Cam lasted 5 minutes

[Dodge Bros]

Likely the crown on the lifters was not ground correct.

Dual spring that have a spring pressure above 300 lbs needs the inner springs pulled so it breaks in the cam more gentle. That is done so less metal is removed as the cam breaks in. I don’t know what the cam is, or springs, but if they found out it was broke in with the inner springs they probably wouldn’t warrantee it.

 

[Rishi]

I was looking for an opinion

If the cam was ground for roller lifters and used with solid/hydraulic lifters, this would compound the "lifters not spinning" problem. That and high spring pressure during break-in and a failure to use a zinc-rich break-in oil, can all add to a melted lifter scenario.

 

[threewood]

Nightmare of a situation for sure.

Inspect the cam for lobe taper. Inspect each lifter for face crown. Clean each lifter bore. Pre final assembly, oil only on the lifters, cam in the engine,, spin the cam by hand and watch each lifter for rotation. Mark for reassembly in the bores they were checked in.

Final assembly with break in lube, remove inner springs. High ZDDP break in oil.

 

[Fran Blacker]

Like this on cam lobes for break in.

 

[Outsider]

Was the lifter pre-load checked, and if so, how much?

 

[Tony 69]

Unfortunately the lifter preload was not checked. Just went with what the machine shop provided. Another mistake.

 

[RemCharger]

Unfortunately the lifter preload was not checked. Just went with what the machine shop provided. Another mistake.

Can you elaborate?
The rockers are individually adjustable, so how did you arrive at their final adjustments/ settings?

 

[Tony 69]

The rockers just bolt down, no adjustment. The lifter plunger was approximately 1/2 turn down

 

[Michael_]

You hear this story over and over again recently. Could very well be faulty parts and not your fault.

 

[RemCharger]

The rockers just bolt down, no adjustment. The lifter plunger was approximately 1/2 turn down

Oh ok, so you have the bottle neck studs I presume.
The preload sounds acceptable.

 

[toolmanmike]

The lifters need to be domed and the cam lobe ground at a angle or the lifters won't spin.

 

[beanhead]

Can we consider making this a sticky with all the 'cam/lifter failure' threads out there @kiwigtx @toolmanmike

This is my personal checklist, sent to me many years ago by a cousin that owned a performance shop (and races a 6-second Ford....yeah I know Ford eww WTF!)
Now obviously I'm not guaranteeing anyone's success, but this list has kept me from maybe losing a cam through several engines and different cam/lifter brands (including Comp!), as well as engines I've worked on for other people. You know as well as I do, the 'horror stories' are numerous. IMO anything we can do to increase our chances of success is a good thing. I even had one break-in that went really bad that (among other things) took several seconds of cranking to get it to start...and that one ran great.

***If there's anything else anyone wants to add, feel free.....I'm just posting this in the spirit of keeping FBBO high speed low drag!

 

[Master Gunner]

#9 of the above, and also the note about "high quality break in oil" ( high in ZDDP) are the most likely causes. The OP stated that he used double springs, this and the possibility of using the wrong oil for break in of a flat tappet cam are the recipe for a wiped cam.

Mark

 

[khryslerkid]

Can we consider making this a sticky with all the 'cam/lifter failure' threads out there @kiwigtx @toolmanmike

This is my personal checklist, sent to me many years ago by a cousin that owned a performance shop (and races a 6-second Ford....yeah I know Ford eww WTF!)
Now obviously I'm not guaranteeing anyone's success, but this list has kept me from maybe losing a cam through several engines and different cam/lifter brands (including Comp!), as well as engines I've worked on for other people. You know as well as I do, the 'horror stories' are numerous. IMO anything we can do to increase our chances of success is a good thing. I even had one break-in that went really bad that (among other things) took several seconds of cranking to get it to start...and that one ran great.

***If there's anything else anyone wants to add, feel free.....I'm just posting this in the spirit of keeping FBBO high speed low drag!


View attachment 1499360

So your cousin calls you an asshole?

 

[beanhead]

So your cousin calls you an asshole?

A term of endearment for us

 

[Black_Sheep]

All of that metal had to go somewhere, I recommend a complete tear down and a thorough cleaning/inspection.

 

[Tony 69]

here is a pic of how bad the lifters are. And a complete tear down is happening now.

 

[Rebelrouser]

Junk parts plain and simple. No OEM flat tappet engines for what 30 years? People building flat tappet engines are a very small market. People selling this junk don't warranty problems, so they don't care. Parts are built offshore a lot of the times.
I tell all my customers to just go with hydraulic rollers. Don't go flat, no need for special oils, and it may cost more but compare to the cost of a cam going flat. And if you want to buy a good USA built flat tappet cam and lifters the cost is almost as much as a hydraulic roller. Plus, you can safely get more lift with shorter duration, good mannered idle with lots more torque, at least that is what I am seeing on my dyno.
And when you are cleaning the metal out of the failed engine, look for metal in the skirts of the pistons and cylinder walls.

 

[icetech]

BTW.. watched this last night, guy has a great way to check lifter spinning before even getting the motor together (might be a known thing but i had never seen it before)
P.S. he also had 2 new cams at the start of the video that are actually bent which isn't something i would have ever even considered...

 

[Outsider]

Pic of wiped lifter looks like it was not rotating.