Keyway


Roller Lifters

Often copied. Never duplicated.

About Jesel Keyway Roller Lifters

For nearly 35 years, Jesel Keyway Roller Lifters have been the trusted choice for racers across all disciplines, setting the benchmark in durability and performance. Whether it's enduring a grueling 24 hour road race or handling the extreme power of a 5000 horsepower Pro-Mod engine, Jesel Keyway Lifters have proven themselves in countless championship winning engines. Their unparalleled strength and reliability make them the go to lifter for high performance racing applications.

Precision Engineering and Superior Materials
At Jesel, our philosophy is to produce the finest valvetrain components by utilizing the strongest materials available, all machined to tolerances as low as .0001”. Every component of Jesel Keyway Roller Lifters, except for the custom precision sorted needle bearings, is machined in-house to ensure maximum quality control. This meticulous attention to detail significantly enhances the longevity and reliability of the lifters, making them the perfect choice for high RPM racing environments.

Multiple Sizes and Customization Options
Jesel Keyway Roller Lifters are available in .937”, 1.062”, and 1.095” body diameters, each coated with DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon) for reduced friction and wear resistance. For further customization, tool steel pushrod seats are available in on-center, .050”, or .150” offset configurations, helping to optimize pushrod angles and maximize engine efficiency. Additionally, the internal pressurized oiling system ensures consistent lubrication to the needle bearings or optional bronze bushings, enhancing performance and extending the service life of the lifters.

Keyway Guidance System for Optimal Stability
Jesel Keyway Lifters utilize a unique keyway guidance system that ensures precise lifter alignment. The lifters are guided by a keyway that rides in an indexed slot within the lifter bushing, preventing unwanted rotation and ensuring smooth operation at high RPMs.

The installation of Jesel Keyway Lifters requires precise block machining and installation of a specialized Keyway Bushing, a procedure that should be handled by a skilled machinist. For accurate installation, Jesel also offers a Keyway Bushing Installation Tool to guarantee proper bushing alignment.

Features & Options

  • The Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) coating on the tool steel body minimizes friction and wear, enhancing durability and extending the service life of the lifter.

  • Made from heat treated tool steel and then polished, providing exceptional strength and smooth operation under high stress conditions.

  • Available in multiple diameters to ensure compatibility with a wide range of high performance engine builds.

  • Cam rollers feature precision-sorted proprietary needle bearings for smooth operation and reduced friction under high loads.

  • A direct pressure-fed oiling system ensures that the axle assembly receives adequate lubrication, enhancing performance and longevity.

  • Available with either offset or on-center pushrod seats, these lifters offer flexibility to match various engine configurations and optimize performance.

  • The hardened keyway system ensures precise lifter alignment, preventing unwanted rotation and maintaining stability during high-RPM operation.

  • The built-in locking pin design removes the need for traditional snap rings, providing a more secure and reliable assembly for high-stress racing environments.

  • Manufactured with exacting tolerances of .0002", each component is engineered for optimal fit and performance, ensuring consistent operation under extreme loads.

  • Fully rebuildable to Jesel factory specifications through the Jesel CPR department.

  • Choose from various roller sizes to tailor the lifters to your specific engine requirements and performance goals.

  • Cam rollers feature a pressure fed bronze bushings ensuring smooth operation and ease of maintenance.

Open Pocket Lifters

Optimized for Larger Rollers
The Jesel Open Pocket Keyway Lifter is our standard design in the keyway-style roller lifter lineup. The Open Pocket design accommodates larger diameter rollers, providing a wider contact path on the cam lobe for improved durability and performance at high RPMs. This design also reduces overall lifter weight while allowing more oil flow to the roller, enhancing lubrication and extending component life.

Available in .937” diameter with either .785” or .850” diameter rollers, and in 1.062” diameter with a choice of .785”, .850”, or .940” rollers, these lifters offer versatility for a variety of engine configurations. For added flexibility, you can select from centered, .050”, or .150” offset pushrod cups, optimizing the valvetrain geometry to match your engine’s specific requirements.

Full Body Lifters

Enhanced Strength and Support
The Jesel Full Body Keyway Lifter is designed for maximum strength and durability, featuring a lifter body that fully surrounds the roller for increased support in the thrust area. This robust design ensures superior performance in high-RPM and high-stress environments, making it ideal for demanding racing applications.

Available combinations include a .937” diameter lifter with a .785” diameter roller, a 1.062” diameter lifter with either .785” or .850” diameter rollers, and a 1.095” diameter lifter with a .940” diameter roller. You can further customize with centered, .050”, or .150” offset pushrod cups to optimize valvetrain geometry for your specific engine setup.

