URGENT: middle of cam swap found problem
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From: Northwest AR
URGENT: middle of cam swap found problem Pulled the old cam and found that the first lobe has damage to the tip. The lifter looks the same as all the other lifter surfaces and has no play in the roller or seems to be at all damaged.
Could it just have been a bad cam? The lifter surface is fine all the way around.
The rest of the engine is clean minus normal stuff, oil in the engine was used but also clean and half clear.
Is it a bad idea to go ahead and put in the new cam or buy head gaskets and pull the head and hope I can find a lifter here in BFE?
Here are some pics:
Same thing but not as bad on the first lobe past the 3 main bearing as well, but nowhere near as bad. Can't roll that lifter to check the whole surface but what I can see also looks smooth.
Could it just have been a bad cam? The lifter surface is fine all the way around.
The rest of the engine is clean minus normal stuff, oil in the engine was used but also clean and half clear.
Is it a bad idea to go ahead and put in the new cam or buy head gaskets and pull the head and hope I can find a lifter here in BFE?
Here are some pics:
Same thing but not as bad on the first lobe past the 3 main bearing as well, but nowhere near as bad. Can't roll that lifter to check the whole surface but what I can see also looks smooth.
Last edited by thunderstruck507; Jun 16, 2008 at 04:22 PM.
Teching In
Joined: Jun 2002
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From: Las Vegas
I just had a cam swap done on my car and 5 of the 8 lobes looked like that. That valve was probably going into float so I'd replace all the lifters and at least check your springs, rockers, and pushrods.
It is probably the spring that is not handling the valve events as well as possible and so the lifter is beating the **** out of the cam. I had to replace my springs (one actually broke in 2 places, the inner small spring), valve seals, keepers, and locks.
Anway...my $.02
It is probably the spring that is not handling the valve events as well as possible and so the lifter is beating the **** out of the cam. I had to replace my springs (one actually broke in 2 places, the inner small spring), valve seals, keepers, and locks.
Anway...my $.02
Yes pull the heads just to see whats going on.. Do you wanna spend and extra few hours and 100 bucks to see whats going on or run the chance of having to spend thousands building a new motor because of a $10 dollar lifter failing?
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Thread Starter
11 Second Club
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From: Northwest AR
it is stock as far as I know
We have the heads off, upon close inspection it looks like the lifter does indeed have some bad spots
people here are kinda dumb about this stuff, are the head gaskets the same as truck ones and how can I tell what is what if they are not...the guy my dad talked to at the parts place seemed confused by the concept of LS1 so I hope they ordered the right stuff
We have the heads off, upon close inspection it looks like the lifter does indeed have some bad spots
people here are kinda dumb about this stuff, are the head gaskets the same as truck ones and how can I tell what is what if they are not...the guy my dad talked to at the parts place seemed confused by the concept of LS1 so I hope they ordered the right stuff
Teching In
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 46
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From: Las Vegas
Just remember that the valve train should be considered a system, every part has a simbiotic relationship with the next part...if your lifters are bad because they were banging up the cam, then your springs are not doing the job they should be doing...etc.
Just replacing the lifters will not guarantee a complete fix, it might solve your problem for now, but not in the long run. (when it comes to a high-performance engine...the "long run" may not be that long!)
Check everything, keepers and locks are cheap insurance...valve seals too.
$.02
Just replacing the lifters will not guarantee a complete fix, it might solve your problem for now, but not in the long run. (when it comes to a high-performance engine...the "long run" may not be that long!)
Check everything, keepers and locks are cheap insurance...valve seals too.
$.02
Should be able to compare part numbers or....you can always lay them on the block and make sure the holes all line up. Bore is same size and all...
to the op, i'd pull the heads and replace the lifters. obviously the valvesprings will be replaced, as well as the cam. maybe look into an oil pump if you haven't already. that looks like a lot of wear on the cam. what do the cam bearings look like?
Damn sure looked like a hole to me. But I also didn't really inspect the pic before posting either, so I could always be wrong. At first glance it appears like a busted thru hole.
Thread Starter
11 Second Club
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From: Northwest AR
I have a lingenfelter ls6 pump that went on too
the pictures I took with macro mode, the low lighting makes the wear appear more shadowed, they don't look nearly as bad in person and feel smooth as glass
just sucks this was an unforeseen expense is all, $50 for lifters, $50 for head surfacing, and $50+ for head gaskets...oh well, better than losing an engine with a brand new $320 comp cam after 100 miles
the pictures I took with macro mode, the low lighting makes the wear appear more shadowed, they don't look nearly as bad in person and feel smooth as glass
just sucks this was an unforeseen expense is all, $50 for lifters, $50 for head surfacing, and $50+ for head gaskets...oh well, better than losing an engine with a brand new $320 comp cam after 100 miles
So to be clear, this was stock cam and springs? How many miles? Could have been a valve control issue due to weak springs.
If your going to pull the heads, why not shave them down and bump compression while your at it.
If your going to pull the heads, why not shave them down and bump compression while your at it.