Here’s one that isn’t posted often here. Slow rate, fast rate, obsolete up to modem lobes, old vs newer cores, QC or lack there of, etc. So who has wiped a cam? What brand? Give the specs as best you can. How soon after install/break-in? Don’t be bashful or embarrassed...not looking for theorized reasons or excuses. Simple what and who. Just might be interesting to see brands and types. New, old, slow, fast, hyd or solid doesn’t matter. My son had a Comp Cams 280 Magnum hyd in a 360 lose a lobe after two years of ownership (bought it with mods already done) and lots of use.
“Wiped Cam Reveal”
- Thread starter 12many
- Start date
-
Only one for me. It was a mopar purple shaft, probably 90's vintage. No history on the engine (340) because my brother bought the car and it sat for some time. It started and ran pretty good, in fact we had no idea it had a wiped cam until I pulled the engine down. Of course it was never driven, only started in the driveway.
Thought I had a wiped cam, 292/508 hydraulic purple shaft back in 1994. Turned out it was one of the lifters came apart. I put the lifter back together and drove that thing for many miles.
I used to never break in cams, just started them up and drove like I normally would. Never had a problem.
Thought I had a wiped cam, 292/508 hydraulic purple shaft back in 1994. Turned out it was one of the lifters came apart. I put the lifter back together and drove that thing for many miles.
I used to never break in cams, just started them up and drove like I normally would. Never had a problem.
TheGrateRonzini
Well-Known Member
If I can find it laying around, I have a stick from my 318 that came in my notch. Somewhere around 6-7 it wore down considerably. I’m sure it’s around somewhere for pix
i lied. Had one on phone
i lied. Had one on phone
Last edited:
33IMP
Well-Known Member
I wiped out a mini express purple shaft mushroom, but that was cause I didn't know what I was doing. Badly tuned crossram carbs, BIG vacuum leak. It didn't start right away, and I had WAY too much spring pressure for breakin.
Buh-by, now.
A friend lost a solid roller in a big block chevy. Valve springs went soft, put divots in the closing side of the lobes from the lifters bouncing.
Buh-by, now.
A friend lost a solid roller in a big block chevy. Valve springs went soft, put divots in the closing side of the lobes from the lifters bouncing.
Last edited:
This is painful. Wiped out two cams in two motors, a 429 Ford and a sbc in less than 1,000 miles. Both were due to improper break-in.
TheGrateRonzini
Well-Known Member
I attribute mine to the p/o finding it in the dingweeds , hooking up power and pouring gas down the carb with open loose manifolds. Lucky for me the car now has a 440 and the 318 now touts 390ci
dibbons
Well-Known Member
I wiped out one lobe and found out the day after the rebuild of my first car, a '65 Valiant 273 automatic. This is what happened:
I was new at this and did the rebuild myself at Community College Auto Shop circa 1975. When I installed the small block distributor, I did not factory index the rotor/oil pump shaft. The result of installing the distributor in that fashion was that the vacuum advance was hitting the firewall when I was trying to initiate the initial fire-up and set the timing correctly. I did a lot of cranking before re-arranging the spark plug wires in the distributor cap. Finally figured things out and started, ran for 30 minutes @ 2000 - 3000 RPM. The next day when the motor developed other problems not related to wiping out the camshaft lobe, during my inspection I discovered the damaged to the camshaft.
This was an Isky solid lifter camshaft with .480 lift and 280 degrees advertised duration. Isky warranted the camshaft and replaced it. However, I put the warranty camshaft on the shelf and substituted an Isky .580 lift and 312 degree advertised duration camshaft for the repair/rebuild. I broke in the hotter camshaft without problem, using the catalog recommended dual valve springs and damper at initial start-up.
About 25 years later during a move, I opened the box where the warranty camshaft (.480/280) was shipped in, only to find the replacement camshaft from Isky had a very good coat of surface rust. I threw it out.
I was new at this and did the rebuild myself at Community College Auto Shop circa 1975. When I installed the small block distributor, I did not factory index the rotor/oil pump shaft. The result of installing the distributor in that fashion was that the vacuum advance was hitting the firewall when I was trying to initiate the initial fire-up and set the timing correctly. I did a lot of cranking before re-arranging the spark plug wires in the distributor cap. Finally figured things out and started, ran for 30 minutes @ 2000 - 3000 RPM. The next day when the motor developed other problems not related to wiping out the camshaft lobe, during my inspection I discovered the damaged to the camshaft.
This was an Isky solid lifter camshaft with .480 lift and 280 degrees advertised duration. Isky warranted the camshaft and replaced it. However, I put the warranty camshaft on the shelf and substituted an Isky .580 lift and 312 degree advertised duration camshaft for the repair/rebuild. I broke in the hotter camshaft without problem, using the catalog recommended dual valve springs and damper at initial start-up.
About 25 years later during a move, I opened the box where the warranty camshaft (.480/280) was shipped in, only to find the replacement camshaft from Isky had a very good coat of surface rust. I threw it out.
gregcon
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2009
- Messages
- 735
- Reaction score
- 816
I can honestly say I've never wiped a cam lobe in anything I've rebuilt or even just owned.
