<VV> Liffter operation

[Smitty Smith]

Smitty Says:  You are usually right about things Bob but not this time.  Better go to the garage and take one apart yourself.  I don't think anyone has done more hours of research trying to find out how lifters operate in the last three years than I have.  I lost three sets of heads, thousands of dollars, and in effect, an engine because of the crappy SBC lifters we are pretty much forced to deal with.  I have torn down more lifters than I would have believed existed and they all have one thing in common.  Where the inertia valve presses against the piece that I call the "pushrod pocket, there is ALWAYS a groove pressed into the sheet metal valve or a groove machined across the seat the valve  presses against or raised tits on eather side of the place the valve contacts the pocket piece.  Always some way for oil to pass through to the pushrod. (as long as the oil pressure can overcome the inertia of the oil in the pushrod as it goes up and down).  The only time flow is
 mechanically shut off is when inertia generated pressure is holding the valve  "down" or against its seat (toward the lifter).
  Gentlemen along this same thread I would like to hear from anyone (Private post) that has experienced valve guide failures at around 3000 miles after a head rebuild on an engine with new Clevite SBC lifters.  Thanks

   
From: BobHelt at aol.com 

Also I don't recommend trying Chuck's method of looking for oil to come out the pushrods. The problem here is that oil trying to leave the lifter and pass up the pushrod REQUIRES the inertia of a lifter in motion. If the lifter is stationary (eng not running) then the oil pressure just forces the metering valve up against its seat blocking the oil flow to the pushrod.

Take a lifter apart and see how it operates.