n_csmith

Ok so i have been working on my 1989 cherokee and i pulled my lifters out because there was a very apparent issue with something in the top end..well there was lots of crap and gunk build up to include lifters and rockers and pivots..it was gross, i took the lifters apart and cleaned the crap out of them. right now they are soaking in oil..so my question is should i throw them back in or should i replace them..i really don't have the money to replace...so i wanted some more grease monkeys opinions..i have my fair share of knowledge, but this is a little outside of my realm still. any help would be appreciated.

89Laredo

New cam? If so, use new lifters. If it is the old cam, use the old lifters. But make sure they are very clean and operating correctly.

n_csmith

oh they are clean and i can compress them like i could before problem is i don't like how soft they are, BUT they don't have oil in them to build pressure, which i understand...just scares me i don't want to have to pull my head and all that again, but i will be using the same cam. Every single one of my lifters were clogged some worse then others, but are all good and clean and unclogged now. If you guys think that everything will be ok i will throw them back in and i guess its just a head gasket and intake manifold if i do have to pull it again. I just REALLY want my jeep running i am sick of driving a mini van..lol

mwdouglas

if there not scared at all and you make sure to prime them before re install you should be fine assuming there was no lifter taping before you took them out

n_csmith

What do you mean by prime them? they are soaking in oil right now if thats what you mean. there lies the problem though they may have been tapping but like i said they were clogged cause the jeep hadn't ran in two years, but it could have been the lifters it sounded like a diesel when i started it and it only ran for like 5 mins tops, wasn't getting enough fuel so it kept dying i still have to sort that out..lol

PS: they all look great after getting cleaned which is why i am asking opinions instead of just replacing..its alot of money i dont have so if they are going to probably be good ill run with it and hope for the best. its just gotta run for a couple years..lol i plan on a 4.0 HO swap eventually just dont have the time to re wire my whole jeep right now.

mwdouglas

when you reinstall them take them straight from the oil soak and put them in dont push on them so as not to release the oil thats in them from them soaking i have reused lifters in the past and it sounds like you are doing the samething i do if im going to reuse them soak them in a bowl of oil then reinstall them let us know when you get it back together if they tap or not

EVcherokee

Just curious, did you keep them in order? If you didn't, you run the risk of flattening a couple lobes on your cam.

mwdouglas

i just thought about that i meant to ask the samething if there mixed up then you might want to replace them to be on the safe side

fishtaconc

summit has new lifters for about $3.50-$4 IIRC. http://www.summitracing.com/search/y...?Ns=Rank%7cAsc If you get new lifters coat them heavy with ZDDP assembly lube.

n_csmith

ok yeah they are mixed up, BUT on a lighter note i had a friend of mine offer me his sons 87 cherokee for a $1000 it has a 4 inch teraflex lift 31" BFG muds and runs pretty well, the problem is it keeps breaking the shock mount on the front axle, But if i get it i have my jeep for a spare front axle so i would just swap it out. And i believe this said jeep has a D44 in the rear(i really really hope so). If i can talk my wife into i am going to buy it because then i have a good running jeep to get me back and forth to work and wheel, plus if i can talk her into it i am going to try and keep mine and use it as more or less a parts jeep. What do yall think should i push the issue and try to get the wife to let me buy it?

jeepguy72987

hell yea get the other one. youll need parts someday

mwdouglas

for sure wish i had the funds for another in better mechanical shape than mine then i could do the same and have a parts donor

n_csmith

hahaha thats the second hard part...don't have a G to drop right now and close on my house on the 20th of may...He said we could work out some sort of payments, but don't know what i can afford...I really want it and am going to try i will let you guys know and post up some pics!

5-90

STOP RIGHT THERE!

1) If you've disassembled the lifters, you'll want to make as sure as possible they go back together as you took them apart (rebuild with same parts.) This one doesn't need to be considered "critical," but it is "important."

2) If you're not absolutely totally one hundred percent certain that you'll be putting each lifter body back on the exact cam lobe it was removed from, don't bother. Get new ones. You'll have to follow the break-in procedure again, but it's abbreviated - just make sure you have a good break-in lube in place (high levels of ZDDP - even if you have to add it. A decent 30-vis non-detergent oil would be preferred,) and run the engine for 20-30 minutes. Vary the crankshaft speed from 2500-4000rpm, don't let it settle in anywhere.

Yes, you can put new lifters on an old cam. Yes, you can reuse old lifters if they go back on the exact same cam lobes they came off of (they're "lapped in" to a particular lobe, and you'll wreck the cam if you mix them up.) If you replace the cam, get new lifters.

To recap:
New lifters > old cam = OK
Old lifters > old cam = OK if put back on the exact same lobes
New Cam = New Lifters. Period.

5-90

It's not a "risk," it's a "certainty." I've seen it happen more times than I'd care to admit to (I know what happened because I ended up fixing it, and having the owner all bent at me because it ended up costing so damned much...)