Lifter stuck?

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Some thoughts -
1. You need to verify lifter rotation during assembly and I would definitely measure each lifter bore properly to make sure there' no issues there.
2. You should use the Crane cam paste for the lobes and lifter faces after you verify lifter rotation. The liquids and special oil won't really stay in place - the paste will.
2. The Lunati springs - are they true dual springs with a dampener? Meaning do they have a smaller spring inside a larger spring with a flat wire spring separating them? If so, you should remove the inner springs fort he cam break in period. Then reinstall once it's done.
3. How do you get oil pressure and fuel to the carb? By turning it with the starter? It's a huge risk to turn the engine with the starter to get oil pressure or fuel to the carb. Use a pre-oiling tool and drill, and fill the carb (carefully) through the vents.
4. The cam is only oiled by splash up from the crank when it's turning. You have to have enough rpm to toss the oil up off it - so make sure the rpms can get up to 1800-2500 immediately, and it can run through the whole break in period without shutting down to top off coolant or whatever. Stick a box fan in front of the radiator, and make sure you don't fill the cooling system to the top so it doesn't burp and get all over the place.
5. I also leave the break in oil in the crank case for 100 miles or so, and limit time the engine spends at idle for that period.
 
the cam is also oiled by oil that flows down from around the lifter bodies, and from oil spewed out from the cam bearings
 
Thanks for all the replies and advice. I’m hoping to get to spend some time on it this weekend.
 
Agree with YR, stock pickup is meant to be flush with pan.
Also are the perimeter of lifters only getting oil? I've read where guys mistakenly put break in lube/paste on the outside lifter wall and created carnage.
yellow rose said:
Whatever you do...if it's a STOCK pick up it is designed to touch the floor of the pan, not be a 1/4 inch from the bottom.
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Random picture thread rejuvenator.
erniemccracken.jpg
 
Got it all apart. Stripped the block down to bare. Pulled all the oil journal plugs and cleaned everything I could get to with engine brushes, brake clean and compressed air. I checked everything, all the bearings look good. I tried several different lifters in the bore to see if it would stick, moves up and down and turns with no issues. Idk what happened. I used lunati cam paste on the bases of the lifters and the cam lobes and oil on the sides of the lifters and the bores previously. So I cleaned all the pistons, pulled all the valves and cleaned them and the guides, got a new cam kit, got a new oil pump and pick up and a new gasket set and put it back together. Still trying to get it buttoned up to try and break it in again. We’ll see.
 
I used Lucas break in oil this time with lunati paste on the lifter based and the cam lobes. Used the break in oil on the lifter sides. Primed the new oil pump and got everything lubed. Had some trouble with break in, engine over heated on me. I had a fan in front of it but it was miserably hot that day and I was in the garage. I let it cool off and continued with the break in the following day. It still tried to overheat but managed to get it done. Pulled the valve covers and reinstalled the inner springs, I pulled the lifter from the bore that got me last time and looked at it, looked fine. Put the valve covers back on and changed the oil I went ahead and used the Lucas oil also. Got my timing set and cked for leaks all good. Got it all fired up and fluids to proper levels and drove it today. Probably about 40 miles or so give or take 1-1/2 hours in and out of town and the highway at different speeds and rpm levels, tried to limit idle times. Pulled over and cked things multiple times and all seems good at this point. Gonna let it cool off and change the oil and filter again, probably overkill but better safe than sorry to make sure of any metal from previous damage. Thanks for all the help.
 
Well done! Glad it worked this time. That 1st time failure is a head-scratcher... maybe a random flaw in that lifter or lobe, or it struck for some unknown reason.
 
nm9stheham said:
Well done! Glad it worked this time. That 1st time failure is a head-scratcher... maybe a random flaw in that lifter or lobe, or it struck for some unknown reason.
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Thanks. Yeah I’m a nervous wreck about it. Don’t have any idea what happened or why. Keep cking and listening and etc. hopefully all is good. Thanks again.
 
ktcnn94 said:
I used Lucas break in oil this time with lunati paste on the lifter based and the cam lobes. Used the break in oil on the lifter sides. Primed the new oil pump and got everything lubed. Had some trouble with break in, engine over heated on me. I had a fan in front of it but it was miserably hot that day and I was in the garage. I let it cool off and continued with the break in the following day. It still tried to overheat but managed to get it done. Pulled the valve covers and reinstalled the inner springs, I pulled the lifter from the bore that got me last time and looked at it, looked fine. Put the valve covers back on and changed the oil I went ahead and used the Lucas oil also. Got my timing set and cked for leaks all good. Got it all fired up and fluids to proper levels and drove it today. Probably about 40 miles or so give or take 1-1/2 hours in and out of town and the highway at different speeds and rpm levels, tried to limit idle times. Pulled over and cked things multiple times and all seems good at this point. Gonna let it cool off and change the oil and filter again, probably overkill but better safe than sorry to make sure of any metal from previous damage. Thanks for all the help.
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once burned, twice shy. Nobody's going to fault you for going the extra mile. What's an extra oil change, if it may help.
 
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