The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Hole in Lifter

Hello
I really need help on this bone headed move that I did. We took my 216 motor apart the other night, not paying attention to the order of the lifters. There is one with an hole drilled though it. I'm guessing it is to oil the cam. But what order do I put them in. Any help would be great. Thanks

There is only one answer to your question. Lifters need to go back in the same hole they came out of. Do you have them in order and just need to figure out which one goes in the front or the back hole?

That isn't necessarily true, I took a cam out of my car once to put in another. As one thing led to another, I had to put the old one back in, and I just stuck them in where ever I felt as I had not intended to ever use it again, and took absolutely no effort to keep them in order and it ran for some where around 100,000 more miles. However I wouldn't recommend that method. But since you have already lost track, you can either try putting them in wherever, get new lifters, or get new lifters and a cam. If you just put them in anywhere, they may or may not work, if they do fine. If not you get new cam and lifters which leads us to option three. So pretty much you will be buying at least lifters regardless, and the odds are you will need to buy both it wouldn't hurt to try it, since you will never find the original holes in a hundred years. OH YEAH, the one with the hole is just an odd one. Someone at some point had replaced at least that one, these old trucks have had some weird stuff done to them over the years.

Guess I should stay to cabinet making. Thanks for the info. Guess this is how we learn things. I had a 216 given to me in pieces, it also had a hole in one of the lifters. What are the odds of them changing one lifter in that motor. Thanks

It is fairly cheep to have lifters refaced. Unless all of the lifters are flat to convex on the face I would at least get them refaced.

[quote=51 GMC 9300]Guess I should stay to cabinet making. Thanks for the info. Guess this is how we learn things. I had a 216 given to me in pieces, it also had a hole in one of the lifters. What are the odds of them changing one lifter in that motor. Thanks [/quote
Exactly where is the hole?

It is about a 1/4" hole that runs though the top of the lifter. The lifter is also hollow, so that makes me think that it has something to do with oiling. I had another 216 motor give to me in pieces, with the very same lifter. Wish I could show a picture of it.
Thanks

Don't know if this is going to work.



http://i934.photobucket.com/albums/ad186/musgrave1/Lotsofpictures446_zps4675c5e6.jpg

Are you sure it's not a hydraulic one stuck in there.

they made solid lifters like that as well, they aren't really solid...

They list different lifters for car and trucks. The truck ones I have seen have the hole in the side. Don't ask me why.

All I know is I don't want to put the motor together in till I find out why. Guess I should have paid more attention. Its just odd the other motor I got has the same lifter in it. And no one can tell me why.

you have been told why, someone replaced that lifter at some point. They didn't put one odd lifter in from the factory. There is no real mystery or magic here. It isn't there for any special oiling or anything. The cam gets its oiling mostly from the oil flinging from the crankshaft. The reason the other engine has the same lifter is that engine had a lifter replaced as well, it happened a lot as many if not most of these trucks ended up on the farm, and if you have ever worked on a farm, you know the rest. The real concern would be getting them back in the same hole they came out of, but since you don't know, that ain't gonna happen. You have 4 options, just put them in and hope they work, get the lifters refaced, buy new lifters, or get a new cam and lifters. Personally I would get the lifters refaced, and the cam reground assuming of course there was enough there to regrind. But since no one makes new small journal blanks for these engines, (at least as far as I know, and I have gotten all the way to the only two foundries in the country producing them) That is all you can get is regrinds. If you are waiting for someone to tell you why there is one lifter with the hole before you put it back together, you are going to have to find the person that did it. Because there is no other reason.

When I said I did not know why there is a hole in the truck lifters I did not add my suspicion. I think the hole is there only for identification.I suspect the truck lifters have a harder wear surface then the car lifters. Chev just wanted an easy way to keep them from getting mixed up. I know it has nothing to do with oiling.

I'm very new at this Brokenhead, I thought the reason of this forum is to ask questions. Not to make new members feel like they asked silly questions. I bought the truck off of the original owner with 46000km's on it. He said the motor was never taken apart. So I guess I will do what you say & get the lifters refaced & cam reground. Thanks for the help.