Collapsed lifter? : V-Twin Forum: Harley Davidson Forums

90Harley · 08-22-2009, 11:48 PM

Is a collapsed lifter pretty much bottomed out on the spring and not releasing back up? I have a pushrod that all of a sudden has about 1/4" - 1/2" play. Is that what I am looking at? I am in the process of m oving and havent had time to take it apart.
Front intake lifter on a 1900 mile fresh build.
Thanks

BIGBOPPA · 08-23-2009, 12:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 90Harley

Is a collapsed lifter pretty much bottomed out on the spring and not releasing back up? I have a pushrod that all of a sudden has about 1/4" - 1/2" play. Is that what I am looking at? I am in the process of m oving and havent had time to take it apart.
Front intake lifter on a 1900 mile fresh build.
Thanks

I dont know if this is your problem, but I put new adjustables in when I did my top end rebuild a few months back, and about 500k's later, one of the lock nuts came loose, after constantly hitting the inside of the tube, and the adjustment backed itself off, to the point where the pushrod was not even opening the valve. I modified the pushrod tubes, and retightened everything and now 2000k's later everything is still fine.

90Harley · 08-23-2009, 12:12 AM

Yep, I pulled the pushrod cover hoping for that. Instead it looks like the pushrod is good and cannot seem to see the top of the lifter. Lots of play. That is all I did and may have a few minutes tomorrrow to look farther. Guessing the lifter is currently down, but there is nothing there at all to hold the rod up.
Just a guess the inside collapsed. happened at 70 cruising and then missing then really missing before I shut it down. It would start after that but not right and the oil pressure was gone.

BIGBOPPA · 08-23-2009, 12:37 AM

Yes well unfortunately it sounds like either a collapsed hydraulic lifter or a collapsed cam follower wheel. This would be more consistent with a loss of oil pressure, I hate to say, because if that has happened, it is usual for one of those roller bearings to go into you oil pump and shear the key way on your oil pump shaft. Not trying to be a prophet of doom here, but if that is the case (and I hope it isnt, for your sake) it will cot a bit to fix, because it probably will have stuffed a lobe on you cam as well which will need replacing, and probably the lifter block as well, not to mention a new oil pump, depending on the amount of damage inside the pump.

tony g · 08-23-2009, 11:21 AM

same thing happened to me, the bearing collapsed on a follower and trashed my cam !!!!!!!!!! had to replace all the followers and i fitted an EV 27 cam.