Did I kill my cam....lobe.....

[bandit67]

Done pulled both valve covers, rocker bar assemblies, push rods and pulled and examined all lifters for face damage. Nothing irregular found with any of that. That is leading me to suspect a damaged valve, valve seat or head gasket. I don't think a broken ring would cause such big fluctuations noted by the vacuum gauge. Plan today is to get one of the newer than mine type compression tester and see what it is showing, one cylinder or two. Headed at the moment to pick up a dead Honda Civic for my niece , have y'all noted the high prices to non availably of used cars at the moment , off the charts.....

 

[bandit67]

Had to pull exhaust manifold to get to cylinders 1 and 3, it is number 1, no compression. Will try to pull just the head with engine in the car, even though I can't pull the exhaust manifold all the way out....yet.

 

[bandit67]

Update, if you can tell in the photos , we see #1 exhaust valve stuck open about a 1/16 inch or so. Does not look like the guide or seat has moved, valves springs also look normal. Off the see the machinist .....

 

[Don Frelier]

Looks like it might be bent

 

[66chargerpat]

A lot better than a cam lobe.

 

[RemCharger]

You said new valve springs? They don't look new. Very low performance looking. What's the cam specs

 

[bandit67]

The cam is a Howards cam just a bit more than stock, yes, low performance . You are correct Rem, I used new springs in another 440 I had done with Comp Cam. These are old stock springs. Since this is my first 440 I thought I would just go with a stockish motor and see what she 'll do. Build just a daily driver. The machinist had to drive the valve out with a punch. If you can tell by the pics there is a gouge/gaul spot near the top of the valve, above the guide. Something caused this and when the cam drove it down in the guide, it just stuck. My machinist said no way to tell what caused this. Will be quicker for him to fix it than figuring out the cause.

 

[Geoff 2]

Valve float or lifter pump up & the exh valve hit the piston.

 

[moparedtn]

Chinesium?

 

[bandit67]

No marks on the piston at all or valve face. The motor saw about 2300 rpm for cam break in at start up, but no more than that since. I only have about 25-30 miles on it. The valves were stock replacements from Elgen, Im sure made in China. Mentioned that to my machinist and his response was, "Every damn thing is now made in China. Not sure how this happened, don't think he missed something during assembly, he is very meticulous . I would think the valve seals would have prevented anything from getting in there later, who knows. Lets get her back together for round two........

 

[INTMD8]

Maybe I'm looking at it wrong but appears to be wear clear up to the top of the valve, just under the groove.

Do you have enough retainer to seal clearance?

 

[PRHeads]

Inadequate valve to guide clearance, and/or inadequate lubrication.

Since it’s number one exhaust...... the farthest forward valve..... up hill from the oil supply...... after reassembly....... with the valve cover removed...... make sure you see oil flowing from that rocker arm.
Make sure the oil hole in the shaft is clear.

 

[bandit67]

I did a pre fire oil pump prime and had oil to every rocker prior to start up. I remember my machinist say he hones the new guides to 2k. He had all assembled when I picked them up so I have no idea if he missed lubing that one up at assembly time or what. Still not sure if it was something I done or his doings. Got the repaired head back on today and should be ready to fire her up again tomorrow.....maybe the second time is the charm......

 

[bandit67]

I am up and rolling, finally. I changed up a bit and went back with a different stock intake and a new 750 Edlebrock AFB. Seems idle, throttle response is much crisper straight out of the box and no fine tuning as yet. Just got back from first front end alignment, and while much improved, handling is not where I want to be...yet.
I see a Performer RPM prolly coming next as I study where to begin upgrading the handling/steering OEM parts for improved drivability .......thanks all

 

[66chargerpat]

 

[JC Boatguy]

Yes, the Performer RPM intake is AWESOME!!!