Hydraulic Lifters

[indianut]

I have a J in my '61 FLH. The stock lifters work fine. I would check the lifter to bore spec in the blocks. They can be honed for O/S lifters that still use the Stock Hydraulic unit. I have had this cause lifters to bleed down as soon as the engine gets warm. S&S does sell high volume gears that you can put in your stock pump.

[Cotten]

Isn’t there a fair sized drain hole in the bottom of the pinion bushing bore? Side oiler would drain the amount of oil that could pass through the pinion bushing fit. End oiler would pass as much oil as the drain hole would allow. Yes?

Huck!

John's modification must include plugging the drain.

Still, feeding the pinion continually would require a very restrictive orifice to reduce it to the side-oiler volume, and produce a similar amount of diversion to the tappets and top end.

Even with some tappet wear, it would not surprise me if returning to the original pinion feed restored the hydraulics' ability to stay pumped.

The hydraulics are the most oil-sensitive part of the entire machine.

....Cotten
PS: "High volume" gears always used to mean just late-model ratio drive and worm gears in the gearcase.
Machining out a pump for larger gears would be a labor of love, indeed.

....Cotten

[Huck]

Hey, Cotten

Just thought I’d throw it out there because John didn’t mention plugging that bleed.

[58flh]

Stock oil-pumps have no problems supplying More then enuff oil for entire motor!--As long as pump is in spec.----Richie

[1962FLH]

I did plug the bleed hole in the cam cover for the pinion shaft.

[1962FLH]

I gave up and ordered solid lifters. thanks for all your help.

[ingram]

I am not on here much anymore but I wanted to update some information. Even though this is a very old topic I didn't want to leave any mis-information that I may have posted. In the automotive racing camshaft world a hydraulic lifter can actually bleed down because of the cam profile design. These are high rpm engines running high valve spring pressures. If the opening ramp on the cam profile is designed too fast it can cause the lifter to bleed down more than it should. This only applies to these type of performance engines. I still do not think the cam profile itself is causing the lifter to have bleed down problems on the low rpm, low valve spring pressure Panhead engine. Other problems from oil pressure, oil flow, oil aeration, valve springs, or lifters are more likely the problem.