Hydraulic lifters
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A hydraulic lifter, also known as a hydraulic tappet or a hydraulic lash adjuster, is a device for maintaining zero valve clearance in an internal combustion engine. Conventional means of adjusting valve actuation always require a small clearance to be left between the valve and its rocker or cam follower to allow for thermal expansion and wear, as it is vital that a valve must never be prevented from closing completely; this rapidly burns it away, especially in the case of the exhaust valve. The hydraulic lifter was designed to ensure that the valvetrain always operates with zero clearance, leading to quieter operation and eliminating the need for periodic adjustment of valve clearance.
The hydraulic lifter consists of a hollow expanding piston situated between the camshaft and valve, either operated by a rocker mechanism or, in the case of double overhead camshafts, directly by the camshaft. It is filled with engine oil intermittently from an oil gallery through a small drilling. When the engine valve is closed, the lifter is free to fill with oil, but when the valve is opening and the lifter is being operated on by the camshaft, the oil feed is blocked and the lifter acts just as a solid one would, oil being nearly incompressible.
The first firm to include hydraulic lifters in its design was Pierce-Arrow in the early 1930s. Hydraulic lifters were popular on automobiles designed in the 1980s, but most newer cars have reverted to bucket-and-shim mechanical lifters. Although these do not run as quietly and are not maintenance-free, they are cheaper and rarely need adjustment because the wear caused by operation is spread over a large area.
There are a number of potential problems with hydraulic lifters. Frequently, the valvetrain rattles loudly on startup due to oil draining from the lifters when the vehicle is parked. This is not considered significant provided the noise disappears within a couple of minutes, although typically it usually only lasts a second or two. A rattle that does not go away can indicate a blocked oil feed or that one or more of the lifters has "collapsed" due to wear and is no longer opening its valve fully. The affected lifter should be replaced in the latter circumstances. In extremely rare circumstances, a lifter can "pump up" and create negative valve clearance so that its valve cannot close. This is more serious as burned valves will result. In all cases it is important to follow the manufacturer's recommendations for oil viscosity and quality.
Cars with hydraulic lifters include the first generation Mazda MX-5 and most General Motors models produced in the 1980s.
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