Technical 25 yr old brand new lifters.

SBC lifters , perfect circle brand. Pristine boxes.
Guy drops off a bunch of NOS engine parts and a block. Says please put this together.

The lifter’s plungers all stuck.
I’m thinking they should not be trusted.
What say you guys?

 

What were they packed in?
Any chance there is a cosmoline like protectant stuck in them?

 

I'm wondering just how old the Perfect Circle lifters are? Pre-bad lifter era?
For my own use, I would do as many have suggested here; Research the origin if possible then, 1. Check the working surface for proper crown. 2. Take them apart, inspect, clean and reassemble. 3. Install with Isky RevLube or equiv.
For a paying customer; Advise him of the issues and allow him to decide whether to use them or not and get his decision in writing. If he says use 'em, refer to the steps above.

 

Can’t get them apart because they are stuck, right.
1995 vintage lol

 

Just in a dry box, with 16 individual boxes.
Boxes were perfect, lifters looked perfect.

 

Soak them a day or two and see if you get any movement.

 

Compressed air in the oil bleed hole, maybe?

 

^^^^ Yep, or hit 'em with some carb cleaner and push.

 

Soak them in diesel fuel or kerosene for a couple days.

 

this^^^^^^^^^this

 

I have been so disappointed in "new" parts that I think I would rather fool with 25 year+ parts....probably less work.

 

I have had a couple of brand new sets of roller lifters that the plungers seemed to be stuck solid to the point of when I tried to adjust the valves the valve opened before the plunger depressed. I talked to the manufacturer and they said that upon rolling the engine over they would probably be fine...I made up a small jig to hold the lifters and put them in my tiny arbor press and slowly squeezed .... all the lifters bled off the oil in them and functioned totally normal after .

 

Soak them in what you think will work, as has been said , diesel , atf, oil, roll them around in an old sardine can.

they are brand new clean and dry so “should” come back to life.

if this is for a paying customer, I would advise them of the addition cost in labour to attempt to free them up, wether it works or not, and it’s up to you how you would deal with any warranty on this job.

I do stuff like this at work all the time, replace motor brushes and stone the comm , or replace seals in a hydraulic cylinder on site or in the unit without a proper inspection, as either customer can not afford down time or is just cheap. Sometimes we win, sometimes we loose.
But I alway put on my work order “no warranty“ as not a factory approved repair.

anyways, your smarter then the average bear. You’ll finger it out.

 

Doesn't that pretty much answer your question?

 

Sad state we chased cheap parts supplyers went to China now we have junk parts.

 

The reason I suggested diesel fuel/kerosene for soaking instead of just some type of oil is that the fuel will help loosen and disolve whatever is causing the sticking and then can be quickly flushed with the residue pretty well going with it. Oil would seem to lubricate but not necessarily remove any rust. Thats just an opinion.........

 

Ultrasonic cleaner would be the cats ass. I would prob just use my standby laquer thinner

 

To free up lifters I chuck up a pushrod in my drill press and set the lifter on the drill press table, with the retainer clip removed. By repeatedly pushing up and down on it, it will begin to move a little bit then more and more until it frees up.
Once they are apart I clean the mating surfaces with 400 grit emery paper and solvent, and reassemble after lightly oiling them. This is with used lifters that get varnished up but it should work with new ones even easier.

 

I just bought new lifters.
I did get a few of them to move down but they won’t come back up.