Cam Chain tensioner cleaning

[black_box]

So, now that I've gone through a very painful IMS bearing R & R, I am planning to put the car back together tomorrow morning. One issue that I've had with the car since purchse has been a cold startup rattle. This is attributable to the hydraulic cam chain tensioners getting lazy and not doing their job for the first few seconds. I'd like to take care of this.

My questions:

Any tips on cleaning these out to get any oil crud out of their internal passages - ok to use solvent plus hi pressure air?

Is it possible that the springs have gotten weak? Can I replace them without doing the whole tensioner?

Ok to anneal the crush washers on the bottom - if not, is this something obtainable at the hardware store?

[JFP in PA]

Jake Raby once commented on using hot Marvel Mystery Oil pumped through the units to clean them. As these unit have been updated over the years, tossing the old ones in favor of new would be worth considering. The crush washers should be replaced, and I have never seen them anywhere but on the dealer's parts shelf (they are relatively cheap).