Important Notes before Priming or Adjusting Clay Smith Hydraulic Lifters:

1. Wipe lifters with a lint free towel to remove any debris. Do not wash in any solvent or cleaners. Needle bearing lifters have a high-pressure grease that is used during assembly for initial break in. Solvent and/or cleaners will remove this.

2. Use engine oil to coat the outside diameter (OD) of the body and wheel before installation.

3. Lifter bore clearance should not exceed (.002).

4. Now you may begin the priming process of debris free, well-oiled hydraulic roller lifters.

Priming and Adjusting Clay Smith Hydraulic Lifters:

1.CSC recommends priming the lifters with a Pump Oiler before inserting hydraulic lifters into their bores.

2. Fill Pump oiler with engine oil.

3. Using the pump oiler, find the oiling hole on the side of the lifter and insert the tip of the Oiler into the side oiling hole.

4. Continue this process until you see oil coming out of the lifters top. This step should remove all air from the inside of the lifter. To ensure air removal, continue pumping oil into the lifter with the Pump Oiler until no air bubbles remain in the oil coming out of the top of the lifter.

Oil Pump Priming Clay Smith Hydraulic Lifters into Lifter Bore:

1.Insert primed, hydraulic lifters into lifter bore holes.

2. Using a drill powered, Oil Pump Priming Tool find the distributer hole and insert the tool. Make sure there are no pushrods against the lifters during this process. Note: Sometimes a crankshaft rotation is needed to align the lifters side oil holes with oil holes inside the block. This is necessary to achieve a good prime.

3.Once you have established that good flow of oil again through the top of the lifter, you may install your pushrods and begin preload. Note: CSC recommends repeating the oil pump priming process, after preload to confirm all rocker arms are getting appropriate oil.

Preloading & Adjusting Clay Smith Hydraulic Lifters

1. Clay Smith Cams recommends using the firing order to set the valves; starting with the engine on the number one cylinder.

2. Preload for Cast Iron block: ¼ to 1 turn, after .000 lash.

3. Aluminum blocks or Steel blocks with Aluminum heads: 3/4 to 1 1/4 full turn. 

Aluminum blocks & heads will have a higher rate of expansion & that is why the preload is tighter.

*Do not use oil restrictors. 

**Heavy Viscosity engine oil will take longer for the lifter to prime and may result in some cold engine valve train noise.

CLAY SMITH CAMS: 

5870 DALE STREET 

BUENA PARK, CA 90621

TECH LINE: (714) 523-0530 

WWW.CLAYSMITHCAMS.COM