About Hydraulic Tappet

A Hydraulic Tappet, also known as a hydraulic valve lifter or hydraulic lash adjuster, is a device for maintaining zero valve clearance in an internal combustion engine. Conventional solid valve lifters require regular adjusting to maintain a small clearance between the valve and its rocker or cam follower.

The hydraulic lifter was designed to allow the valve train to operate with zero clearance—leading to quieter operation, longer engine life, and eliminating the need for periodic adjustment of valve clearance.

Replace Your Bad Hydraulic Tappets On Time

Hydraulic lifters can collapse, with no oil cushion to dampen the pounding from the tappet or push rod. Solid lifters can wear on their camshaft side, along with the camshaft lobes. Too much oil in the crankcase can cause oil aeration, or air bubbles, a condition when the crankshaft churns up the oil by direct contact.

The most obvious symptom of a faulty hydraulic lifter is the noise it creates in your cars engine. You can usually distinguish the faulty lifter by the distinct sound. Instead of a knock or ping, a faulty hydraulic lifter will usually make a sound more reminiscent of a tapping sound.

If your car has a faulty hydraulic lifter, replace it as soon as possible to avoid further damaging your engine.