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Lifter Inspection questionnaire

Have you found “used” flat tapper lifters when purchasing new

  • Inspected the crown and had no used lifters

    Votes: 4 66.7%
  • Inspected the crown and found one or more used lifters

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Didn’t inspect the crown; why would I... they are new lifters

    Votes: 2 33.3%

  • Total voters
    6

That_Tall_Dude

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UTC had a couple cams wipe-out back to back on break-in and did some investigating a bit ago.

Found the likely cause for him was used lifters
(see the video below for more info)

Another thread has questionnaire on cam wipe-out during break-in frequency, to get a handle on the size of the problem.

 
Carefully watch that video again, especially the part about where/how he ended up with used lifters for that video.

My .02.......If you can’t tell the difference between new unused lifters, and used lifters......you shouldn’t be doing a cam swap by yourself.
 
I completely agree with you.

But there a lot of people with a lot of automotive experience doing installs

and it’s true they may not be doing everything perfect but seems like are paying a disproportionate price for a small knowledge gap.

That’s just my opinion

I can’t remember if I checked for that on mine; was under the supervision of shop instructor 20 some years ago... wiping out a cam rarely happened but was a concern

I suck at reading between the lines...

please feel free to put it out there; if its not cool to be out in the open, then message me.

Am not embarrassed about the holes in experience/knowledge, they exist, and it’s better to be aware of them than not

thanks for the response it is appreciated

One thing I don’t understand; why did he return used lifters? Wouldn’t they be junk?
 
One thing I don’t understand; why did he return used lifters? Wouldn’t they be junk?

That’s only one question.
The other two are, who took them back?
And why did they go back on the shelf?

As for the why did they fail on him......
The Hughes cams are fast rate cams, and by nature those are going to be much more prone to failure on break in without every precaution/procedure followed(correct oil, soft springing, check for proper lifter rotation, etc).
I don’t have confidence that he did everything required.
 
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Not dismissing the response at all

thank you for it; greatly appreciated, and am almost on board with it

but have a couple questions for things to add up

Hughes does advertise about that

comp has a high lift series also (that might be similar but am not sure; need to check)

don’t solid lifters cam have those high rates, and guys have been running those forever without issue right?

If this issue were more prone to these types of profiles, wouldn’t there be a failure correlation with those steep profiles?
 
Maybe I've been lucky thus far; but I haven't gotten any bad or used lifters OOTB(thank goodness).
BUT if I had, I can guarandamntee they wouldn't have made it into my engine...Now, I might tend to get a little obsessive but nobody's paying to fix my motor but me.
I think Tony's prior issue was maybe due to a little complacency...all those years and engines he never had a problem so he wasn't looking real hard, or maybe that time he just missed it. And mistakes can happen to anybody. Notice he didn't just go into a rant blaming the name on the box which is what happens so often on the internet.

I do agree 100% with his overall message in that video, which was SCRUTINIZE EVERYTHING!

We all know quality isn't always a sure thing these days. And yes there's more aggressive lobes, stiffer springs, different oils etc so we need to 'up our game' when it comes to putting this stuff together IMO.
 
You mean like slant 6’s and Ford Flat heads?
Hey whoa are you trying to say /6 lobes weren't aggressive?? Them's fightin' words on the A-body forum..

:rofl::D
 
You mean like slant 6’s and Ford Flat heads?
Im using flat tappet mushroom cams in at least three of my eight cylinder engines. I dont think they are radical fast-rate though.



54 ford y-block , and two 33 imperial straight eights.
 
I always coat the lifter bottoms with the assembly grease on my finger, so each and every lifter bottom is inspected. I have never seen a used lifter in a box of new lifters ever. I will say that I have gotten other parts that were previously returned and defective, and even a timing chain set that had been returned in a different box so that their return was more expensive. Seems that warehouse workers are retarded, and that is why when I return a defective part, I write "Defective" on the box AND cross out the bar code so they can't just scan it in...
 
