Valve lift variation associated with a deactivation roller hydraulic valve DRVHL (DRHVL) can result in unacceptable valve overlap and idle conditions for an internal combustion engine. Two sources of length variation in a DRHVL are leakdown and residual mechanical lash. Total length variation is the sum of these two factors, and each factor has an associated tolerance. In the prior art, the two factors are independent, resulting in a total population variation that is the sum of the two independent variations. A DRHVL assembly process in accordance with the invention includes the step of associating leakdown test results for individual lash adjusters with residual lash results by adjusting the residual lash characteristics of individual DRHVL assemblies to complement the leakdown characteristics in minimizing total length variation in the population of assembled DRHVLs.