My '49 GMC has a '54 235 in it. Engine serial # on the flat just aft of the distributor is 0818638F54X. How can I tell if this engine has solid of hydraulic lifters? Mike M '27 Chevy '41 John Deere B '49 GMC FC-150
Set engine to TDC on cylinder # 1 and then push down the heel of the rocker arm with your hand ~ if it has juice lifters the push rod will have *some* give to it . I'm sure you have solid lifters unless it's a passenger car engine . Hydraulic lifters don't work well on 235 engines do to the low pressure oiling system , they tend to clatter loudly at idle speeds when the engine is warmed up . The rob quite a bit of power too . Lastly , please to remember : this is an OLD TECH engine design and " A Noisy Valve Is A Happy Valve " . it should click like an old sewing machine . Worn out rockers & shafts make far more noise than do solid lifters so rebuild the entire rockers and shafts before deciding you simply -MUST- have juice lifters . -Nate
Thanks for the reply Nate. I don't mind the valve clatter, just need to figure out if the lifters are solid or juice so I can adjust them correctly. I have no idea if the 235 came out of a passenger vehicle or another truck. Should I run the engine to pump up the lifters (if they're juice) before doing the test you suggested? Mike M '27 Chevy '41 John Deere B '49 GMC FC-150
[updated:LAST EDITED ON Apr-11-06 AT 06:53 AM (CST)] _NO_ ~ you want them bled down so you'll be able to feel the ' give ' You can take off the tappet chamber cover on the side of the engine and look at the lifter tops where the push rods sit on them , if the lifter has a snap ring holding the two pieces to-gether , it's hydraulic . You'll be able to see how much sludge this engine has in it too as this chamber is lubricated my oil returning from the head area . You can also see by adjusting the valves with the engine warmed up and @ idle , when you turn the valve adjusting screw to _zero_ lash , a solid lifter will cause that cylinder to miss where a hydraulic lifter will all the engine to continure idling just fine , little or not audible click . Many listers here have discovered mixed lifters , both solid and hydraulic , in the same engine so pulling the side cover might be wise FWIW , I've never worried about it on the 235 in my old '49 shop truck , I just adjust them as solids a couple times a year . -Nate
Got it Nate. Just the info I was hoping to get. Many thanks again. Mike M '27 Chevy '41 John Deere B '49 GMC FC-150
RE: So Now : Tune the living heck out of it , do a couple _HOT_ oil changes and go DRIVE the doggoned thing ! . Enjoy it !. -Nate
