SBC hydraulic roller lifters not compressing when setting valve lash

[Silent viewer]

I am assembling a ran jet 350 long block, its basically a vortec 350. I am using the original ram jet cam with stock length pushrods and using 1.6 roller rockers. the roller lifters have been sitting in a container full of oil for 10 years which is when I took this motor apart (been busy with other projects), I have the intake off of the engine so I can visually see the lifter are seated as low as they can be while adjusting. the first 2 cylinders I had no issues, half turn past zero lash and and the lifter compressed with the valve not opening. I get to cylinder 3 and do the same except this time I notice that I am compressing the spring and not the lifter which in turn is opening the valve. i swapped a few lifters around to the same cylinder and seem to have the same issue. i checked for broken springs and they all look fine. its been awhile since I played with a sbc but I have allot of experience with a little higher performance valve train in bbc with my boat engine and I have never noticed anything like this previously. this was a clean lower use engine, it had 300 hours in a boat, extremely clean internally so i wouldn't think that they would be bad. i took one apart and i don't seem to see any issues. i am a little stumped here. if i need new lifters then its whatever but i would rather avoid dropping 100 bucks if i can avoid it. open to thoughts and suggestions

 

[Silent viewer]

update for people needing info in the future. last night i took them all apart, put them back together and they were good to go. they were locked up somehow, not sure what the deal was but they look like new inside and out

 

[rustyroger]

They had filled with oil. When you build a n engine, put the lifters in dry with break in lube on the cam lobes.
Then spin up the oil pump drive at least until you have pressure, some advocate whirring the oil pump drive until oil goes to the top of the engine but this isn't necessary imo.
When you fire up the engine the lifters may clatter briefly until they have filled themselves with however much oil they need.

Roger.

 

[Yav8]

Correct, a dry lifter does not have any oil in it so the lifter just compresses. When the lifter is filled with oil it will compress the valve spring. I have done a lot of these hyd roller motors and I always prime the motor with loose pushrods until the oil is coming out the top of the lifter and then I will set the valves.

 

[rustyroger]

I would set the valves first, the whole point of hydraulic lifters is to eliminate valve lash.

Roger.