Integrated Keyway Lifters

Our lightest .937 lifter body

The Jesel Integrated Keyway Roller Lifter is our lightest and most advanced Keyway-style roller lifter, designed to maximize performance in high-RPM applications. Available with a .937” diameter body and .850” diameter roller, this precision-engineered lifter weighs just 96 grams, making it the ideal choice for racers seeking reduced weight without sacrificing strength.

By integrating the guide key directly into the lifter body, we’ve eliminated the need for the aluminum keyway retention post, allowing for the use of larger diameter pushrods. This design also features aluminum pistons with an O-ring to prevent oil pressure bleed and a hardened steel pushrod seat, available in on-center or .150” offset configurations, providing flexibility for various engine builds and pushrod angles.

Needles or Bushings

Our Keyway lifters are offered with the choice of either a needle bearing or bronze bushed cam roller at no additional cost to the consumer. Both options feature a pressurized oil flow to ensure adequate lubrication and cooling to the bearing components.

Our bronze bushed rollers have been rigorously dyno tested and run through over one million cycles on our in-house Spintron to ensure they rotate as smoothly and as reliably as our preferred needle bearing package.

Specifications

Lifter Diameter

Roller Diameter

.937”

.785”

.937”

.850”

1.062”

.785”

1.062”

.850”

1.062”

.940”

1.095”

.940”

Oil flow should never be restricted to any Jesel Roller Lifter.

Our Lifter Story

Roller lifters had been around for years, being used in various applications such as radial aircraft engines, but when a few progressive engine builders started adapting them to race engines, horsepower and rpm made a huge leap forward. Cam grinders began designing cam profiles with shorter durations and higher rates of lift than a traditional solid lifter could tolerate. The result was incredible power gains especially with the typical modified O.E. style cylinder heads of the day. As valvetrain loads escalated with more lift, rocker ratio and spring pressure, the roller lifter was overtaxed and suffered frequent failures.

Read more…

People Sometimes Ask

  • A roller lifter is a type of lifter that features a small roller on the bottom, reducing friction as it follows the camshaft lobes. This design allows for smoother operation and better high-RPM performance compared to flat tappet lifters. Jesel Roller Lifters use advanced materials and design to optimize performance and longevity.

  • Yes, roller lifters offer significant advantages over flat tappet lifters, including reduced friction, improved durability, and better performance in high-RPM applications. Jesel Roller Lifters are designed for extreme racing conditions, providing superior valve control and longer service life.

  • Tie-bars, keyways, or wheel-guided bushings keep roller lifters from spinning. A tie-bar connects two lifters, ensuring they stay aligned and do not rotate in the lifter bore. Keyway lifters use a hardened key that rides within an indexed slot, preventing rotation and maintaining precise alignment. For cartridge roller lifters, wheel-guided bushings are used to keep the lifters in place, preventing spinning while ensuring smooth operation.

  • Unlike flat tappet lifters, roller lifters typically do not require a break-in period. However, proper installation and lubrication are critical to ensuring long-lasting performance. Jesel Roller Lifters are designed for durability and do not require the same break-in procedures as flat tappet lifters.

  • No, roller lifters and solid lifter cams are designed differently, and using them interchangeably can lead to improper valve operation and engine damage. Always ensure compatibility between your lifters and camshaft for optimal performance.

  • Solid roller lifters provide better performance at high RPMs, but they require regular valve lash adjustments. Hydraulic roller lifters are self-adjusting and more suited for street applications with less maintenance. Jesel Roller Lifters are available in solid configurations, making them ideal for racing applications that require maximum valve control.

  • Solid body lifters offer superior performance at high RPMs compared to hydraulic lifters. They provide better valve control and stability, especially in racing applications where precise timing is critical. Solid lifters do not rely on hydraulic fluid, which can compress or "pump up" at high RPMs, potentially causing valve float. Jesel Roller Lifters are specifically engineered for extreme conditions, offering enhanced durability and precision, making them the preferred choice for racers seeking maximum power and control.

  • Yes, roller lifters can improve horsepower over flat tappet lifters. Roller lifters reduce friction between the lifter and camshaft, allowing for more aggressive cam profiles that increase valve lift and duration. This leads to better airflow through the engine, which can result in an increase in horsepower.

  • Yes, needle bearings in roller lifters are safe and highly effective when used in high performance applications. They significantly reduce friction between the roller and camshaft, allowing for smoother operation at high RPMs. Although engine builders and racers may have a preference for bushed rollers, Jesel does not currently offer bushed roller options on our Nitro-Alcohol roller lifters, which speaks to our confidence in the safety and effectiveness of our needle bearing rollers.

  • That depends on what’s most important to you. Needle bearings are excellent at reducing friction, making them ideal for high-RPM performance. On the other hand, bronze bushed rollers offer additional durability and require less maintenance. Ultimately, the best option depends on your engine’s needs and the type of racing or application you’re using them for.