Roller Motor

[tderrick]

Would someone please explain what a roller motor actually is??

I've always heard the term about our engines, but never really knew what it meant...

 

[revhead347]

The lifters have rollers on the bottom, so they roll on the camshaft. Flat Tappet engines don't have rollers on the lifters, so they just slide metal to metal.

Kurt

 

[tderrick]

Our motors are roller, correct??

and... hydraulic roller lifter vs solid tappet lifter.... ?

 

[revhead347]

Our motors are roller, correct??

and... hydraulic roller lifter vs solid tappet lifter.... ?

Yes, we have roller motors. A hydraulic roller has a roller on it, and a flat tapped it does not. The term "solid" does not refer to it not having a roller. A solid lifter does not use oil pressure to automatically adjust height.

Kurt

 

[Chythar]

As already stated, roller (or hydraulic roller) engines refers to the type of lifter being used, hydraulic roller or flat tappet. Rollers are more recent tech than flat tappet. Here's a nice link showing the benefits of roller vs flat tappet:

Flat Tappet Cams vs. Roller Cams - Lunati Power

 

[tderrick]

i was wondering if you could have roller on a solid lifter....

last question... promise

 

[revhead347]

i was wondering if you could have roller on a solid lifter....

last question... promise

Questions don't bother us, that's what websites like this are for. Besides I'm holding down a hotel room in Toronto. What else am I going to do?

Yes, they make solid roller lifters. Hydraulic lifters tend to compress too much on high rpm engines, so you have to go to a solid lifter.

Kurt

 

[The O.G.]

yes

Lifter ,aka tappet.

Roller refers to the bottom of the lifter that rides on the cam.

Solid ,aka "mechanical" refers to the top of the lifter that the push rod sits on.

So lifters go as
Solid roller,Hyrdaulic roller,Hydraulic flat tappet,solid/mechanical flat tappet.

 

[tderrick]

thanks...

 

[The O.G.]

The blocks themselves from roller/ non roller have taller lifter bores as well I believe.

 

[Chythar]

The blocks themselves from roller/ non roller have taller lifter bores as well I believe.

Just read that one recently myself. Roller blocks have taller lifter bores. Putting roller lifters in a non-roller block requires special lifters (which are very expensive). Unless one has a compelling reason to keep a non-roller block (restoring a classic and you want the original engine, etc) it's usually cheaper to find a roller block from a junkyard and sell the old block.