Lifters 33 results

Valves and Lifters Provide the Lifeblood of Fuel to your Engine

The system of valves and lifters in an internal combustion engine introduces fuel into piston cylinders and releases gases from the cylinders. The camshaft controls the opening and closing of these valves in an engine.

Lifters transmit movement from camshaft lobes to the pushrods. Engine lifters are cylinder-shaped engine parts. Some are solid and some are hydraulic. As the cam moves, lifters are moved upward. The bottom touches the camshaft and the top is attached to the push rods. The upper part of the push rod is attached to the rocker arm. Then the rocker arm is connected to intake and exhaust valves. When the cam moves, it pushes up the lifter, which pushes up the rod. The rocker arm is pushed down and acts upon the valves.

Solid lifters are one type of engine lifter. While solid and hydraulic lifters essentially serve the same purpose, there are distinguishing qualities of the two lifters and differing maintenance needs. A solid lifter, for example, must be periodically adjusted to maintain the correct tolerances. These lifters are often used in cars that reach high speeds because solid lifters keep their tolerances. They are also noisier; valve lash causes a slight clicking noise.

Hydraulic lifters, on the other hand, do not need adjustments. Before installation, they are pumped up with oil. They do, however, have more separate pieces than solid lifters. Hydraulic lifters have a plunger and a spring contained in the lifter body. The plunger has an oil reservoir. If oil pressure becomes low, the lifters can become noisy or stop working. Hydraulic lifters have some drawbacks as well. They can lose pressure at high speeds. This reduces the lift of the valves or it can become over pressurized. This can keep the valves from seating.

Problems with your lifter can be identified from home. One way to check for problems with your vehicle's lifter is to listen for unusual noises. Distinctive noises from your engine are often a sign that a lifter may be compromised. A rapping noise when the engine is started, or intermittently, can signify a problem with the lifter. A very noisy engine could be another signal that your lifters are being affected. When an engine is very loud at normal temperatures but quieter at lower temperatures, this could be a fast leak down rate or scored lifter plunger. This could signify a need to replace a lifter.

Consult your manufacturer's guidelines for changing a lifter in your vehicle and shop for high quality replacement parts from Sears. Shop a great selection of lifters from solid engine lifters to hydraulic lifters. Then check out other high-quality auto parts from Sears, like internal pistons,rocker arms and engine valves.