How to prime tappets before reinstall?

[Slick8]

Currently 10 out of 16 tappets are "stuck". That means they don't move if you press on them. Now I'm not sure if that means they are full or empty of oil. However, how should I prime them before I put the cam carrier cover back on. Should they all be able to be pressed and be "springy"?

[darbuck]

Hi They shouldn't move if you are squeezing them with your thumb and forefinger. I left mine in oil over night, It sounds like you have 6 bad ones better than 10 .

[Hell Razor5543]

I recall seeing (on 'Wheeler Dealers') Ed China leaving the tappets (for a Mitsubishi GT3000) in engine oil for 24 hours before he fitted them to the car. The engine started easily, and the tappets ran silently.

[MattBLancs]

DV6 engine: I was able to squeeze all the hydraulic lifters (sat other end of the little roller rockers that act on the end of the valves)

Did so in a jam jar of clean engine oil (and some very definitely not clean engine oil was ejected!) Also left in there, a small stream of bubbles rose out of each too.

Put easy straight from jam jar back into the head (the bores in which they sit also give a quick squirt from on oilcan) it's was probably a week (maybe two) before the reassembled engine was back in the car = restarted without huge amounts of cranking - much to my surprise! Had heard if needing a tow start to get things back in running condition again!

[darbuck]

I don't know lads I have watched a couple of videos on it recently and there are mixed views on how they should feel. I retract my previous statement on the grounds of I am not certain. I think if they are unprimed they are rigid to the push but if they are primed they are easily pushed.

[MattBLancs]

I can't be certain if mine were "as normal" or not, but they definitely squeezed down under firm finger pressure and definitely worked again afterwards.

I'm wondering if rocker hydraulic "adjusters" work differently than direct acting hydraulic tappets = they act as a pivot, so the no forces on them are halved, I think (tired brain!) So the internal spring might not need to be as strong??

[darbuck]

Yeah I suppose that would make sense as you say they are a pivot rather than a ram. They would need a bit of pliability to deal with the recoil of the valve spring, but not necessarily require an ability to manage larger compressive force.