I hope this info helps those considering new lifters....