I've had a couple fuel injected engines that took more cranking than I'd like during initial startup, but I kept the cam lobes in mind and added some oil, etc.
I've had a couple fuel injected engines that took more cranking than I'd like during initial startup, but I kept the cam lobes in mind and added some oil, etc.
6PakBee
Well-Known Member
The only cam I've ever wiped out was in a 392 International. Have no clue why. But other than that, I've been lucky...and as the old saying goes, given the choice between being good and being lucky, go with lucky every time.
Here are two 318 camshafts, from rebuildable core engines that I purchased from the folks that last heard them run.
'74 318 on the left
'70 318 on the right
'74 318 on the left
'70 318 on the right
yellow rose
Overnight Sensation
In the mid 2000’s I lost several cams, and it was the chinese junk *** lifters.
To this day a lifter doesn’t go into an engine I do without checking every single lifter to make sure it has the correct radius on the bottom.
Since doing that and weeding out the bad lifters I haven’t lost another cam.
To this day a lifter doesn’t go into an engine I do without checking every single lifter to make sure it has the correct radius on the bottom.
Since doing that and weeding out the bad lifters I haven’t lost another cam.
2008 I did a cam swap on my 360, put in a Comp XE295HL-10 (251/257 duration @0.05, 0.564 lift). It wiped it shortly after break in. I did everything right, not my first rodeo, just lost a lobe...and consequently, the entire engine due to metal shavings getting into everything. I built my first stroker after that...and the rest is history.
I never have wiped one. I thought I did once on a Chevy 350 I had in a Nova. Came home and heard one ticking. Went over the valves and got it to stop. Started right back. Adjusted the one down.....started right back. Ended up, the rocker stud was being pushed out of the head. Yanked the heads and had them machined for screw in studs and guide plates and put an end to that bullshit.
yellow rose
Overnight Sensation
What sucked was at that time about all you could get was the chinese lifters. They weren’t all bad, but it was something like 40% that were just throw away junk.
As always, the lifters were the last thing we thought about. We sent the cams out to be tested, we changed break in oil...all kinds of voodoo crap and finally we ruled out everything but the lifters.
Lost a TON of money on that junk. And, as an engine builder it makes you look stupid.
A couple posters mentioned Mopar Performance cams and lifters. I have an old nasty *** MP box with the nos mechanical cam/lifter kit from what I believe is at the earliest 1991 (box iirc shows 1988, various paperwork has 1991 with the copyright info) Who would most likely have ground the cam, but of more interest is where the lifters are from?
had 3 340's built and one stroker on the last 10 years never had a cam go . always use the right oil and check the lifters before assembling , have sent back about 25% of the lifters , just lucky a cam never went bad , the quality of parts over the last 10 years has gone downhill fast , can't be shopping for parts based on price you get what you pay for . blame it on the walmart mentality .
MopaR&D
Nerd Member
How do you check if the radius is correct? I at least swap mine around the lifter bores if they seem to fit a bit tight in the first one. I've only put together 2 Mopar engines so far (both in the past decade) with flat tappet cams but didn't have one go flat in either.
Possibly Racer Brown.
yellow rose
Overnight Sensation
I put them in a lathe and run a dial indicator across the face of the lifter.
If you don’t have a lathe, you can do as gregcon said. At least you can see if they have some radius to them.
PRH
Well-Known Member
If you’ve been in the engine and racing business long enough....... you’re going to be involved with a few flattened cams.
I can’t think of a single one that went bad that we didn’t find what we felt was the “cause”.
I’ve never had one go bad for “no reason”.
The last few I’ve seen go bad(I didn’t build these engines), two had inadequate lobe taper, and one had questionable break in and was being run with the wrong oil.
And of the two with inadequate taper, one was basically surviving even though there were a few lifters not rotating.
The other one had a lobe start showing wear off the nose in about 50 miles of use(which was found during some tear down for an unrelated issue).
I can’t think of a single one that went bad that we didn’t find what we felt was the “cause”.
I’ve never had one go bad for “no reason”.
The last few I’ve seen go bad(I didn’t build these engines), two had inadequate lobe taper, and one had questionable break in and was being run with the wrong oil.
And of the two with inadequate taper, one was basically surviving even though there were a few lifters not rotating.
The other one had a lobe start showing wear off the nose in about 50 miles of use(which was found during some tear down for an unrelated issue).
Last edited:
yellow rose
Overnight Sensation
gregcon
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2009
- Messages
- 735
- Reaction score
- 816
I'd be curious to know the rate of failure for flat tappet cams vs. roller cams.....
We all know roller cams are way more complex and more costly to buy/swap. I have to wonder if they're any more reliable in the real world.....
Of course, flat tappets have been around forever and rollers are a more modern device...I'm sure someone (the Amish?) used them in 1867 but for the most part, rollers never had to live through crummy oil years.
We all know roller cams are way more complex and more costly to buy/swap. I have to wonder if they're any more reliable in the real world.....
Of course, flat tappets have been around forever and rollers are a more modern device...I'm sure someone (the Amish?) used them in 1867 but for the most part, rollers never had to live through crummy oil years.
-
