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454 eating another lifter**UPDATE**

COCHEV

COCHEV

1/2 ton status
Joined
Jul 9, 2002
Posts
4,054
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Location
Washougal WA
last year it ate a lifter so i swapped in a new cam and lifters and used lifters that my machinest recomended( chamfered on one side for better oil flow) also switched to using delo 400 for oil.

well, started getting that wonderfull ticking sound and after inspection this morning, exhaust # 8 lifter is a flat tire. same as last time if i remember right.

any clues as to why this is happening? i still have great oil pressure. not burning much oil for its age.
 
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If you used the proper oil for flat tappet cam break-in (needs lots of zinc which most oil companies have removed ALOT from) and if it's the same exact lifter then it could be that the lifter bore was not placed in the correct spot when the block was cast. A good race engine shop is able to bore out the lifter bore and then bush it and properly place the lifter bore for proper alignment. It could also be a problem with the valve spring pressure on that particular valve.
 
loads up for me.

but its the cam oiler kit that has 16 holes in a copper line to lube the cam from the lifter valley . you drill and tap a oil hole in the lifter valley and hook the line up to it. squirts oil on each lifter / cam lobe.
 
Oh ok, that isn't neccesary. There is no oiling problem in a SBC or BBC to require such a thing.
 
I was reading about your problem. I have a little experience with BBC's. You state if its a hydraulic or solid lifter cam. When installing a new cam besides making the obvious checks the cam manufacturer recomends, install the cam and all 16 lifters.Take a sharpie pin and put a mark at the top edge of each lifter. THis is for reference to where its installed. Do not install the push rods or cam gear. Turn the cam in the direction of rotation and look at each lifter. What your looking for is each lift to spin as the cam is turned by hand. If a lifter isn't spinning make note of which ones aren't. Remove lifters and cam and lightly hone the lifter bore.Repeat until all lifters spin freely as the cam turns.

I have found in the past that blocks that are bead blasted by machine shops for cleaning purposes usually have the edges of the lifter bores mushroomed slightly.THis creates enough drag or resistance to keep the lifter from turning which causes the cam lube to wear out. Of course you should check the obvious things such as coil bind, retainer to valve guide clearance, spring opening psi, etc...

Hope this helps
 
well, i'll have to look into that when i get around to disassembly. for now its parked...again:mad:

i will not put another cam in it. i'm on the search for another 454...
 
I went with gm hard faced lifters and actually had the dist come loose and not drive the oil pump and still never went flat.
 
COCHEV said:
well, i'll have to look into that when i get around to disassembly. for now its parked...again:mad:

i will not put another cam in it. i'm on the search for another 454...
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i'll take that 454 off your hands... :D

Rene
 
easy there, i never said i was going to junk the old one. LOL! i will put together another one so that the burb is still moveable in the mean time.

i have 049 heads with roller rockers on there now and those will stay in my grubby little hands. the block has an ever increasing amout of stripped bolts and resulting helicoils so i don't know if all that biz is worth repairing vs finding another block...
 
80' 427 said:
oh and brad penn oil ftmfw
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how spensive is that there brad penn oil?

i"ll look into those hard face lifter too. however i just picked up a brand new comp cam and lifter off a guy for super cheap. are the GM lifters better than comp cams lifters?
 
I pay 50 a case or 25 a oil change. I had a crane cam go flat first then went gm. I was told they are the best flat tappet hyd lifter and were made for 200k. I love mine and use regular moble 10-30 with it and have 30k and no flat cam. Use brad penn in the camaro and 383 (it has ford lifters though). David Visard likes to reface the gm lifters and reuse them. Says they are the best value.
 
:thinking: so, to be uber cheap and milk every last drop out of this mill, do you guys think i could swap in new lifters (assuming it hasn't chewed the cam too) or will new lifters spell death for the cam? last time the lifter wiped out the cam- the motor started backfiring and running like total crap. right now, it just ticks and the lifter is flat...
 
If the lifter isn't cupped or pitted and is only making a ticking noise a new lifter won't hurt a thing. However, if the cam lobe is bad and you put a new lifter in it will just destroy the new lifter.
 
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