Hi everyone,

I have a quick question about changing from hydraulic to solid lifters...

I know if you fit a new camshaft, you need to install new (and matched) lifters as well..

On the aircooled.net website, it says you can fit new lifters without installing a new cam.

I always thought they had to bed in with each other?

My engine is a CJ series type 4 2 litre.

It has been rebuilt in the past, or so the previous owner said.

It has hydro lifters, but aluminium pushrods which makes me think the lifters were orginally solids, then changed to hydraulic?

Id just like to change to solids for the easy adjustment and no need to let the lifters pump up.

I dont mind the clickity clackity, I just want to make sure my vale lash is adjusted correctly!

Cheers

If the cam is in good condition you should be able to run new lifters with it.

I am looking at doing a similar thing on another motor, New lifers with an original cam. Do you need run-in lube, and run the cam and lifters in the same way as running a new cam in?

Ok sweet! I suppose I should double check... Is there any issue associated with changing from hydraulics to solids? Are camshafts designed to be run with one or the other? I have seen camshafts for sale advertised as 'hydraulic cams' or 'solid cams' And I have heard (but can't confirm) that the pushrods are also different. One set being aluminium, the others are steel. Plus they are different lengths too...like 10mm difference or something quite large.

You will have to check to see weither the cam already in your motor is compatable with the solid lifters as a hydraulic cam has a different profile to a solid lifter cam . use the aluminium push rods as these will keep the valve clearance more consistant that the steel ones, when you assemble the engine you will need to check the rocker geometry.

I believe hydro use a different length pushrod due the lifters being a different length internally, and yes, the cams are different due to a different ramp profile to get the hydro lifter to close, altho I have heard of people using them mismatched (both ways).

hmm ... ok its all food for thought. I might just leave them for the time being, get my carbs sorted first. One job at a time so I can see if small changes eliminate my engine's problems.

I have set the valve lash clearance so many times but it still seems odd. Another issue is its actually quite hard to get an idea of the correct clearance for hydraulic type 4. Some say zero lash, other say the usual .006 intake and .008 exhaust. I've tried adjusting to both tolerances... admittedly it ran better with the zero lash. It could just be of course when I did the initial adjustment that the hydro lifters were drained of all their oil from the engine sitting for a long while.

I appreciate all the useful info and help! Thanks everyone

The hydrolic lifters should have the tappets set at +1/4 turn from zero lash. If they are trouble to get pumped up, run them at .006" clearance until pumped up, then reset to +1/4 turn. (Some say 1/2 turn or more). The difficulty is making sure the zero point is right, and not compressing the lifters internal spring.

Matberry you are a wealth of useful info! Cheers mate !

And I see you are in Cooroy too! I live in Palmwoods on the coast....I might have to hit you up for some professional consultation and help in the near future! Do you do mobile basic mechanical work by chance?

Cheers mate

Prefer you come to me, have a little workshop

Awesome!

My bus is nearly at the end of a 4 year hiatus of being off the road.

I am going to fit my new venturis into my HPMX's and install them see how she runs.

I guess I really just need a basic tune up.... valve lash clearances set, ignition timing redone etc etc.... I have done all these on my own(as well as new spark plugs, leads, dizzy cap, etc etc, but I am really just an amateur. I want the confidence of having someone experienced to double check over everything and make adjustments where neccessary.

As I said before, I have adjusted my valve lash clearance about 5 times with it still being a little funny! But that is most likely due to me doing it wrong at a guess.

I have found a mechanical fuel pump to replace my shitty electronic one and once they're all on and sorted I shall be giving you a call!

Just looking forward to getting my biatch back on the road as a useable car, and not just a novelty expensive paper weight! Its also pretty cool meeting other sunshine coast dubbers and checking out their cars and workshops.

No problems. Always welcome here.