I just got my new LS7 lifters, and after searching I've found conflicting theories on lifter prep. Some say soak the whole lifter for an hour, others say overnight, some say only the roller. And then some say to use assembly lube on the roller. But then wouldn't that require an oil change?

I plan on cleaning them out with mineral spirits first and was going to coat them lightly in oil, then prime the oil system before running it. What do the rest of you recommend? (Oh, and I plan on checking my pushrod length again, since I've read the LS7 lifters pushrod cup is lower.)

 

I'm not an expert but I let my lifters soak in mineral spirits from the time they came out until a bit before they went back in. Let them dry out, then had a bowl of oil that I dipped them in individually, and pumped with my fingers. I had them totally soaked with oil. I don't know if that's what your supposed to do but I figured it couldn't hurt.

The mineral spirits will break up all the crap in the lifters and make them like new.

 

I soaked mine overnight, thats what I was told to do......good luck

 

I simply oiled the bores, dipped the lifters in a cup of oil, and threw them in.....no problems at all. I did make sure they were clean. Some of that paper they come in, can leave something on them.

 

just dipped the rollers in oil and installed them then pre-oiled the motor - new rollers in a new motor

 

Depends on the amount of effort you want to put into it. I like to soak
in paint thinner first. Then blast off the thinner with air, let them dry a
while, then overnight in oil. Finish them off by pumping each submerged
in oil with a pushrod.

 

When I do lifters, I wash them in paint thinner, dry and then place them in a clean plastic peanut butter jar with rollers down and fill jar with oil to 1/2 inch over top of lifters. This way I can see the air excaping the lifters, shake a little and watch more air excape until no more air bubbles and ready to go.

 

Thanks for the input, just thought I'd give an update.

I soaked the lifters in mineral oil for a few hours, and I'm glad I did. A whole bunch of tiny metal shavings came out. Then I used compressed air to dry them off, then soaked them in oil overnight (just because I had nowhere to put them until I installed them).

After installing them and waiting a day for the intake RTV to set, I pulled the PCM fuse and cranked the engine over a couple times to prime them, then started it up and took it for a drive. A lot of the ticking is gone, now it just sounds like the rockers. Seems like I have a bit more power too, smoother acceleration. Overall, I'm happy.

 

Did the lifters require a longer pushrod?

 

Nope. I'd still recommend everyone that uses them to check their valvetrain geometry for obvious reasons, but mine were fine.

 

Ditto, like to soak mine, and pump them up. No girly lifters for me.
Roller lifters and rockers do not need assembly lube.

 

I bet a shop mechanic just takes them out of the box and sticks them in. I doubt they need any special pre-soaking at all. Not like a garage mechanic tenderly soaks them overnight, lovingly basting them every hour.

Hal

 

I found that my LS7s already had oil in them when I bought them. Silly, I know. But when I took one apart to turn it into a solid, it was full.