I'm in the middle of my cam swap and I'm trying to install the new LS7 lifters, trickflow 1.150" pushrods, and 1.6 pro mag roller rockers. I went to TDC on cylinder 1 and tightened the rocker nut until the pushrod slack is gone. I then tried to go antother 1/2 turn. The nut will not tighten another 1/2 turn. It appears that [U]some[/U] of the lifter plungers are stuck. The plunger will not move down. Some of the lifters are ok and have plenty of give in the plunger while others dont seem to budge. How can I adjust the rockers for zero lash if I can't tightening them anymore? How can I unstick a stuck lifter?

I currently have them soaking in oil but that is not helping. I also pulled the clip off one of them to see why it is stuck. It is so tight I'm not sure if I can get the clip back on. Any ideas?

I really need to get this all back together by Monday.

Thanks

You're going WAY too far with the adjusting nut. When you are tightening down the nut you have to keep wiggling the pushrod up & down just until you can very lightly feel no more movement. At that point go another 1/2 turn, no more.
It may help to put the lifters in oil and move the plunger up & down to fill the lifter with oil, this will give some more resistance and it will be easier to tell when you get to zero lash.
Also you need not worry about getting the piston on tdc, this method is MUCH easier and more precise....
Turn the engine over until the intake valve on whatever cylinder you start with is just starting to CLOSE, at this point set the exhaust lash. Then staying on the same cylinder turn the engine until the exhaust is just starting to OPEN, at this point do the intake. Follow through this way with all cylinders. Using this method you are sure the lifter is on the base of the lobe.
EDIT: Now that I re-read your post I see that I didn't read far enough. It sounds as if the lifters are fully pumped up so soaking them in oil will not help. Since you have the snap ring out can you get the plungerout of the lifter? If you can, take it out and drain the oil out of the lifter then re-assemble it and see if it works right.

I was actually twisting the pushrod as I was tightening. Just as it barely stopped movement (still a little), I stopped. Should the nut stop tightening up that quickly after pushrod movement stops? What concerns me is that you can easily see some of the lifter plungers pushing in a good bit with just a little pressure and some wont budge at all. That doesnt seem right. ????????

I edited my answer, go back and read the very bottom, if that doesn't help then I think there may be a problem with some of the lifters.

Yeah, when I took the plunger out there was only a little bit of oil in it at the bottom. Still not moving though.

I have never encountered a problem like that with new lifters. It sure sounds like a possible machining problem, any burrs on the lifter parts? Any chance of exchanging them today?

I don't see any burs. One had a tiny rust spot. These came new from summit. The local dealership cant get new ones until Tuesday.

I guess I would take the stuck ones apart and try to clean them with a clean solvent, then just a tiny bit of light oil on the plunger. Re-assemble them and see if it makes any difference. I guess your only option would be new ones from NAPA since you are on a tight schedule.

I called NAPA also, the guy couldnt cross reference the GM part number. He said the place he needs to call to do that is closed until Monday. I have one of the new ones pulled apart. I'll see what I can do with that one. How much is the plunger actually supposed to move down?

I've never seen one of those lifters but I would imagine they are no different than a regular small block lifter in design. The plunger should move at least 1/4 inch. Check one of the loose ones for that answer.
I'm surprised NAPA doesn't stock those, I guess I'd be calling every parts house you have nearby to see who might have them.

The one that does move goes in at least a 1/4 of an inch. All the rest will not budge. I checked them all again and it seems only one is moving in. I was going to install them one at a time and see if tightening them down with the rocker and pushrod would loosen them but I dont think that will do it and I dont want to break anything.

I called every parts store I could and they have a few lifters here and there at 4 different parts dealers. I could drive around picking them up but that would easily take all of today and a tank of gas. I dont think there was a total of 15 available either. They are not close by. I guess I'm stuck with a rental for the week and a wasted weekend.


Thanks for the help.

I can't believe there is 15 bad lifters out of the 16 you got. There has to be another answer. Did you take one apart, clean it and lube & re-assemble it? That would be my next step. Good luck.

I hate to say this... but I have had more negatives with Summit than positives.

As I think about it, I have had wrong parts sent at least 4 times (I need to handle the latest screw up) and at least one component that was sent faulty (I think it was returned and resold as new).

I am getting real gunshy of buying from them.

More detail:

Cap and Rotor for my wifes 87 (L98), the saleshole was in such a hurry, he kept misquoting my requests "1987", "1984, right?", "NO! 1987", ok - I got 1984 parts...

Way back when I got my Vette, I needed a new serp belt. It was doublesided. I called summit, asked them about a 1992 serp belt, asked, is it double sided? "oh, it's a perfect fit." uh, yea. SINGLE SIDED arrived. I kept it, because I replaced the idler and went with a single sided conversion.

AFPR - I ordered an accel AFPR from them. It was installed, configured and ran ok for a while. Until it freaked and sent gallons of fuel into the intake and crank. I sent it back to Accel for inspection. They said it was cranked up to 60 psi (I was reading 42 on my gauge) and there was thread lock or sealer on the adj screw threads... the sealer was not my doing, where did it come from? Can you say returned part, not tested, resold as new?

