Lifter Question...

[MA70witBoost]

Im currently finishing up a Valve Stem Seal job on my 7M. Valve springs have already been reinstalled and so have the lifter buckets w/ the shims. No cams have been placed ontop of the shims/lifters yet. The shims spin freely ontop of the lifter buckets but i have like 5 or 6 that aren't spinning freely ontop of the valve retainers. I have to force them to turn w/ a flat head. The others spin fine. I was wondering if there was a need for them to move freely. Im thinking that once the cams get set ontop and the motor finally gets back to use that it'll loosen the lifter buckets so they'll move freely but was wondering if im right or wrong on that. :1zhelp:

 

[gofastgeorge]

Check the bores where those sticking cam followers are for nicks,
maybe caused by not being careful when removing/installing valve springs.
Also check those followers for nicks, or dings.

 

[gaboonviper85]

I'm going threw the same deal right now infact! Some buckets are tight...most of the tight buckets have proper clearance as far as valve lash so I'm just going to leave them in...once the head gets some heat they should loosen up as well as some oil...I'm not worried about it personally

 

[IJ.]

They should ALL turn easily...

Try playing musical buckets until they do.

If the Shim and Bucket don't turn you're going to get some weird wear patterns on them and eventually lose the taper on the nose of the cam.

 

[MA70witBoost]

Check the bores where those sticking cam followers are for nicks,
maybe caused by not being careful when removing/installing valve springs.
Also check those followers for nicks, or dings.

cam followers? in the bores where the valve springs are i noticed a very small amount of what looks like damage in E6 for cyl 3. Thats the only bit of interference i found. The other ones look fine to me. As far as the damge, just looked like a very small amount of pitting in the head around where the retainer would have been. Dont think this would be the cause of my interference seeing as the rest of the head looked fine prior to re-installing the lifter buckets. I figured the interference would have been due to the lifter buckets having dried out on the inside due to the head being appart but i put some oil that was left in the valve covers on the inside of the lifter buckets to aid in them sliding onto the valve springs.

I'm going threw the same deal right now infact! Some buckets are tight...most of the tight buckets have proper clearance as far as valve lash so I'm just going to leave them in...once the head gets some heat they should loosen up as well as some oil...I'm not worried about it personally

this is what im thinking... i tihnk that w/ the normal operation of the motor, the oil, and the warm up it should be fine.

 

[MA70witBoost]

They should ALL turn easily...

Try playing musical buckets until they do.

If the Shim and Bucket don't turn you're going to get some weird wear patterns on them and eventually lose the taper on the nose of the cam.

musical buckets? as in separate shim from bucket, move the buckets around then put the shims back where they are supposed to go?

 

[IJ.]

Yep if there's no evident damage like George is telling you to check for you may have to do the select fit thing on the buckets.

If everything has been kept in order this "shoudn't" be an issue though so not sure what's going on here.

 

[MA70witBoost]

yeah, everything was kept in order. layed everything in the back of the car the exact way i took it off as to not mix things up. Just ran out to the car and checked wich ones weren't turning. once again, the shims themselves spin freely, but the lifter buckets I3, I5, E1, E3, E4, and E5 aren't turning freely. I have to put a flathead in the little notches on the buckets and push on them to turn em around and they show excessive resistance while turning.

 

[IJ.]

Pull em and check them for roundness and damage as Geore suggested.

 

[gaboonviper85]

My machnist didn't keep them in order so I'm kinda screwed....some buckets I can't get back out but all the shims spin very well....could be because he beadblasted the head....either way it's not like they are so tight that I forced them in but they are tight enough that I can't get a good grip and pull them out....I believe 5min of run time will fix the issue.

 

[MA70witBoost]

Pull em and check them for roundness and damage as Geore suggested.

Ian, any tips for removing the semi stuck buckets? I remember they came out easily but at that point in time they all spun freely wich is why i bothered posting my question in the first place.

 

[IJ.]

Ian, any tips for removing the semi stuck buckets? I remember they came out easily but at that point in time they all spun freely wich is why i bothered posting my question in the first place.

Could try heating the head and use an icecube in a rag to quench the bucket to shrink it.

I had an "issue" with my shimless buckets after they were Cryo treated where they expanded on their open end so they had to be centreless ground back to size.

 

[MA70witBoost]

Could try heating the head and use an icecube in a rag to quench the bucket to shrink it.

I had an "issue" with my shimless buckets after they were Cryo treated where they expanded on their open end so they had to be centreless ground back to size.

so in other words, the task at hand isn't going to be either easy nor fun... what joy. :3d_frown:

 

[IJ.]

so in other words, the task at hand isn't going to be either easy nor fun... what joy. :3d_frown:

Ummm it's a 7M so by definition no neither of the above

 

[MA70witBoost]

Ummm it's a 7M so by definition no neither of the above

heh, i beg to differ kind sir. both terms apply only when torn appart and in the repair phase. I got tons of joy and fun out of that 7M for the 3 months it was running. now if only i can keep it running for more than 3 months this time.

 

[gofastgeorge]

I had an "issue" with my shimless buckets after they were Cryo treated where they expanded on their open end so they had to be centreless ground back to size.

Hmm, guess I will watch what I send off to be cryo treated..........

 

[IJ.]

Hmm, guess I will watch what I send off to be cryo treated..........

Yep it was a real "Gotcha" when we did mine

 

[MA70witBoost]

ok... i have a whole nother head worth of lifter buckets. Used those to get all of the lifters free minus E5. Took off the shim from the lifter then used a locking plier to grab the lip of the lifter to get it off. Im going to keep trying tommorrow. maybe even remove the valve spring again and try putting that back on then trying to get the lifter on... see if it makes a difference

 

[Sik89supra]

They should spin freely I used chanel locks to remove a stuck valve bucket, they are hardened Steel, once you get the buckets out inspect the head for any nics or scratch's, do the same with the buckets,, use some 1500grit wet sandpaper, and gently go around the buckets untill they are real smooth, if there is any nics or anything in the head where the buckets ride up and down fix and smooth out the nics. make sure to use some oil when reinstalling. It wouldnt be a good idea to just install the cams and run the motor and hope they will free up, if one gets stuck down your gonna be looking at alot more damange. not worth the risk if you ask me since you have it apart right now anyway, just figure out whats wrong before going any further.

 

[TurboStreetCar]

They should spin freely I used chanel locks to remove a stuck valve bucket, they are hardened Steel, once you get the buckets out inspect the head for any nics or scratch's, do the same with the buckets,, use some 1500grit wet sandpaper, and gently go around the buckets untill they are real smooth, if there is any nics or anything in the head where the buckets ride up and down fix and smooth out the nics. make sure to use some oil when reinstalling. It wouldnt be a good idea to just install the cams and run the motor and hope they will free up, if one gets stuck down your gonna be looking at alot more damange. not worth the risk if you ask me since you have it apart right now anyway, just figure out whats wrong before going any further.

Non interference motor stock, unless alot off mill work and a thin head gasket shouldn't be a problem.

Ive seen the valve spring compressor nick the top of the bucket bore and cause a slight dragging issue you described. look into the bore with a flashlight for anything that isn't smooth.