understanding lifters...

[babblinbrooke]

Rebuilding a a '95 883.  OEM everything.  Previous owner ran it a few months without an air filter.  Internally, the engine was a mess.  Sometimes I wonder...

Does anyone know of a functional test for the lifters while they are out of the engine?  Is there expected damage if they have been left in the case, but without being surrounded by oil for a few weeks?  Or what's gonna happen if I pull the square clip and release the piston in the lifter to check for debris?  Am I gonna find replaceable gaskets, springs, and/or O-rings in there?  Am I gonna be able to reassemble it without a specialty tool?

[andyxlh]

I agree it is silly to run without an AC, but I would have thought the damage would generally be limited to the piston rings and cylinder bores, caused by grit and so on getting sucked in, if you were unlucky. wouldn't have thought the lifters would suffer from that, I'd be looking elsewhere if you have debris in your case. Is it metallic? suspect bearings or shims - particularly cam shims as I have had that one.
Both of my bikes use a different lifter to the ones you have, but the principle of operation is the same. Check the rollers on the end - the bearings must be OK and have no rough areas or slop. The lifters should be soaked in oil before refitting - they are hydraulic and use the oil pressure to 'pump up' and make the correct contact with the pushrods. When the bike is started after a rebuild it might clatter for a little while and then they pump up and this noise goes away as the oil pressure rises. If they need pulling apart - or you suspect they do - I'd 'bite the bullet' and replace the lot with new. the results of one falling apart are not good.
Check the bores where they fit in the case - they must be a good fit - the tolerances are in the book and they are pretty close. the bores must not be scored.
I have found the main problem for lifters is mileage. one of mine broke up at about 125000km - about 80,000mi and caused a lot of problems. If you have a decent mileage on the engine I'd replace them to be sure. They aren't that expensive and then you know they are OK.

[FSG]

Some light reading

http://harleytechtalk.com/htt/index.php/topic,18617.msg189127.html#msg189127

[andyxlh]

Oh yes, I remember that, good discussion too!
A