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Cost of roller lifters

3K views 15 replies 6 participants last post by  UnexplodedCow 
If you went 2nd or 3rd gen CVH powered Escort you're fine, the lifters are the same as roller cam 1st gens. They don't really wear, so there's no issue with using a new cam. Basically, it won't wipe the lobes. Most places sell lifters for $25 each. I found Napa sells them for $15 per. When I rebuilt my engine I replaced mine (they had leakdown issues) and ultimately paid $7.50 per lifter. They're PBM brand, seem to be as good as anything else I've seen.
 
I got them through my local machine shop as part of a rebuild kit. Chances are yours can do exactly the same. They'll get you lower prices than the typical auto store does. PBM is just another company that I've heard of making racing grade lifters.

http://www.pbmperformance.com/store.php?catId=420

There is PBM's site. I'd ordered some Clevite lifters from Napa previously, and the PBM ones looked better. One has developed a slight leak, and it's pretty random, but disappears as soon as the oil pressure comes up, so I'm not worried about it. I haven't been the easiest on this engine either, and they haven't died yet. The rollers also operated more smoothly than the Clevite ones. They also seemed to be better machined and were shinier. For half the price of a Clevite I went for them. A box of 8 cost me $60, that works out to $7.50 per lifter. Maybe you can order directly from PBM and get a better price.

I also just sent them an email asking if they're still made, pricing, warranty, and any extra specs they'd care to throw in. I hope they respond. At least their site looks modern and well kept.
 
Nah, CVH in general. If a roller cam was used along with the retainers, a 1.6 could also run roller lifters. A 2.0 uses the same lifters as the 1.9, so they're not indigenous. What's more, the UK has a 1.8 and 1.4 that use roller lifters.
 
Hey, they contacted me back..the lifters are still made, 6500 rpm rev limit (same as oem). No warranty they know of, so that's par for the course. I wonder what pricing is, sent them one asking just that.
 
By 88.5 the roller heads were introduced. That was one of the revisions for the half year. Max, if you had an '89 model year with flat tappets it wasn't the original head.

Hydraulic lifters are hollow inside, with a ball and spring check valve. There are little holes in the sides of the lifters, as well as oil squirter holes in the lifter bores of the head. Since all the oil doesn't squirt out, it goes into the lifter, which fills up with oil. The check valve prevents leakdown. I've seen lifters hold their oil for decades. They only pump up to the needed height to prevent valve lash (extra gap). Basically they keep the lifter in contact with the cam lobe and rocker arm. Usually they don't take revs so well, due to overpumping, which can blow them apart, but they're great for keeping valvetrain geometry in spec.

Lifter noise happens. As long as it goes away on startup you're fine. It just means a lifter might have a little more leakdown than it should, but not enough to cause problems when driving. If it's persisting then I'd be checking which lifter it is, as well as the oil pressure for the engine. The valve will be opening, but not all the way, so the cylinder won't be working at full strength. You should hear a CVH first start with all the lifters empty of oil...it's loud. I also don't recommend starting the engine with empty lifters, but using a remote starter for a minute or two to pump the lifters up, there's way less chance of damaging something, and helps the lifter last longer.

Pushrod engines also use hydraulic lifters, because they alleviated having to take the valve cover off and adjust the valve lash while the engine was running (imagine how much oil would sling). I think they're an excellent idea. Pretty much all modern engines use a roller of some sort because it pretty much eliminates cam lobe wear. This is also why the zinc additive was removed in the recent API oil rating change. That protected flat-tappet cam lobes, especially on break in. Does this help explain some things?
 
Yup, those tappets were the lifters...the only mechanical difference is that those push against a pushrod, and then the rocker, instead of just against the rocker. Some modern designs have "finger" lifters (or followers in some nomenclature) that have a lobe or roller that contacts and follows the came lob. They're held up on one end by a haudraulic lifter, have the roller in the middle, and the other end pushes against the valve stem. TVR almost exclusively uses the finger roller setup. A more common engine would be the 2.2 or 2.4 Ecotec, they use finger followers, too.
 
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