I have roller lifters for a ZZ4 cam, should oil be coming out around the sides of the center plunger?
There is a hole right in the center for oil to go up the push rod, but appearently it is all coming out around the side of the plunger and it not making it up the push rod.
With push rods/rockers installed, it seems to gush out pretty good using the primer tool, but none will come out the rockers. A few rockers that do get oil do not seem to have the oil coming out around the side of the plunger.
Thanks

 

have you set the valve lash yet?

 

Driver side has the valve lash set, but it doesn't seem to matter.
Th eoil is coming out the side of the plunger, just under the lock ring, its not coming out of the center hole hardly at all, so my thoughts are, all the oil will come out the side if thats the path of least resistance instead of up the push rod.

 

My rockers, which are the same do not let much oil out at idle, but when you rev it the flow increases. I wouldn't worry about it because they are made to oil the rollers and not squirt like steel rockers. Mine has about 3000 really hard miles on it and nothing is wrong. I checked the rockers throughly because I was worried, but there is no wear at all.

 

James, its concerning me because at first I couldn't get any oil to come up thru the rockers, even after several high rpm drives down the highway, it was still bone dry, all of them. Now after tearing it down I only get it out of half.
I had a fire at one point and the valve covers were off and the fire extinguisher grit/powder had made its way into the lifter valley.
I'm thinking maybe it got inside the lifters and now the plunger isn't sealing properly, letting all of the oil pressure out the sides of the plunger instead of thru the center hole and up the push rods.

 

ttt, anyone have any other thoughts?

 

Before you lay down considerable bucks for a new set of lifters I'd yank the rockers and pushrods and make sure the oil passages in them are clear. If they're plugged up the oil will be forced out over the top of the lifter. If that's not it, you need to investigae the lifters.

There is no "seal" that prevents oil from coming up the outside edge of the plunger in the center of the lifter. it's jsut a very tight fit between the plunger body and the inside casing of the lifter. THis is not a "wear" item since it only moves slightly over time as wear occurs in the valvetrain.

As such, the lifters themselves may be plugged internally which prevents oil from making it's way through the inner passages of the lifter up to the pusrods, rockers, etc. The oil passage in some cases is TINY. My eye tells me it's about .005"-.010". Expensive roller lifters it's definitely worth your time to disassemble them, clean and reassemble. Flat tappet lifters- chuck 'em and break in a fresh set with plenty of assembly lube against the old cam.