Myself since its so easy to lift the intake on a bigblock wedge Mopar I always lift the intake and coat the cam lobes and lifter bottoms and then put the intake back on and start the eng. I like to do that since many engines may sit for a while after put all together and I like to be sure the lobes and lifter bottoms have the good break-in lube on them. And I always mark my lifters with a marker pen and rotate the eng with just the lifters sitting on the cam as they should move and rotate some even like that and its best to be sure they are rotating in the bore. Ron
 
Okay, this guy found used lifters that were supposed to he new and he thinks this may be what is wiping out cams.
What caused those lifters (not tappets-that happens where the rocker arm meets the valve) to go bad and be returned?
 
Okay, this guy found used lifters that were supposed to he new and he thinks this may be what is wiping out cams.
What caused those lifters (not tappets-that happens where the rocker arm meets the valve) to go bad and be returned?
Yes, the definition of circular logic.
 
What caused those lifters (not tappets-that happens where the rocker arm meets the valve) to go bad and be returned?

I believe UTG thinking is that defective lifters (used) are making it back into new stock.

I think his perspective is there are folks wiping out cam from inexperience, and those used lifters are making back on the self sold as new.

then that used lifter wiping out cam that would have otherwise been fine.

if somebody found a used lifter in there batch of new & sent it back they would be fine

but could easily be the guy that didn’t do a thorough inspection of every lifter would have a toasted cam
 
Imo, the bulk of cams having problems getting through the break in period as the result of being assembled with “used lifters” is on my “extremely unlikely” list.

Does UT think he got sold used lifters 3 times in a row?
Twice for the cams that went flat, plus the ones for the video?

He talks about how careful he was putting it all together....... but didnt catch that the lifters are used?
Twice?
 
Imo, the bulk of cams having problems getting through the break in period as the result of being assembled with “used lifters” is on my “extremely unlikely” list.

Does UT think he got sold used lifters 3 times in a row?
Twice for the cams that went flat, plus the ones for the video?

He talks about how careful he was putting it all together....... but didnt catch that the lifters are used?
Twice?
Listen closely when he says, the 'used' lifter in the video was one of the ones HE actually returned after his previous wipe-out! It wasn't one of the lifters that was actually eaten, but c'mon Tony why would you have returned ANY of them? He can't verify if they were good or bad OOTB last time he had the failures..I'm with you Dwayne I think he had a "momentary lapse of reason" during his previous install(s).
 
And I always mark my lifters with a marker pen and rotate the eng with just the lifters sitting on the cam as they should move and rotate some even like that and its best to be sure they are rotating in the bore. Ron
That's GOLD!

Checking them on the table like UT shows is great, I do that myself, but you MUST check rotation with the valvetrain parts that will be used! Full spring pressure won't hurt anything turning the engine by hand during this process. He talks about inspecting them closely but no mention of rotation test, unless I missed it..
 
That's GOLD!

Checking them on the table like UT shows is great, I do that myself, but you MUST check rotation with the valvetrain parts that will be used! Full spring pressure won't hurt anything turning the engine by hand during this process. He talks about inspecting them closely but no mention of rotation test, unless I missed it..

yeah a that’s freaking awesome idea, gunna have do that check with mine when I replace the valley pan

mine sat for a long long time, and in hindsight I wish I checked the cam lobe for surface rust.

And if it did, then ask the folks here if should break-in oil and redo break-in procedure.

been kinda worrying about it since then

again that’s just a great way check stuff is happy
 
Myself since its so easy to lift the intake on a bigblock wedge Mopar I always lift the intake and coat the cam lobes and lifter bottoms and then put the intake back on and start the eng. I like to do that since many engines may sit for a while after put all together and I like to be sure the lobes and lifter bottoms have the good break-in lube on them. And I always mark my lifters with a marker pen and rotate the eng with just the lifters sitting on the cam as they should move and rotate some even like that and its best to be sure they are rotating in the bore. Ron

thanks for this! It’s a great idea/check

so have the pushrod rods off? no spring load etc?

just wanna make sure I’m not misreading
 
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