Most recently, a new serp belt. The numbers all appear to be right, but the damned thing is 12" too long!!!

I am really losing my patience with them...

I haven't ordered a lot from them... but the few times seem to be peppered with disappointment. They did do ok on all the FMS injector sets I have ordered (three). And I am sure there are other orders that went ok... but for the most part, I am seeing a trend that isn't impressing me.

Sorry for the high-jack. I hope this doesn't piss too many folks off. I am not out to start a war here... just to share my experiences and see if others have had similar problems.

After readin a bit of this,, http://www.camaroz28.com/forums/showthread.php?t=581521
all I can say is, you've got more guts than I do. I'd stick with what GM put in there or at least an aftermarket version of it.

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You sure won't piss me off saying that but what you describe is a major epidemic in the U.S. Very few people take any pride in what they do any more. The parts you got from Summit were made by someone and the reason they were bad is because that person probably didn't care about a thing except quitting time and his next paycheck. I'm not sticking up for Summit in any way, I just told a rep at Jeg's exactly what he could do with his parts and it was truly x-rated. Now, we're both guilty of hijacking this thread.

What condition is the old lifters in, you could reuse them?

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There is nothing wrong with using a LS7 lifter in a L98 or LT1 motor. Period.


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Summit gets these lifters direct from GM.

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Got a pushrod checker?

Sorry Typo. I already checked pushrod length before I ordered the pushrods. They are trickflow 7.150". I pulled one of the LS7 lifters apart and cleaned it but with no success. Most people are telling me that the lifters are "pumped up" with oil from the factory and that it is normal. One guy told me he squeezes the oil out in a vice with a socket on one end and a ball in the plunger. Everyone else is saying it's okay to put them in as they are and I won't have any issues.

Here's what I discovered/did today...

Ok, I think I have it figured out. Based on what many have said I was probably way over complicating things. When I went to tighten the first two rocker arm nuts I was comparing the two together and how the lifters reacted to the tightening. One was very easy to tighten even for the half past zero lash. The other was extremely hard to tighten almost to the point where it would not go half past. I had pulled both lifters out and the one that was easy to tighten was also easy to push the plunger in. It went in 1/4". I thought the plunger on the other lifter was stuck because it would not move in at all. I checked all 14 other lifters and their plungers also could not be pushed it. I tried with the old pushrod against a brick wall while putting all my weight behind the lifter. I went to two dealerships. One had 10 lifters and 4 of those pushed in 1/4" and the others appeard to be also be stuck. I went to another dealership that had 6 lifters. All of those would not push in. When I got home I checked the stock lifters and those plungers also could not be pushed in. So I had now checked 48 lifters and out of those only 5 plungers could be pushed in 1/4" and 43 did not move. I'm guessing this may be normal and most people probably don't even look at the plunger before installing. When I got back home I tried to again install the LS7 lifters and I was able to get them all in and set 1/2 past zero. They had been soaking in oil all morning also but I don't this mattered. 15 of them were pretty tight on the 1/2 turn and that same one was easier then the rest. I'm pretty sure though everything will be fine. I don't understand the difference in plunger tension on the lifters. I thought maybe the ones I had were sitting on the shelf too long and were bad. I think I was over complicating things trying to avoid any mistakes.

90% of everyone I've delt with at Summit has been overly friendly and helpful. There was one guy I talked to twice who was not so helpful or friendly. I remembered his voice from the previous call. I guess that's everywhere you go. I spoke to one guy at a local NAPA today that refused to give me a NAPA part number. He didnt have the lifters in stock and had to order them for next week. I explained that I couldnt wait on my daily driver and needed them to finish this weekends installed. I asksed if he could give me the part number so I could check another NAPA. He refused saying "I'm not going to do the work so someone else can get the sale." What an ASSHOLE! What work? He had the part number on the screen in front of him. I would have bought them if he had them in stock. Now I will never order from that store even if it was the only option.

I also argued with a Chevy parts dealer today. He wanted to sell me the same LS7 lifters I had already for $65 each. Yeah, thats $1,040 for a set of 16! lol I bought the exact same lifters from summit, all 16, for $128. To his credit I really think he just made a mistake and wasnt reading the price correctly. I even bet him $100 that he was wrong on the price but he insisted otherwise.

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I'm not sure what he was looking at to get them to 1,040. I sell them all day long for 125.00

i think it's because the dealerships sell them for $65 for a set of 8. Not $65 each.

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I never said there was, I just said that it is something I wouldn't do. If I have to elaborate, I meant that I am not into all the added things you need to do to make them work although it would be no big deal to do. I use my car as a cruiser, if I was going to race it I would not hesitate a second to go through what is needed. My racing days are over, I was racing seriously before you were a gleam in your daddy's eye.

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The part number comes up a set of 16. It says it in GM dealer world when they are searching the part.