if youre holding a lifter in your hand, should you be able to squeeze the pushrod end in with your index finger relatively easily?

ive got some lifters that have a good 1/4"+ of play this way, and some that do not budge with the same amount of pressure. i'm wondering if i have 1 (or more) bad lifters....

 

The lifters that move easily most probably have no oil in them.
Can't check em' that way.
Are you trying to find a problem or just curious?

 

i'm trying to find a problem...

the engine has a miss from #7, and i cant find a fouled plug or anything to explain it. very noticable through the dual exhaust, and valve adjustments seem to have narrowed it down to that cylinder.
i'm hoping the cam isnt shot.

 

Did you check if it's firing?
Did you check the wire?
Did you do a compression check?
Is the bottom of the lifter flat or concave?

 

firing
changed wires, no change
good compression
slightly concave i believe.

 

You really wouldn't have had to tear it down to check for a round lobe. You could have just cranked it over with the cover off and watch/compare valve movement.
Put the bottom of the lifter against the side of another to check the concave.
Are there others?
How long has the cam been in there?

 

If it's concave, it's toast. The cam is smoked too. There's your miss.... a rolled-off lobe. Bummer.

 

by concave, i mean it has that ever so slight roundness to the bottom of it they way it does out of the box. none of the lifters look worn externally, nothing *looks* out of the ordinary. thats why i'm stumped.

when i removed the intake, the rocker positions on that cylinder appeared to be out of proportion with the location of the lifters. i.e. one lifter (intake IIRC) appeared to be sitting higher in its bore than the other, but both rockers looked to be at the same height. i wish i had taken a picture...

 

Convex = bowed out
Concave = dished in

If it's still bowed out, it's OK. If it's dished in, it's hosed.

 

doh. convex is the word. its convex. no convave, concave bad.