Ahhh Crap!!!!! Bad lifter?

[kawahonda]

Isn't there a way to prime without commencing lift off?

[Chryco Psycho]

Prime What ??
coat the cam with Moly , hopefully it will last long enough to get steady oil there

[1 Wild R/T]

Last three flat tappet cams I've installed all had lifter face oiling.... two had an EMD hole in the lifter face (solid lifters) & one had a slight cut on the side of the lifter from the oil groove down to the face (hydraulic Lifter)... All three have been trouble free...

[Chryco Psycho]

That lifter has very minimal wear compared to some I have seen , the oil pump will be scarred but may  not be that bad either , most of that will be very fine particles & should all be in the filter

[Topcat]

Last three flat tappet cams I've installed all had lifter face oiling.... two had an EMD hole in the lifter face (solid lifters) & one had a slight cut on the side of the lifter from the oil groove down to the face (hydraulic Lifter)... All three have been trouble free...

EDM   


https://www.enginebuildermag.com/2014/08/preventing-flat-tappet-cam-failures/

[Chryco Psycho]

EDM is a great option

[7212Mopar]

Roller camshaft, lifters and roller rockers.

[Chryco Psycho]

Every cam type has advantages & disadvantages none are the perfect solution

[gzig5]

Isn't there a way to prime without commencing lift off?

You pull the distributor and the intermediate shaft, insert a long shaft with hex on the end (homemade or store bought), and manually drive the oil pump with a strong electric drill.  That lets you check that you get pressure and that oil is getting all the way to the rockers.  It gets oil into the bearing and all but I'm not so sure it does anything that the assembly lube doesn't.  By the time the assy lube is wiped off the motor should have been at full pressure for a while.  Not a bad idea but does more for the bearings than the cam lobes.

https://www.jegs.com/i/Mopar+Performance/312/P4286800/10002/-1?mrkgcl=1239&mrkgadid=3328067891&adpos=1o2&creative=329886787383&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&jegspromo=thirdparty&gclid=Cj0KCQjwrdjnBRDXARIsAEcE5YmDHMT36izEUXqwRmUAZjRKQn0R4Bf6TsX0xbG8cJ9QdcWmJcMVSMEaAgI2EALw_wcB

[kawahonda]

Isn't there a way to prime without commencing lift off?

You pull the distributor and the intermediate shaft, insert a long shaft with hex on the end (homemade or store bought), and manually drive the oil pump with a strong electric drill.  That lets you check that you get pressure and that oil is getting all the way to the rockers.  It gets oil into the bearing and all but I'm not so sure it does anything that the assembly lube doesn't.  By the time the assy lube is wiped off the motor should have been at full pressure for a while.  Not a bad idea but does more for the bearings than the cam lobes.

https://www.jegs.com/i/Mopar+Performance/312/P4286800/10002/-1?mrkgcl=1239&mrkgadid=3328067891&adpos=1o2&creative=329886787383&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&jegspromo=thirdparty&gclid=Cj0KCQjwrdjnBRDXARIsAEcE5YmDHMT36izEUXqwRmUAZjRKQn0R4Bf6TsX0xbG8cJ9QdcWmJcMVSMEaAgI2EALw_wcB

That's what I remembered doing with my father...taking a drill and priming it, especially with the motorcycle engines because they are easy to get to. Jason, did you try doing any of this?

If possible, remove valve covers until you get a visible sign of oil.

Wouldn't just disconnecting the distributor cap lead and just cranking on it for a little bit also prime as well?

If there's a way to avoid a rocket launch party, I would try avoid it.

[1 Wild R/T]

That's what I remembered doing with my father...taking a drill and priming it, especially with the motorcycle engines because they are easy to get to. Jason, did you try doing any of this?

If possible, remove valve covers until you get a visible sign of oil.

Wouldn't just disconnecting the distributor cap lead and just cranking on it for a little bit also prime as well?

If there's a way to avoid a rocket launch party, I would try avoid it.

Little late for anything of that sort now... And priming wouldn't have helped with losing a lobe anyway....   

[kawahonda]

Thanks--I ask questions only because if I ever "stab a cam", I want to be safe!

[Chryco Psycho]

Cranking the engine to prime defeats the purpose as you are wiping off grease turning it over , better off to have it running asap , you have to rotate the engine to feed oil to the rocker shafts too so you have the same problem .
Just fire it as quickly as possible & get the RPM up immediately & keep it up for 20 mins , get busy setting timing so it runs as cool as possible start tweaking the carb , if it is lean you can cheat by opening up the idle mix screws to add more fuel as lean also creates heat .


4 cam types
-  Flat tappet hyd used for many years , affordable reliable , bad side is oils are not formulated for them any more , so potential lifter problems .
-  Flat tappet Solid , My favorite , the most basic cam type ,  but require adjustable rockers & different pushrods  & better valve springs so more expense  , same problem with oil & lifters .
-  Hyd roller , more modern use but limited by spring load , the roller can open & close the valve far more rapidly & higher too but the hyd lifter will collapse with the higher spring pressures needed to keep the movement stable so the full potential in not available , cost is higher due to lifters & better springs .
-  Solid roller , best performance cams period , extreme cost with special lifters , adjustable rockers , pushrods & valve springs , the rollers can starve for oil if idled a lot
Pick your poison ..

[1 Wild R/T]

Cranking the engine to prime defeats the purpose as you are wiping off grease turning it over , better off to have it running asap , you have to rotate the engine to feed oil to the rocker shafts too so you have the same problem .
Just fire it as quickly as possible & get the RPM up immediately & keep it up for 20 mins , get busy setting timing so it runs as cool as possible start tweaking the carb , if it is lean you can cheat by opening up the idle mix screws to add more fuel as lean also creates heat .


4 cam types
-  Flat tappet hyd used for many years , affordable reliable , bad side is oils are not formulated for them any more , so potential lifter problems .
-  Flat tappet Solid , My favorite , the most basic cam type ,  but require adjustable rockers & different pushrods  & better valve springs so more expense  , same problem with oil & lifters .
-  Hyd roller , more modern use but limited by spring load , the roller can open & close the valve far more rapidly & higher too but the hyd lifter will collapse with the higher spring pressures needed to keep the movement stable so the full potential in not available , cost is higher due to lifters & better springs .
-  Solid roller , best performance cams period , extreme cost with special lifters , adjustable rockers , pushrods & valve springs , the rollers can starve for oil if idled a lot
Pick your poison ..

And with both roller designs you need to deal with compatibility issues with the distributor gear & fuel pump pushrod.... Trying to get a straight answer about what will live in a street motor seems impossible, and once you choose you own it when a gear or FP lobe fails... There are challenges which ever way you choose...

[7212Mopar]

I think Hughes Engines makes a coated non bronze distributor gear for roller cams. But best to check with the cam manufacturer.