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[Sinker]

Just reading some posts on lifters going bad and am wondering how much it costs to proactively have them replaced?

Scott

[CVO2FIXUP]

 About $500.00 to $700.00  Should also change the cam bearings, and will need adjustable push rods. Nice when its done though.

[ultrafxr]

Ditto on the cam bearings but I am not a fan of adjustable push rods.  I know many folks have them and are satisfied but I dislike them for several reasons:  they are expensive, they add weight to the already strained valve train, the lock nut(s) can get loose and the push rod lose its adjustment (happened to a couple guys I know).

If you are paying someone to do the wrenching the labor to remove the oem push rods from the top (and re-use your stock push rods) is about equal to the added cost of buying adjustable push rods.

I just feel better having a solid push rod I know can't cause problems.  And the oem pushrods are plenty strong enough and durable for the job.

[TorqueInc]

  Depends on what lifters you purchase and where.

  A new set of lifters will be anywhere from $80-$200

  Should replace the cam bearings while in there agreed.

  There is nothing wrong with adjustable pushrods and sadly they are needed for some applications.

  Pushrods are on the wrong end of the valvetrain to worry about as far as weight.....valve,valve spring,retainer weight is the concern.

  With the valvesprings HD decided to use on the 110 engines having way too much seat and open pressure ,a set of stock length perfect fit pushrods at

$100 is a very good idea.

   in a 110 I do not think the stock pushrods are quite up to snuff....

[Yellow09SERG]

Prices depend but will fall in line with the prices above. The problem always seems to be just changing lifters..... While ya have it apart it's a cheap time to change cams, and while your changing cams, you need a tune, and while tuning you really need the exhaust you want.....and...and...and..... Lifters are not bad if you can stop with just lifters....

[hrdtail78]

You can change lifters with out getting into the cam chest for cheaper option.

[Fantozi]

Why do you want to change your lifters?  Is there a reason besides the negative posts on the internet of other riders lifter failures?
This is a very small percentage of actual riders and they all have their different circumstances but if your not having any problems then leave them alone.

Personally, I would not touch them unless you have really high mileage on your scoot.  If you do decide to change the lifters its time to get a real cam in there and take care of the bearings and lifters at the same time. Save on all that labor and get it done at the same time with peace of mind.

[sadunbar]

Why do you want to change your lifters?  Is there a reason besides the negative posts on the internet of other riders lifter failures?
This is a very small percentage of actual riders and they all have their different circumstances but if your not having any problems then leave them alone.

Personally, I would not touch them unless you have really high mileage on your scoot.  If you do decide to change the lifters its time to get a real cam in there and take care of the bearings and lifters at the same time. Save on all that labor and get it done at the same time with peace of mind.

If you're referring to all Twin Cam motors, you're probably correct.  If you're referring to 110 Twin Cam motors, I disagree with your assessment.  I suspect the percentage of 110 Twin Cam lifter issues is more than a "small percentage"...  JMO...    

[grc]

Why do you want to change your lifters?  Is there a reason besides the negative posts on the internet of other riders lifter failures?
This is a very small percentage of actual riders and they all have their different circumstances but if your not having any problems then leave them alone.

Personally, I would not touch them unless you have really high mileage on your scoot.  If you do decide to change the lifters its time to get a real cam in there and take care of the bearings and lifters at the same time. Save on all that labor and get it done at the same time with peace of mind.

I'd love to know how you know that "this is a very small percentage".  Do you have insider information from Harley warranty analysis perhaps?  How about inside information from CNA on all the engines they've paid to replace or repair due to lifter roller failures under the ESP?  What percentage failure rate do you consider insignificant?

Where there is smoke there is usually fire.  Not every 1999-2006 Twin Cam suffered cam chain tensioner failures that trashed the engine, but enough did that many of us chose to do regular inspections and even prophylactic changes to avoid trashing an entire engine.  Was that a bad choice on our part?  Without a magic looking glass to see into the future, no one really knows.  Of course the same can be said for many things in life.  We are left with the imperfect option of evaluating the risks as we currently know them, evaluating the cost of various actions including no action, and then deciding to either take preventive measures or just leave it to "fate".  It's called being prudent, cautious, whatever.  The opposite is often called being clueless or foolish.

Even though the OP didn't tell us what model and year bike he currently has, I think he has a 2009 CVO with a 110 engine.  IMHO if he has 20k miles or more it would be wise to at least investigate the idea of replacing the lifters.  If he doesn't have a service contract and would be on the hook for the entire repair cost if a lifter totaled the engine, I think $400 to replace the lifters with a high quality alternative would be very cheap insurance versus a $4k and up potential repair cost.  And that doesn't factor in any other costs if a failure were to happen out on the road somewhere. 

Jerry

[willyB]

Here's what a pre-fail bad lifter does to a cam in a 23,000 110 CVO.

You be the judge.

[Twism_23]

The question is really, "What is the cost of NOT replacing the lifters?" Probably thousands of $$$

[Sinker]

I appreciate all of the feedback.  As some of you suspect I am thinking of doing this to save the cost of a catastrophic failure.  Hopping up the cams and a better tune would also be nice while in the process.

Scott

[Twolanerider]

I appreciate all of the feedback.  As some of you suspect I am thinking of doing this to save the cost of a catastrophic failure.  Hopping up the cams and a better tune would also be nice while in the process.

Scott

Scott, if you're thinking about just swapping out a set of lifters and aren't too concerned about tackling basic mechanical chores a lifter swap is a task most can do at home on a Saturday afternoon.  If limiting yourself just to lifters and you don't mind buying a set of adjustable pushrods the only thing even close to a special tool one would need is a set of bolt cutters to get the original pushrods out of the engine.  Everything else is just basic hand tools.

[Jswerve]

I just had my lifters replaced with s&s premiums and adj. Push rods. I was uncomfortable running the stock lifters so I had them upgraded for peace of mind. I also took the opportunity to upgrade the cams. With tune I spent about 1300 and couldn't be happier knowing they are gone. I also know how much crank runout I have now and what the condition of the old cams and lifters were in.

Sent from my SCH-R970 using Tapatalk

[GMR-PERFORMANCE]

If a customer where to do the labor on the install and then bring the bike for a tune you would be 1150-1200 based on the 2 1/2 + dozen we have done this year.  Labor will vary from shop to shop but I would think that 450-650 labor would cover that end. So a cap of 2000 would get you there and then some.

Lifter failure is not only on the 110 engines. Some have posted that it is about the 110 valve spring pressure I have no doubt that plays a role . However we are seeing the same types of wear and failure on non CVO lifters as well. And there is no excessive valve spring pressure induced there.