Lifters question (2015)

[Bob Z.]

I thought I'd start a new thread to ask more questions about lifter installation.
The recent discussion on lifter pairs did not have any photos.

Here is a photo of two sets that have been in my storage for many years.
For what I remember they were removed from the cylinders and stored in the original sets as shown.

Note that each set has one pair with forward bevel on bottom and one pair without.
Is this correct?

They all have vertical grooves on the leading side and not on the rear side.
Note that the set on the right side of photo shows the rear view without the vertical groove.
Is the vertical groove on the leading side for oil drain down from the push rod tunnel?

 

[comnoz]

I thought I'd start a new thread to ask more questions about lifter installation.
The recent discussion on lifter pairs did not have any photos.

Here is a photo of two sets that have been in my storage for many years.
For what I remember they were removed from the cylinders and stored in the original sets as shown.

Note that each set has one pair with forward bevel on bottom and one pair without.
Is this correct?

They all have vertical grooves on the leading side and not on the rear side.
Note that the set on the right side of photo shows the rear view without the vertical groove.
Is the vertical groove on the leading side for oil drain down from the push rod tunnel?

Yes, the beveled groove is for oil return past the lifter.
I have seen the installed with the groove at the rear and it causes extra wear to the bore in the barrel. Jim

 

[acotrel]

Jim, if the oil flow is obstructed by fitting the followers the wrong way around, does that shag the camshaft lobes ?

 

[Hobot]

The oil still drains out a backwards installed bevel but will not flow where most needed on liter bore and cam lobes.

 

[Biscuit]

I've never seen any with a bevel ground on the bottom. I don't know if some earlier models do or not. To be clear, I'm talking about the example on the left, the stellite pad.

 

[comnoz]

I've never seen any with a bevel ground on the bottom. I don't know if some earlier models do or not. To be clear, I'm talking about the example on the left, the stellite pad.

Earlier lifters had the bevel ground on the stelite pad. It has no effect unless you are trying to use them with a big cam -then you may have a problem if the contact extends beyond the flat part. Jim

 

[Brithit]

Earlier lifters had the bevel ground on the stelite pad. It has no effect unless you are trying to use them with a big cam -then you may have a problem if the contact extends beyond the flat part. Jim

Going way back here Jim, but by "big" cam, what are you thinking? I have a nice set of these I'd like to use with a Combat cam. Would that be considered too big, or are you talking more than that? Any easy was to check how they are matching up against the cam? Could I put the barrel and lifters on with some machinists blue dye! Thanks!

 

[Jamestown]

Can someone please point out on this image of the lifters the stelite pad that delamination occurs to as my 850 had this occur recently. I'm guessing it's the cup the pushrod sits in?
Stripping engine shortly and it would help when I'm trying to find the bit that broke off. Much appreciated

Cheers
James

 

[Time Warp]

The hard base pad that contacts the camshaft lobes can detach from the follower/lifter main body.
These are the original followers out of my Mk2a.

 

[Brithit]

The hard base pad that contacts the camshaft lobes can detach from the follower/lifter main body.
These are the original followers out of my Mk2a.

Interesting see that beveled follower as original to a MK2a. I've seen them mentioned as earlier. I've found the completely flat ones in a '72 Combat - not the one I'm currently working on.

 

[elefantrider]

For lifters without the slant bevel on one side of the face, is there a correct direction to install them? Or is there no front or back side?

I don’t have a set out to see for myself if there is a difference.

 

[comnoz]

The edge with the bevel -highlighted in red -goes away from the locating tab.
That applies to all Norton twin followers.

 

[elefantrider]

Looks like the only way to verify this is to take the head off and look down the pushrod tunnel for the bevel facing forward.
I probably won’t do this, just check at the next opportunity the head needs to come off.


Lifter bore is oiled by gravity i believe, not pressure somehow from the barrel/crankcase/bevel. So oil will still get down the bore.

 

[comnoz]

I don't think you could see it with the head off. The barrel would have to come off.
I have seen them installed backwards. It tends to wear a ridge on the thrust side of the lifter bore.

 

[Brithit]

Since I originally posed the question to Jim about the beveled edges, I may have stumbled across the answer. Which I should have thought of earlier. I'm currently using a Dunstall barrel that I'm pulling off at least until I can look at making some repairs to it. The Dunstall lifters look very similar in size and shape to the lifters that have the bevels on the edges as seen in the far LH side of the picture on post number two. Should be good.

 

[elefantrider]

I don't think you could see it with the head off. The barrel would have to come off.
I have seen them installed backwards. It tends to wear a ridge on the thrust side of the lifter bore.

With a flat face lifter, it sounds like the lifter needs to be removed from the bore in order to see if the bevel side is installed to the front. I was hoping i could see it by lifting the barrel off the case an inch or two, head still attached. But doubt it will drop down far enough to see.

 

[Time Warp]

Interesting see that beveled follower as original to a MK2a. I've seen them mentioned as earlier. I've found the completely flat ones in a '72 Combat - not the one I'm currently working on.

I dug them out, those must be the originals out of my 71 and was just a picture from long ago in this PC.

Here are the Mk2a followers, very good faces with no bevels but the sides show some form of galling (The camshaft T/S journal and bush were corrugated but lobes near perfect)

 

[comnoz]

With a flat face lifter, it sounds like the lifter needs to be removed from the bore in order to see if the bevel side is installed to the front. I was hoping i could see it by lifting the barrel off the case an inch or two, head still attached. But doubt it will drop down far enough to see.

Actually if they are broken in to the cam as they are I would probably leave them alone. If you change position now you will be risking damage to the cam.

 

[NickZ]

Actually if they are broken in to the cam as they are I would probably leave them alone. If you change position now you will be risking damage to the cam.

The engine I am working on has the lifters on the right side with the bevels facing the correct way and the left side pair have the bevels facing toward the locating tab.
I hear the advice to leave them alone, but if I am having them resurfaced (cam is being replaced) would it then be prudent to reverse the pair on the left?

 

[baz]

The engine I am working on has the lifters on the right side with the bevels facing the correct way and the left side pair have the bevels facing toward the locating tab.
I hear the advice to leave them alone, but if I am having them resurfaced (cam is being replaced) would it then be prudent to reverse the pair on the left?

If the followers are a good fit in the bore when you have corrected their position, and you are getting them refaced I reckon they'd be fine