I've raced solid lifter cams for 32 years. That is honestly the worst looking lifter I have ever seen. Plan on taking it to a bare block to clean everything else and probably turn a crank. Good luck, SPark
The Confusion What gets me is that only one lifter is bad, that one and yes very ugly but I have now pulled every single rod and lifter and they all look like new I kid you not, I'll post pics of the remaining 15 lifters. Not so much as a indention, scratch, pit, nada! they really look as if they have only been in the engine for a matter of days, maybe even hours, everything is super clean (as far as I can see for now) I'm now down to pulling the heads and will see what things look like in there but I swear I have seen engines not look near this good. NOW the million dollar question; what in the heck caused that lifter to fail so catastrophically and all the rest look as if they have another 100k to go?
If the lifter is that bad, I'd write off the rest of the engine, all that metal has to have gone somewhere....lifters fail for a number of reasons.
write off While I agree it looks as if the motor should be destroyed, it doesn't appear or nor did it run or sound like it was anything less than tight and strong other than the ticking which we now know why. But I haven't got into the lower end yet either so there is more to be told, no matter how it appears it's going to be dismantled, vatted and inspected, if any bearing surfaces need turning it's becoming a 331 or 347, if everything is within tolerance the bearings will be replaced and a new oil pump installed just from the metal alone. If anyone recalls I mentioned during a recent oil change I could see a very light metallic sheen in the bottom of the catch pan, well now I know what was causing that sheen........oh this just sucks a nut
Some possible causes: Incorrect valve spring on that lifters valve (Coils stacking up before or at full lift) Too long a pushrod. Improper rocker adjustment IE: too much preload. Bad metallurgy on that lifters parent material (Too soft/porosity, improper heat treat etc...) Failure to lube that cam lobe when assembled...Lack of lubrication to that lifter bore (Odd) Definitely pull the pan and check the bearings/journals. Pretty certain your gonna find damage there...Good luck!!!
???? The heads are a pre-assembled pair from Edelbrock so wouldn't think they got one spring wrong but possible, pushrods are all exact same length, plenty of lubrication I know for sure......now bad metallurgy is a very long shot but possible, however failure to properly apply break in lube on that lobe and/or failure to do a proper break in are possibilities as I have stated the fellow I bought the car from did not know much mechanical at all, he just ordered and paid for the parts his friend (who is suppose to be a knowledgable engine builder) told him to . It's also possible during my trial and error trying to get the valves adjusted I set up too much pre-load but unlikely, what I do know for certain is that one lifter is toast!
Pics Here are some pics of the other lifters, all look just like these except the one that is ground down, also pics of the galley, now I know it don't matter but look at the intake runners and overall cleanliness of the heads, ports, galley, etc. Just appears to me a motor of very little use with oil changed regularly, but what do I know it may have a million miles on it, lol. Glad I can still laugh at the situation
Right I work at a auto dealership and spoke with several of the techs with many years experience and they all agree it was almost certainly a bad lifter from factory........also they all said DO NOT TEAR THAT MOTOR DOWN!, they said to make sure it had a magnetic drain plug and to place a couple large speaker magnets on the oil pan, install a lifter (after using a bore scope to check the cam) and change the oil 2 or 3 times after a couple hours running the first time then about a 100 miles the next time. They said that that was NOT alot of metal by any means and that it would be extremely finely ground dust particals and that the motor may live for a long long time, several have seen and heard the car run and after looking at the pics all agreed it was a very low mileage motor......unless I just wanted to spend alot of money or make it a stroker regardless........I think I'll try what they suggested if the cam scopes good, which is a big IF
A few years in the trade and that may just be the worst lifter ive ever seen! IF it was mine thats a complete tear down and refresh. Been there it doesnt end well usually. One tiny sliver of metal off the cam lobe or lifter is all it takes to get through the screen and lock the oil pump. Cost me a nice engine!!
many of you probably guessed that the cam would be damaged and it is, bore scope shows scarring, the lobe appears to still be fully intact but the rough surface would just ruin a new lifter....now I have to make a choice of either replacing the cam and lifters with new and doing as suggested by the techs or taking it all the way down and growing it back to a 331....decisions decisions
