broke a valve spring last night.
08-27-2012, 08:59 PM
#21
I should add that it appeared like there was a nick right where it broke. Now I am not sure if this was a by product of the break or if it was a defect in the manufacturing process or caused by me on install.
I am going to take the other set and put one spring in and park it till spring and put a new set of springs in then. I just want to put something in so it is back together and I can start it and move it around the garage and driveway for the winter.
I am going to take the other set and put one spring in and park it till spring and put a new set of springs in then. I just want to put something in so it is back together and I can start it and move it around the garage and driveway for the winter.
08-27-2012, 09:19 PM
#22
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Well I don't see any coil bind there, and with a 502 it's strange that it would break like that. Maybe you could contact the manufacturer and ask them about the dampers? There have been a lot of posts about beehive springs breaking, but I haven't seen Howard's breaking. It may just be luck.
08-27-2012, 09:34 PM
#24
the weird thing was that I got on it good spun up to about 4k and then 5 or 6 minutes later thats when it started acting up like a miss fire and I thought aww crap the opti went and I shut it down right away. In my head I keep thinking why did it let go shortly after that and not during it. The very first thing i did when I got home though was pull the driver side valve cover. I thought maybe a rocker cam off I didn't expect to find a broken spring.
Oh well a lesson learned.
08-28-2012, 03:23 AM
#26
The size of the cam, in duration, has little to no impact on valvespring choice or life of the springs. In general, the larger the duration in a given lobe family the better the stability. A CC502 might be harder on parts, in his motor/vehicle combination, than a CC503.
08-28-2012, 05:41 AM
#28
hey guys what do you think about this kit with my cam.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/lt1-lt4-m...w-product.html
guy just posted it so If you guys think this is a good fit then Ill pick up two sets.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/lt1-lt4-m...w-product.html
guy just posted it so If you guys think this is a good fit then Ill pick up two sets.
08-29-2012, 09:49 AM
#29
so I got it all back together and then It broke the pushrod in the valve right next to it.
Its really depressing for me as I have so much into the engine. I am going to park the car and leave it like it is for a while not sure if I am going to tear into it to see why it broke or how bad it is. after all the problems I have had with it over the last 2 years I just dont really want to even mess with it. I am just going to focus on my corvette till it is done then Ill revisit the camaro.
Its really depressing for me as I have so much into the engine. I am going to park the car and leave it like it is for a while not sure if I am going to tear into it to see why it broke or how bad it is. after all the problems I have had with it over the last 2 years I just dont really want to even mess with it. I am just going to focus on my corvette till it is done then Ill revisit the camaro.
08-29-2012, 11:53 AM
#33
You have a really mild setup, if you are having "that many" problems with it maybe you need to question your own skills and what advise you take.
With the more aggressive custom cams many of us run it is prudent to begin considering spring changes by 15K or at least an inspection but with a basic shelf cam I would probably look elsewhere for spring advise and inspect at 20K figure on replacement by 30K.
That is one thing I think people neglect you start pushing lift 25% higher than stock with a faster lobe and raise the rpm and keep the same installed height you are asking a lot from a spring that fits just like stock and have to understand it is a wear item.
Stock springs wear out too that is why the valves float and everyone sees gains in swapping to aftermarket springs even with a stock cam.
With the more aggressive custom cams many of us run it is prudent to begin considering spring changes by 15K or at least an inspection but with a basic shelf cam I would probably look elsewhere for spring advise and inspect at 20K figure on replacement by 30K.
That is one thing I think people neglect you start pushing lift 25% higher than stock with a faster lobe and raise the rpm and keep the same installed height you are asking a lot from a spring that fits just like stock and have to understand it is a wear item.
Stock springs wear out too that is why the valves float and everyone sees gains in swapping to aftermarket springs even with a stock cam.
08-29-2012, 12:32 PM
#35
its a stock hardened pushrod. I dont think the pushrod bent/broke for no reason. though its not the same valve it is the same cylinder so I'm guessing the other valve struck something that is broken in the cylinder and the pushrod is what gave.
the other problems with this car weren't related to the engine after I rebuilt it. When I got the engine for a junk yard in Bristol PA they told me it was a good tested engine when I installed it the engine it had super low oil psi. right after I rebuilt the engine about 78 miles on it a deer ran out from the side of the a building a few feet from the road striking the fender and causing a bunch of damage. A few months after that someone took a knife to my front two tires while on vacation which only had 1000-1500 miles on them.
In terms of the spring breaking, maybe it was my fault, maybe it was warn out and I should have changed them, maybe they were defective. At this point it is what it is. I can only move forward and try and be more cautious in the future.
I am also not going to get on here and claim that I am some type of expert on rebuilding engines. I have a basic grasp of it and that is why I turn to forum and others for help on them. I realize that spring do wear and I do understand that aggressive cam profiles wear springs out faster. Maybe it was my lack of knowledge that caused this I am not sure.I am not sure what I really expected to see before the springs went I just didn't expect them to break at 15k with this cam. Is that and ignorant statement Probably. But I will learn from it and move forward.
the other problems with this car weren't related to the engine after I rebuilt it. When I got the engine for a junk yard in Bristol PA they told me it was a good tested engine when I installed it the engine it had super low oil psi. right after I rebuilt the engine about 78 miles on it a deer ran out from the side of the a building a few feet from the road striking the fender and causing a bunch of damage. A few months after that someone took a knife to my front two tires while on vacation which only had 1000-1500 miles on them.
In terms of the spring breaking, maybe it was my fault, maybe it was warn out and I should have changed them, maybe they were defective. At this point it is what it is. I can only move forward and try and be more cautious in the future.
I am also not going to get on here and claim that I am some type of expert on rebuilding engines. I have a basic grasp of it and that is why I turn to forum and others for help on them. I realize that spring do wear and I do understand that aggressive cam profiles wear springs out faster. Maybe it was my lack of knowledge that caused this I am not sure.I am not sure what I really expected to see before the springs went I just didn't expect them to break at 15k with this cam. Is that and ignorant statement Probably. But I will learn from it and move forward.
Last edited by Adam1203; 08-29-2012 at 12:55 PM.
08-29-2012, 12:46 PM
#36
Don't beat yourself up too bad. A valve spring breaking and one that is worn out are not exactly the same thing. There is a good chance that the spring was either damaged or defective when installed. Right now you have a bigger problem. If it were mine I would pull the head to see what's going on.
08-29-2012, 02:01 PM
#37
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Heck yea don't be hard on your self man **** happens. I kept the dampners in the alex parts spring kit on mine. I agree with the something else going on in that cylinder i guess you pulled the plug when you changed the valve spring to put air in the cylinder did you hear any leak by?
08-29-2012, 02:18 PM
#38
Don't beat yourself up too bad. A valve spring breaking and one that is worn out are not exactly the same thing. There is a good chance that the spring was either damaged or defective when installed. Right now you have a bigger problem. If it were mine I would pull the head to see what's going on.
Heck yea don't be hard on your self man **** happens. I kept the dampners in the alex parts spring kit on mine. I agree with the something else going on in that cylinder i guess you pulled the plug when you changed the valve spring to put air in the cylinder did you hear any leak by?
