Weak lifter

[Mike Harrington]

I finally got my new 454 put back into the truck after installing a new cam and lifters. I got it fired up and it had a lifter tick. I went back in and readjusted all the lifters valve lash.....two more times and it still had the tick. And may I add that's one of the most annoying sounds to hear coming from your engine!!!!! Anyways....I just went back in again and checked the valve lash and they all seemed good... except I noticed the very back lifter on cylinder 8...I think it's the exhaust seemed kinda weak. So I took the rocker arm off and and pushed down on the push rod. With just my thumb I could push the lifter in and it would pop back up. Is this lifter bad, or is that what they call a collapsed lifter? Can it be repaired or do I have to pull intake and replace it?

 

[Mike Harrington]

I started the engine up without valve cover to see what that rocker arm was doing and it wasn't moving hardly any at all. Very little oil was coming out of it either but it was oiling some. This is a brand new cam and lifter with new springs as well. It was a kit from Summit. Is this a bad lifter or is the cam have a bad lobe? It's only got about 30 minutes on the engine and I used assembly lube as well as the Summit break in additive. Surely it's not the cam.. . any thoughts or advice welcome

 

[Shorty81]

Hate to say it but..sounds like a wiped out lobe.

 

[Mike Harrington]

I changed the oil and saw no metal shavings anywhere

 

[Rickf]

What type of lifter/cam, roller, flat tappet? Did you do the proper break-in?

If you end up replacing the cam & lifters it wouldn't hurt to use "vented oil galley plugs" under the timing cover. They help bleed air out of the lifter's oil galley.

 

[mtnmankev]

At least your Summit cam and lifters didn't fail and wipe this bad in less than 15 minutes of run time.
We DID have metal shavings in the engine and had to disassemble it.
Going to buy a Schneider cam and lifter set and never buy Summit again.

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[Mike Harrington]

I wouldn't exactly say that!! Here's the lifter I pulled out!!! The lobe didn't get wiped down but the edge is completely rounded off. Summit sending new cam kit tomorrow free of charge

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[Mike Harrington]

I ran some more oil thru the engine with a magnet attached to the drain plug and pulled all sorts of metal shavings from the engine!!

 

[mtnmankev]

I wish you better luck the second time around.
Their pic on the site shows hardened lifters (have the ring around the lifter about a quarter inch up from the base) but the lifters they shipped were NOT hardened and did not have that ring.
We are not going to give Summit a second chance, I can't keep doing the R&R of the engine due to failing health, so we are going to go with a different brand.

 

[Turbo4whl]

I have to ask, when you assemble the engine, are you using something like Molykote on all the cam lobes and lifters?

Are you priming the oil system before start-up?

Last question, right after the initial start-up, are you running break-in time above idle, 1500-1800 RPM?

 

[mtnmankev]

Yes, yes, and yes for the one I did.
I don't know what Mike did .......

 

[Turbo4whl]

Yes, yes, and yes for the one I did.
I don't know what Mike did .......

Then I have nothing for you....

I would be mad/ angry at Summit too!

 

[Clint L]

Mike, you mentioned you used assembly lube and summit additive for the break-in. What type of oil did you use? It really needs to be specific break-in oil, the more zinc zddp the better.

 

[Mike Harrington]

That's what the summit additive has in it is the required zinc. I used dino 5w-30 oil.

 

[Mike Harrington]

I followed the instructions supplied with the cam and used dino 5w30 oil. So yes yes and yes