What is the difference in the design of a Hydraulic and Mechanical Lifter?
Basically, the hydraulic lifter pushrod seat is moveable, the mechanical lifter seat is not. Both lifter types look the same from the outside, with both having pushrod seats held in by a retaining lock. The pushrod seat in a mechanical lifter usually registers upon an internal step inside the lifter body preventing it from moving (thus it gets the nickname ‘Solid Lifter’). What’s below the pushrod seat in the hydraulic lifter is a different story. Its pushrod seat is not restricted by a step, but instead sits on top of a moveable hydraulic mechanism which acts like a tiny hydraulic pump. Below this mechanism is valving and a spring to produce an upward force, moving the pushrod seat upward against the retaining lock.
