He answered that in the second half of the sentence you are partially quoting.

If you reread his post it is saying if you don't know how long the lifters have been run get new ones!!!!!!!!!

Using someone elses used lifters is just asking for trouble IMO!!!!!!!!!!

Hell I put new lifters in every time I go in that far as a matter of insurance and piece of mind.

A failed lifter can take a whole motor with it and I'd damn sure rather replace the lifters than rebuild the whole motor!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Do not feed the troll.....BM just doesn't get the difference between a mechanic who is trying to help out a forum member and an engineer with control issues .....over 35 years I have built a reputation for building reliable motors and there are people in NZ who will only bring their bikes to me....some guys seek me out to build their drag race transmissions and I always stand by my work....Kees is very happy with his motor...I put new lifters in the old blocks.


Best thing we can do is just not respond...or maybe we can all stop posting as BM clearly knows everything!!


I don't pretend to but I do know this...if you knew the mileage of the second hand lifters you could put them in your motor and they would work just fine until it was time to change them.....that my fellow forum members is a fact...no amount of insults from BM will change that...they'll work...true, in engineering terms it isn't "best practice" but it won't do your motor any harm whatsoever.


20,000 miles ago I put some second hand lifters into a 1987 Sporty for a guy who had one that kept deflating and he needed to get back on the road that day. The lifters had 20-something K on them (came out of a bike that had new ones fitted during a cam swap) and I gave them to him for free but charged him to fit them....they are still working, the bike runs sweet as and it's scheduled for new lifters next month.


Yeah, I do things that may not be what is in the manual or "best practice" but I know these motors well enough to keep you on the road and save you a shitload of dollars when you are on a tight budget.


If BM can't handle that or doesn't agree with it then he should keep his opinions to himself because he is making assumptions that he doesn't have sufficient knowledge to understand.


That is my last word on the subject, I'm busy, I have a 2006 Lowrider that needs another inner primary bearing to tend to, the last one was fitted by me and lasted twice as long as the one H-D fitted in the factory....clearly I have no clue what I am talking about!!

 

:icon_beerc hug: O.K........I'm comfortable now....!!

 

It is always "best practice" to put any machine back exactly as it was when it was taken apart.

Roller lifters don't care...as long as the OD of the lifter, and the OD of the lifter block are in spec it will work fine.

Flat tappet cams the lifter face wears to the cam lope, so if you change the position, it will have shorter life...this matters a lot on your small block chevy.

 

I think that is the meat of this argument, in a perfect world, best practice is what you use....in the real world, experience tells you what you can get away with where you can re-use parts or even God forbid cut corners safely....when a question is asked about used lifters I think it is safe to assume that there may be money issues, are they the best practice? No, but will they work and will they work within the parameters of the question, then it becomes (if/then) for the answer. The if in question here was how many miles on them, if unknown then don't use, if mileage is known and within the experienced mileage limit and seem mechanically sound then the placement is not a problem on an EVO, this is my attempt at a very LUKE(wordy) way to say "It doesn't matter". The whole thing became moot when the OP bought new lifters as he was unaware of the mileage, but the question of when and where it was acceptable was answered and should not be lost in the mess that this thread and one other became.

 

Thank you to both of you. That's pretty much how I would see it ... adding in a surface check for any rough spots or damage a guage would not pick up and, e.g. if anything rotates, checking for any roughness or looseness in the rollers. Funnily enough, I'd even suggest that of new ones ... Digital calipers are so cheap and easy to use these days, there's no excuse for anyone not to have one.

But, look ... given the nature of the original question, I made a call that turned out to be accurate, and responded to both immediate issue and the one behind it regarding basic principles or best practise. If he had them ingrained, he would not have needed to ask the question ... and may have saved himself the price of the lifters.

"It does not matter", does not do that. It doesn't help anyone.

Why on earth would anyone pick me for doing so, and argue the opposite? It's in the manual ... go argue with H-D.

Fine ... busy workshop, barking orders at clueless juniors, I can understand such a response. I'd just hope here, at our leisure, we might be a little more civil and helpful.

I was very lucky. The first guy I worked under in a workshop was a (military) naval engineer. I didn't find it "tough", I enjoyed it. I saw the logic behind it all. Came to understand what "shipshape" meant, and how improvise. It's stood me well for the rest of my life.

You can't just hop on the 'puter and order a new set when you're a 1,000 miles at sea.

 

It stood you well for the rest of your life...
Are you dead now?

Just being picky....

 

Clearly in the eyes of Spanners I am.

What's the correct construction? I'm not offended by accurate correction.

I've spent years living/travelling amongst non-English native speakers, and I am conscious that my grammar is shot to pieces. Internet forums don't help.

Luckily, good practise is a Lingua Franca that doesn't require language just submission to.

 

I've spent years living/travelling amongst non-English native speakers

maybe if you learned to STFU you could have come back sooner ( waiting for them to be dead ) NOPE you have not learned anything

 

It has stood me well.