Diagnose a Failed Cam #shorts

The cam started to fail, and the rockers should be loose, but the owner over adjusted the rocker arms to take up the lash after break in. The engine wasn't overly noisy but had a strange rhythm when running, so he brought it in for me to take a look....not good news for this guys new engine. A failed flat tappet cam
#failedcam #406

[Texasmule]

Flat tappet cams are the biggest test of faith god has ever created

[johndelta]

Cam manufacturers are selling garbage lifters and blaming it on the break in or zinc content of the oil.

[stevodakine]

Mine just failed last weekend! Gonna rebuild and roller the darn thing.

[Stainlessslayer]

Damn that's too bad. I've seen it happen myself. Seems to be way too common of an issue these days.

[thereluctantgearhead]

Back in the 70s/80s, that shit never happened. When i was young, we'd throw a engine together with a big ole flat tappet cam with probably way too much valvespring pressure, start them up and proceed to give it hell. Break in was just let it run till it warmed up a couple times. Change the oil and your ready. How times have changed.

[Shade_tree_garage]

I’ll never run a flat “Crappet” cam EVER again, they’re to much of an Investment risk.

[thegalli]

An old guy was telling me back in the day they had maybe 1% of cams fail breakin. Recent times its more like 5%.

[jimmy_olds]

What the cam failure self inflicted though by over adjusting the rockers? Or were the rockers adjusted down to get rid of the tapping after the cam was already wiped?

[thereluctantgearhead]

Might save a few bucks with a flat tappet cam, but its gonna cost alot if it fails. Cost more than upgrading to a roller cam would have cost.

[hazeltate]

Oh no
Daddys truck
Can daddy give him a new one 🛻

[briang]

It doesn't seem to end, countless people end up victim to another garbage flat tappet cam and lifter kit. The manufacturers are really screwing people over and are costing people thousands of dollars in destroyed engines over a $200 cam kit. At this point since they seem to refuse to provide quality parts they should just completely discontinue and stop selling any more flat tappet cam and lifter kits. There's zero point in buying them if it's basically guaranteed to fail. Soo many reputable machinists and engine builders have also fell victim to this epidemic, its obviously not a user error it has something to do with the manufacturers process, there's no break in or oil in the world that can save you if the cam or lifters aren't manufactured correctly from the factory. Parts these days are absolute rock bottom quality.

[AC.Prince]

Have you ever had studs to pull out on vortec heads?

[thereluctantgearhead]

Those rockers are only good to about 350lbs open pressure. Ive seen them break with 400lb springs in claimer dirt track engines.

[jetmr_]

I’ve had it happen twice, once with my original 305, and once with the comp flat tappet cam I put in my new 355

Don’t use comp cams, nearly every product from them or their other sister companies have had poor quality control

[shootermcgavin]

624 heads are the absolute worst heads to have. Tell him to do a cylinder head upgrade after the new roller cam goes in. Or at least I hope he goes roller..

[doolallyproductions]

Why get roller rockers for a flat tapped cam

[tonyschiffiler]

Had many flat tappet cams and never a flat one in 50 years.

[daviddavids]

I HOPE BEFORE YOU DIAGNOSED IT AS A CAM FAILURE TO CHECKED COMPREHENSION IN THAT CYLINDER. BECAUSE IT NUTS WERE TIGHTENED TOO MUCH THEN VALVES WILL BE OPEN AND WON'T KEEP COMPRESSION TO RUN PROPERLY. ALOT EASIER TO CHECK VALVE LASH THAN IT IS TO PULL A MOTOR AND CAMSHAFT IF NOT NEEDED

[robertmills]

Just make sure the lifters are ground on a concave, there seem to be some bad lifters being sold that are ground flat and won't spin, instant lifter death

[hughstewart]

Puts on roller rockers but not a roller