Thread: bad lifter....

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I have a 454 where I just installed a new flat tappet cam xe268 from comp, anyway after break in a lifter took a dump, it works for a little bit then goes flat and noisey, my question is can I use the car for a bit or will it ruin the cam? thanks in advance....

calexico ... my company builds parts for gulfstream jets that are assembled in calexico ..

well you will throw all that fine ground iron from lifter and cam lobe up on the pistons skirts at will cut the hell out of the piston bores.piston rings. them small bits get stuck in pistons so that junk from the cam grind the hell out of any thing thats still good . short answer NO ....cams junk so is the lifters ...

So either way the cam is done? Oil change? if the cam is done then I may as well drive it right if the cam will be unusable anyway? So it appears I'm in the market for another cam this time I will definately go roller, any suggestions? the vehicle is a 88 K5 blazer it has a 700r4 tranny, current gear ratio is at 2.73 but going to get 4.11s, it has a 4" lift, 33" tires, engine has weiand action+ intake, flat top pistons, ported and polished 781 heads and this will mainly be a dune truck so it will see some RPMs......

did you read my post? sure keep driving it.. all that ground up iron will cut the hell out of your pistons and bores .rings. then you have to take the engine apart to pick the chucks of iron out of the pistons skirts and hone all the score marks out of the bores if lucky if not some may not come out and re ring it .oil flows off the cam lands on the piston skirts .oil change will not help oil run down till it get s to the oil pan .the cam making sharp iron getting on parts that will not help any thing .sounds like you have your mind made up to run this engine? i re build and machine engines picking iron out of pistons is not that much fun

no not set on driving it like that as it is a weekend toy, so if an oil change wont clear fragments then I need to change the cam altogether before I use it so I don't ruin the pistons/rings? If so what cam would you suggest for my setup?

well i would when intake is off wash it out with mineral sprites when the oil is drained at the least then change out the oil/filter very soon .if a nice engine it should be taken apart cleaned and honed.polish the crank. then put back together .on a cam i not going to pick you a roller cam out there to many cams grinder to pick from .but off the top of my head.@050. 223/235 and .585/.585.lsa 108 this cam will be done at 5500 .so you will have to put a rev limter on this engine there no need to go past 5500.less you like busted parts . your valve springs will not work with this or any hyd roller cam . pushrods will not work . you will needed to run a cam button end play must be .005 or so.for a hill or dune. mud running .boat hot street car i go up on the valve spring lbs

well the engine is brand new never even had it out the shop yet, not a great engine but new nonetheless so I guess I will take it apart just to make sure I dont mess up anything, thanks for the advice Pat I really appreciate it.....

Originally Posted by NO1UKNOW

I have a 454 where I just installed a new flat tappet cam xe268 from comp, anyway after break in a lifter took a dump, it works for a little bit then goes flat and noisey, my question is can I use the car for a bit or will it ruin the cam? thanks in advance....

Sounds like you are saying the lifter wont stay pumped up, not that the cam went south.......


Might be as simple as a new lifter ........unless it is eating the cam.....

ya the lifter wont stay pumped, I will order a new set clean out the engine and hope all is well

You don't seem to want to consider knowledgable reasoning about this so why don't you just buy one lifter and hope!!!!!

Is it possible that his lifter is just collapsing and hasn't damaged the lobe? I don't think, from reading his question, that he didn't wipe a lobe, but just has a bad lifter internally. As a minimum he should pull the intake and that one suspect lifter and look at the bottom of it and the lobe for that lifter, as well as any evidence in the pan of metal.

Just a thought.

Don

Im taking the engine apart and wiping everything down then reassembling it as suggested so ya I did consider knowledgable reasoning, I thought that was apart from my posts anyway the cam is fine its just the lifter and Im buying a new set not just one.....

well you maybe lucky and you may get the cam to break in .but 2500 RPM on break in with a lifter not pumping up is about the worst time to have one fail . i seen that deal more then one time .the cam soon went south good luck. you better look that cam over very good if that bad lifter has a flat line across the face i would never used that cam you look at the top of the lobe and look at parkerizing on the bad lifter lobe. if it is off that lobe then the cam is junk. if it is still black or gray with a small lite pattern any thing more its junk .when you pull the cam out wash it good look over all lobes at wear patterns

thanks Pat I will definately check that out.....