The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 235 lifters not pumping up

Hi all, I'm new here. What a nice place you guys have. I am working on my first "old truck". It's a '53 chevy 3100 that someone replaced the original 216 with a 235. From the casting numbers it appears to be a 55-57 engine. I am trying to get it running. Several valves have a ton of lash, I'd say nearly a 1/4". I removed the lifter cover and noticed that the plunger inside some of the lifters were sunk down inside the lifter. This is after I changed oil, filter, and primed the oil system with a drill for about five to ten minutes. So the with the side cover off I primed the oil again and instead of pumping up, I noticed that oil just seemed to flow past the perimeter of the plunger then spill out of the lifter. The lifters are clean and not seized. Any ideas? Thanks for any help!

Check the number stamped behind the dizzy. Make sure the block is a "car" block. Truck engines were not drilled for hydraulic lifters.If you have a block that is drilled for them, you might need to "bleed" them. Pull each one out, put into a can with oil over the top of the lifter. Push a push rod into the lifter until it won't compress any more. You will feel it get hard. Put it back and pull the next one. Do this until they are all done. Then set the valve lash just loose and start it up. They will click a bit, don't worry. After it is all warmed up set the valves again and you should be fine. There is a good tech tip on here about adjusting valves.

A lifter in good shape will have the plunger at the top of the bore, just sitting there. I would think that some of yours have stuck plungers.

I'll probably get "Spanked",but I'm going with what "Patrick's Antique Auto" states in their parts catalog. They say that there are no decent aftermarket (Hydraulic) lifters for the full-pressure 235/261's. They strongly recommend solid lifters,which,in turn,may require different push rods. This is the route I took,when i had my head rebuilt. Oly's valve adjustment,(in "Tech Tips") is a GREAT way to adjust your valves,with only two different crank positions. Good luck.

As stated above, you have some stuck plungers. I just went through this in a 53 235. In most cases you can pull the lifter out and hit the top against an immovable object(I used my vice)and the plunger will move to the top. I would advise pulling the snap ring and completely disassemble the lifter and make sure it is free moving.
You may want to read about hydraulic lifters on my BLOG.
BTW, I use hydraulic lifters in every 235 I rebuild for customers with no problems. That is as long as the block is drilled to supply oil to them.
The key is to be sure air is not trapped in them.

Hi again. Well, after a day in the shop I found out that some of the lifters were indeed collapsed. There was a lot more pieces to these parts than I had first realized. I took each one apart, cleaned them, and primed them in a can of oil. I'm having trouble getting them pumped up hard. I only managed to get one to harden. If I put them back in the lifter bore and prime the oil pump with a drill will they then pump up hard?

Pull a lifter out...if its a solid lifter then adjust it to factory clearance.....if its hydraulic adjust it to zero lash. But all the 235's I've seen were solid lifter cams....that's why they always make that loud clacking sound. Especially the older gen ones. TJ

Wow am I confused. I read olys valve setting procedure. He said that hydraulic lifters will have a small hole in the plunger and can be pushed in. My lifters don't have a small hole in the plunger and when they are pumped up they cannot be pushed in by hand. I had assumed I had hydraulic lifters because they have a snap ring, plunger assembly, two springs, and a check ball. I had also assumed a solid lifter was basically one piece. So, are these hydraulic or solid? Keep in mind that this is not the original engine for this truck, I do not know what the engine came out of, other than the casting numbers suggest it's a 55-57 235. The casting # is 3837004. It also has stamped behind the dist, 037070 followed by a capital I "eye" then F56Z or F5bZ. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

F56Z
F = Flint, MI assembly plant
56 = 1956
Z = car with standard transmission
http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/chevyresto/56009.htm

All car 235 engines had hydraulic lifters in 1956.

What is the block date casting code?

The block date casting code is CON4 E236 so I'm thinking May 23rd 1956. thanks a lot for the help. You guys are great. This forum is great. Very much appreciated. Now to get these lifters pumped up!

The shop manual explains the only procedure that is sure to remove all of the air in a lifter with a pushrod seat that does not have a vent hole, like yours.
First, with the lifter disassembled you fill the lifter body with oil.
You then install the plunger with the hole in the body and plunger lined up. Then use a tool to keep the check valve unseated(I use a WD40 spray tube). While keeping the check valve unseated you push down on the plunger until the hole in the body and the plunger line up.
At this point you install a pin/drill bit through the body hole into the plunger hole. This will hold the plunger down low enough that the pushrod seat and snap ring can be reinstalled.
I then top off the oil in the plunger and install the pushrod seat and snap ring.
Once the snap ring is in place you remove the pin from the side to reactivate the lifter.
This is the steps that most people skip that give 235 hydraulic lifters a bad name.
I urge you to read my blog on this topic.

Ok. Great info to know. I thought I was going nuts or something. Haha. Thank you. Lots of info in your blog.

The oil pressure merely fills the lifters, it doesn't "pump them up".

Good luck with your hydraulic lifters. I followed Dave's directions explicitly and battled with lifters bleeding down overnight and making a racket the next morning for many minutes after the next run cycle. Finally decided to put a mechanical cam in the truck, so at least I hear the music of all twelve not just one or two loud clacks. I think if it had a decent oiling design of the SBC with a oil passage in the pushrod the problem would be mute.

I got all the lifters "bled" and installed and Did an initial lash adjustment. I'll hope for the best. The old motors auto repair manual says to adjust valves to no lash, then go 1 and 1/2 turns more. This will set the lifter to midway of the plungers stroke, and it then states that no further adjustment should be necessary. It will be a while yet before I get to fire it up. I have lots of electrical work that needs to be done first, this truck was a disaster of a homemade 12v conversion.

Sounds good!

Ok...since you have hydraulic lifters....do the adjusting with the engine off...set your 1 piston a tdc...loosen the rocker arm till you have lash( up and down clearance) then tighten till you don't...no up and down clearance but can still easily wiggle side ways back and forth...then give one full turn and that will set you half way down the lifter. Machinist swears by it...really easy to do to since you can take the side covers off. Good luck....new set of lifters isn't to pricy either. TJ

I used to use a shallow can like Skippy's Peanut Butter and put just enough oil in it to completely submerge the lifters. This was left overnight and then placed on the drill press with a dummy push rod in the chuck. With good lifters many would self bleed overnight and on the remaining one a few strokes of the push rod would make them rock hard--no movement at all. On new engines designed for hydraulic lifters only you void the warranty if you pre-bleed the lifters. They want the new lifters to mate to the new cam while still a bit soft. This is probably from doing away with the zinc and phosphorous in the new oils.