What has happened to my lifters?
Discussion
stevieturbo said:
and the history of the cams and lifters ?
New, used, other ?
Cams are original, afaikNew, used, other ?
Original lifters were replaced with used perhaps 20k ago
Last time I saw them was about 2k ago, and there were no marks then
All surfaces were covered in oil, but they weren't bathed and partially submerged
It doesn’t look like lack of oil, you can see where the cam has been running on the bucket and there surface there looks ok.
As they have been replaced, I’m going to speculate they are not OE buckets, and as the issue is outside of the cam contact area, I wonder if there is a coating on them that is breaking up.
As they have been replaced, I’m going to speculate they are not OE buckets, and as the issue is outside of the cam contact area, I wonder if there is a coating on them that is breaking up.
Megaflow said:
It doesn’t look like lack of oil, you can see where the cam has been running on the bucket and there surface there looks ok.
As they have been replaced, I’m going to speculate they are not OE buckets, and as the issue is outside of the cam contact area, I wonder if there is a coating on them that is breaking up.
From the pictures it looks like the case hardening on the lifter buckets is beginning to brinell, ie break up .As they have been replaced, I’m going to speculate they are not OE buckets, and as the issue is outside of the cam contact area, I wonder if there is a coating on them that is breaking up.
This is usually seen after much use , and is a sign that the contact surface has started to suffer a type of fatigue failure causing the break up of the hard surface layer.
Other causes can be excess stress caused by over strong/coil bound valve springs,
there appears to be some scuffing in places but it's difficult to tell as the pics were not very clear.
Scuffing is , as mentioned above ,generally caused by poor lubrication /materials mismatch.
HTH.
Auntieroll said:
Other causes can be excess stress caused by over strong/coil bound valve springs,
New standard valve springs were fitted 2k miles ago, however the std cams are aggressive with 0.5" liftThe valve seats were recut so I also shimmed the springs which may have increased spring pressure slightly overall
I don't really have the funds for a new set of lifters right now, and they would be relatively easy to replace later if my position improves, so is there any significant risk if I leave them be?
Continuing to run the engine with the followers deteriorating will be OK but.....,
The tiny shards of hardened steel will be carried round the engine in the oil
and will definitely NOT improve the overall condition of the rest of the internals !
That said , the filter should catch the larger particles and most of the smaller ones.
Many engines run for thousands of miles with wear like this and don't seem to suffer.
This engine ,however, is not renowned for trouble free operation (to say the least).
Bear in mind also that the cam lobes may well be ruined very quickly.
Not the answer you wanted ?
As budget is tight , the decision is yours alone but remember to factor in the possible
cost of new cams when you replace the followers.
FWIW I am a firm believer in " do it once ,do it right".
'Nuff said ,that's my 2p worth.
The tiny shards of hardened steel will be carried round the engine in the oil
and will definitely NOT improve the overall condition of the rest of the internals !
That said , the filter should catch the larger particles and most of the smaller ones.
Many engines run for thousands of miles with wear like this and don't seem to suffer.
This engine ,however, is not renowned for trouble free operation (to say the least).
Bear in mind also that the cam lobes may well be ruined very quickly.
Not the answer you wanted ?
As budget is tight , the decision is yours alone but remember to factor in the possible
cost of new cams when you replace the followers.
FWIW I am a firm believer in " do it once ,do it right".
'Nuff said ,that's my 2p worth.
Auntieroll said:
Continuing to run the engine with the followers deteriorating will be OK but.....,
The tiny shards of hardened steel will be carried round the engine in the oil
and will definitely NOT improve the overall condition of the rest of the internals !
Thanks, hard to argue with thatThe tiny shards of hardened steel will be carried round the engine in the oil
and will definitely NOT improve the overall condition of the rest of the internals !
Perhaps you could help identify what engine they are from originally - They are 42mm diameter, 27mm height and weigh 74g
FWIW the camshafts would cost £600 and the lifter set would be £350
Seeing as al melling had a history with jaguar, and this looks very similar to the ajp follower, I would be investigating the jag route ?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/172180905482
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/172180905482
spitfire4v8 said:
Seeing as al melling had a history with jaguar, and this looks very similar to the ajp follower, I would be investigating the jag route ?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/172180905482
Their quoted 1.625" as an oversize...is still smaller than the 42mm mentioned in this thread. 42mm seems a pretty big follower.https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/172180905482
stevieturbo said:
spitfire4v8 said:
Seeing as al melling had a history with jaguar, and this looks very similar to the ajp follower, I would be investigating the jag route ?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/172180905482
Their quoted 1.625" as an oversize...is still smaller than the 42mm mentioned in this thread. 42mm seems a pretty big follower.https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/172180905482
https://www.scparts.co.uk/sc_en/cam-follower-1-231...
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