no you don't. as you said, the spring
keeps the lifter plunger up.

just make sure each lifter you are adjusting is on
the base circle of the cam, not up on the lobe.

 

When you set hydraulic lifters your measurement starts at the point where the pushrod just touches the lifter plunger, from that point down is your adjustment.

Just slowly tighten the rocker nut and spin the pushrod with your fingers. As soon as it meets some resistance (you feel this in the pushrod) is where you count your turns.

No oil priming is needed, you are going from where the lifter plunger is topped out by the spring, not by oil pressure.

 

NEVER manually pump up any hydraulic lifter full of oil before you install it. You cannot set the lifter pre-load if the lifters are "pumped up" full of oil. If the lifter is pumped up, and primed full of oil, you cannot start the engine in order to adjust the lifter pre-load with the engine running. With full roller rocker arms and poly-locks, you can set the hydraulic lifter pre-load with your fingers then lock the setting with the set screw.

Dipping a lifter in motor oil is fine just for lubrication in the lifter bores.

The myth of pumping hydraulic lifters full of oil came from the practice of priming solid lifters with oil. Solid lifters should be primed full of oil because priming the lifters has no effect when you set the valve lash on solid lifters.

 

I just primed my oil pump and when I pulled the driver out, the fresh oil I put in appears to be a light milky color. Is this what oil does when it's pressurized, or is this the result of antifreeze still in the block? I bet the latter. Should I drain/fill again before attempting to start to do think? Apologies if picture didn't post.. I tried.

 

looks like you still have some coolant in
the engine. I would drain and refill with
fresh oil before starting.
then perhaps another change after running
the engine for a few minutes. don't know
what kind of oil you prrefer to run, but you
can run the least expensive brand you can
get just for flushing.

 

I just read that the milky color could be from tiny air bubbles as a result from spinning the priming tool really fast? ..and as a result, let it sit over night before attempting to start. I usually only run Valvoline 10w-30, but may just do what you suggest and get some cheap stuff to flush it out a bit more. All this work, and I'm just keeping my fingers crossed everything will be fine. I ran the primer for a good few minutes at full drill speed.

 

I've primed lots of engines over the years, and on engines
that i knew didnt have any contaminates in the crankcase,
ive NEVER seen oil look like that.

looks pink or orange, Dexcool or other non-green coolant used?

 

Go ahead and set the lifter pre load and start the engine. Drive the vehicle for a few miles at operating temperature and the milky substance will evaporate.

Turn engine CW until #1 cyl. is at 0 TDC on comp. stroke. Set exh. on 1, 5, 6 and set int. on 1, 2, 3.
Turn eng. CW 360 degrees until #4 cyl. is 0 TDC on comp. stroke. Set exh. on 4, 2, 3 and set int. on 4, 5, 6.
Turn eng. 360 deg. until #1 is at 0 TDC once again. The rotor in the distributor will be pointing at #1 terminal in the cap.

Soaking the lifters in oil overnight may or may not prevent you for setting the lifter pre load. However, manually pumping the lifters full of oil with the push rod WILL prevent you from setting the pre load. If the lifter has been manually pumped full of oil, as you attempt to set the lifter pre load (1/2 to 1 turn CW), the push rod cannot compress the push rod seat because of the oil in the lifters. If there is only a minimum of oil in the lifters, the spring in the lifters will compress as you turn the adjustment nut to set the pre load. Engine oil pressure will fill the lifters to the pre load level a few seconds after the engine is started and smooths out. If your engine has net-lash pre load adjustment, turn the adjustment nut CW to 20 lb. torque and the pre load is set. The tapered seat on the net-lash rocker nut and rocker stud serves to lock the pre load setting.

That milky appearing stuff is vapor from coolant in the bottom of the oil pan when it is pulled up into the engine by the oil pump. (oil separates and floats on coolant). When the coolant vapor is combined with outside air, it turns milky. The coolant in the oil will boil off and vaporize completely after the engine is run at 180 - 190 degrees for a few miles.

 

if that were my engine, I wouldn't run it at all
with that much coolant contamination...
change it again, then run it.

 

a lifter filled with oil will not prevent you
from adjusting. but you should adjust it slowly
to allow excess oil to bleed out.
until it does, it will simply open the valve until
the lifter bleeds off the excess oil.

