cam/lifter uh-oh

J

JHFORD51

Senior Member
While doing some other work on my recently completed 59A engine (I had heads off and valves out) after getting everything cleaned up and ready to back together I figured I would pull the lifters and relube everything for an easy startup with no chance of galling. #1 intake lifter is in the picture. So I looked at the cam lobe with a mirror, didn't like what I saw, and pulled the cam. Front cam bearing is in the picture along with a shot of the cam lobes. Everythig feels "smooth" but obviously something is making metal come off. I'll be pulling the engine to check rod/main bearings.

This was a new Schnieder cam, real (old) Johnson lifters that I had reradiused, all of
Schnieders special lubricating "goo", and 55 to 60#s of spring pressure. Engine had maybe 1 hour of run time, none of it idling (becasue it hada vac leak and wouldn't idle).

What can I do different once cleaned up with new parts to prevent a repeat?
 

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JHFORD51 said:
While doing some other work on my recently completed 59A engine (I had heads off and valves out) after getting everything cleaned up and ready to back together I figured I would pull the lifters and relube everything for an easy startup with no chance of galling. #1 intake lifter is in the picture. So I looked at the cam lobe with a mirror, didn't like what I saw, and pulled the cam. Front cam bearing is in the picture along with a shot of the cam lobes. Everythig feels "smooth" but obviously something is making metal come off. I'll be pulling the engine to check rod/main bearings.

This was a new Schnieder cam, real (old) Johnson lifters that I had reradiused, all of
Schnieders special lubricating "goo", and 55 to 60#s of spring pressure. Engine had maybe 1 hour of run time, none of it idling (becasue it hada vac leak and wouldn't idle).

What can I do different once cleaned up with new parts to prevent a repeat?
Click to expand...

Doing engine builds for a living I would never use "used" lifters, re-radiused or not. Just my opinion!

Also have my doubts about that Schneider cam, difficult to tell from photos.

Would use ONLY some original Johnson tappets and nothing but "moly" lube to break in the cam. We use/sell hundreds of flat-tappet cams (not only Flatheads) during the course of any given year and highly recommend AGAINST using any other lube than the "moly" paste! We don't care what the cam grinders recommend!

Thanks, Gary in N.Y.

P.S. Also difficult to say about the cam brg appearance, may have happened during the cam removal. I would also add we use only "Teflon" coated cam brgs on almost all our builds today! Aside from the better wear factor the coating also helps some with tightening the cam journal clearance! Here's a shot of the Flathead cam brgs we use along with some ARP "moly" lube!
 

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Where do you get the original Johnsons. PLEASE!
I also need a 241 Dodge cam reground. Any sugestions?
 
years ago we built engines with off the shelf parts.made in usa didnt do anything too special and they worked good and lasted as expected.now days with all the junk parts out there u gotts be so careful and u still might get burned. ford put those things together started em up and shipped em. i think u cant b too careful but people over think every thing and that creates its own set of problems.
 
I think your oil pressure tube may be clogged and not getting oil to the cam and bottom end. After cleaning your pan, your pressure readings seemed high for an old engine meaning it's backed up in the tube keeping the pressure gauge happy but maybe starving the engine.

Lonnie
 
I've used re-surfaced lifters by JWL on several ocasions and never had a problem. I think if done right, the work just as good asnew. Biggest problem is the screwas.
 
Binx said:
I think your oil pressure tube may be clogged and not getting oil to the cam and bottom end. After cleaning your pan, your pressure readings seemed high for an old engine meaning it's backed up in the tube keeping the pressure gauge happy but maybe starving the engine.

Lonnie
Click to expand...
I think you may be on to something here, except that the 55-60 lbs was valve spring pressure, not oil pressure. Also, There was an extensive thread on here that wound up supplying the information of where to get original Johnson lifters (yes, they are still being made). A search should come up with that information.
 
Lonnie, I am confused on your statements. Its a new engine, fresh everything, plenty of oil circulating around. 55 to 60#s is the valve spring pressure. Lifters were reradiused by Mr Lawson, I doubt they were the problem; you can see where they were rotating on the lobes as advertised.

I will go back with a cam ground on a Ford core; perhaps it was soft iron in the cam blank. Doesn't matter at this point. I will back valve spring pressure down to 50 to 55#s but I doubt 5#s made that much of a difference. Very frustrating to say the least.
 
JHFORD51 said:
Lonnie, I am confused on your statements. Its a new engine, fresh everything, plenty of oil circulating around. 55 to 60#s is the valve spring pressure. Lifters were reradiused by Mr Lawson, I doubt they were the problem; you can see where they were rotating on the lobes as advertised.

I will go back with a cam ground on a Ford core; perhaps it was soft iron in the cam blank. Doesn't matter at this point. I will back valve spring pressure down to 50 to 55#s but I doubt 5#s made that much of a difference. Very frustrating to say the least.
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Ooops! My mistake. I thought you are talking about the engine that you recently cleaned sludge out of and (to me) had unusually high oil pressure afterward.

Lonnie
 
Call Jerry Cantrell at Schneider. He is a stand up guy. I've used his cams in everything I've built since the '60's and never had a problem. He will help. 1-619-297-0227
 
How tight was it to install the camshaft ?
I straighten my camshafts before i have them regrinded.
A cam should go in easy and has a correct clearance to bearings same as any piece of the rotating assembly.
And i second the call Jerry, always a good idee to let the people that did your work get a chance to say what they think.
 
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