 

I don't get it.

Why fill a lifter with oil in the first place if you must start the engine to bleed out the "excess" oil in order to set the lifter pre-load? The lifter will not bleed out unless the engine is running. You cannot compress a fluid.

Let the spring inside the lifter resist and control the push rod seat as you turn down the pre load.

If this is not clear, just read the instructions that is in the box the lifters came in.

 

dont get me wrong.
I'm not advocating filling the lifters with oil.
but if it's been done, you can still proceed.
just give them time to bleed down before
starting it up.

 

I think the old myth about filling lifters with oil came from the dark ages when many engines had solid lifters. It that case, you definitely want to fill (prime) the lifters with oil so oil will get to the rocker arms quicker after the engine starts. I soaked solid lifters in oil for a few days in 10W-20 motor oil before I installed them and they still would not be full of oil. I sometimes soaked solid lifters transmission fluid because it penetrates the lifter feed holes easier. Even then some of the solid lifters would not be primed. Sometimes it takes engine oil pressure to fill solid lifters.

The last solid lifter I had was in a SB Chevy 327 CI engine. They were 1965 "edge oriface" GM solid lifters that were designed for the "30-30" Chevrolet camshaft that was used in the 327 CI / 365 HP fuel injection engines. The so called edge oriface lifters had the lifter feed hole up on the barrel on the lifters instead of being in the usual location in the lifter oil gallery band. The hole on the barrel of the lifter was to restrict oiling to the rocker arms at high RPM, and maintain pressure to the rod and main bearings where it is needed most. Before GM introduce "edge oriface" lifters, I tried using a .030" stainless steel wire (telephone cable lashing wire) inside the push rods in order to restrict oil flow. Some people even pushed pipe-cleaners into the push rods but I never even considered doing it. That is what people now call "old school" problem solving.

I am using Comp Cams 875 reduced travel hydraulic roller lifters in my 4.3L V6 engine. Those lifters are just as quiet as OE roller lifters because they will not "loft" over the nose of the camshaft at high RPM. When a lifter lofts over the nose of the cam lobe, it suddenly has negative oil pressure, fills with air and smacks the return flank of the cam lobe.

Those lifters set at .004" pre-load similar to setting the lash of a solid lifter. For that reason, they cannot pump up with air because there is no where to pump up to. Those lifters along with Comp Cams 26915 beehive valve springs will get the most performance that is available out of a high lift hydraulic roller camshaft. or from .480" to .525" valve lift. However, those type lifters and valve springs are useless with a camshaft with less than .480" valve lift.

 

Well I just tried to start this thing after three months and it fired right up. The really big problem I noticed, is that when I added coolant to the radiator, the level kept going down. Smoke was coming out of the exhaust and smelled of antifreeze. I'd add more coolant, and it would go down again. I turned it off and checked the oil level. It had gone up.. the coolant was going right into the crank case!!!!! What the heck???? All this work for basically nothing. I don't understand how water could get in there so fast? Would my block be cracked? Can anyone put any logic on this?

 

If steam is coming out of the exhaust pipe and it does not diminish after the engine gets to operating temperature, it is likely you have a blown head gasket or cracked head . A person with a radiator pressure test kit can verify that problem. An engine that has sat for a long time can have a accumulation of moisture in the combustion chambers and exhaust system. It is possible that the intake manifold gaskets has failed and coolant is leaking into the lifter gallery and into the oil pan but that does not explain why steam is coming out the tail pipe.. Tighten all the intake manifold bolts and see if that helps. If that does no good, replace the intake manifold gaskets and if that does no good, you can start looking for a cracked cylinder wall, blown head gasket between the cylinders or cracked heads.

 

Sorry wrong thread....

 

I always adjusted my rockers while the motor was running which is doable but challenging with the 4.3

Do you think it is possible the heads were milled too far and now the intake won't seal properly?

 

by 96, all the 4.3's had switched to "net lash"
valvetrain. you just torque down to a given value.
so no running adjustment is needed or helpful.

as for the heads being milled too far, I suppose it
may be possible, but unlikely. most shops aren't
going to spend the extra time to mill them any more
than they have to.