Is there something I need to know regarding the difference between solid or hydraulic roller lifter selection for my big block. I heard the wrong lifter choice can help in losing oil pressure. Thanks in advance.

 

If you are running mech roller lifters you should use oil restrictors, to keep oil at the rods and mains where it is needed more. Mech roller cams just don't need all that oil.

As oposed to an edge orfice or piddle valve hyd lifter, Mech roller lifters do not have any regulated type of metering system and they bleed off a lot of oil pressure if you do not use the restrictors.

Some people get by without using the restrictors, but personally I wouldn't recommend it.

This is what you need to use.

http://performanceparts.com/part.php?partID=4428

 

That helps

 

That is true using flat tappet cam and lifters. Solid rollers need all the oil they can get to lube the rollers, else you're courting disaster....ask me how I know.

 

That is the worst advise possible....solid rollers need lots of oil or they die. That being said, they get most of it from the crank splash. On a street big block you do not want to restrict oil to the lifters at all.

 

First off I understand what people are saying, I respect the fact one of you has a pretty fast bracket car and all that. Honestly if your having good luck not running them good on you, but I do not agree with it. I did state that some people get by fine with out them. He did ask about the wrong lifters killing your oil pressure.... and I stand by my assessment. Run a mech roller without restrictors and you will have signifigantly lower oil pressure than with them. In my experience you run one hard enough with out restrictors and you will eventually spin a rod brg. Personally I would rather maintain my engine properly by inspecting the lifters every year than inspect the side of my block where a rod decided to come out after it starved for oil.

I have never had any problems with my oiling systems. I have always run oil restrictors in anything with a solid lifter cam or a mech roller cam.

I agree that the camshaft and rollers on the lifter get a good amount of their oil from splash off the rods and crank. So think about this, if you do not run restrictors most of that extra oil going up the cam galley, just gets pumped to rocker arms or bled off in lifter galley and hangs around on in the cam valley or the cyl heads before it eventually makes its way back to the pan. Running restrictors doesn't lessen the amount of oil getting slung off the crank and rods if anything there is more (depending on your rod side clearance) since there is more oil at the rods. Also it gets pumped out your side clearance and right on the cam/lifters or back in the pan. IMO there is still plenty of oil at the lifter. If you are having problems you need to re think a few things about your engine building, intended purpose, maintenance schedule, ect.

Think about how much time drag motors spend idling around the shop or the pits v/s time spent wide open on a pass. None of my customers have any oiling problems with their roller cams. I'm sure no one is running any 290@.050 800+ lift cams with 900lbs of spring pressure around in their street cars, and if I can get by replacing lifters every 2yrs on a stick in my drag cars that big with no failures in the mean time, I see no reason why some people can't make one signifigantly smaller with signifigantly less spring pressure live.

I can understand an engine builder wanting more oil at the lifter, in a motor that spends most its life at low RPM and other wise would not get a lot of oil slung up to the lifters, but thats what hyd lifter/hyd roller cams are for. Why in the heck would you have a mech roller in an engine that spends all its life running around like a dump truck engine? Also there are lifters in prouduction now that have pressure fed roller brgs, and honestly they should be your first choice when putting a mech roller on the street. At no point would I ever compromise my rod or main oil supply by not running restrictors. I don't buy into not running them. Just my opinion and since I personally have never had a failure I am not changing.

IMO if you want to build a race engine you should be prepared to run it like one and maintain it like one. The biggest problems I see are most people think they
1) can take parts out of a box from Summit build their engine with them.
2) can run their race engines around on the street and maintain them like their Toyota.

I'm not trying to start the whole world a fire here but IMO there is a better way to do things, than just relying on an oiling system (as is) that when desgined was never intended for roller cams.
Will

 

Will, ok, much better explanation. We still do not agree, but you obviously have a lot of experience. BB72 was asking about solid rollers...and a lot of guys run them on the street. I had over 6000 miles on my street mechanical lifter cam before I put the motor in my drag car. I would be more likely to run restrictors (solid roller motor) in a drag motor before I would a street motor. Street motors have to limp around at low rpms some time.

I would not recommend the average guy run a solid roller though...they do require I certain amount of experience to run and if you are not familiar with them they will kill stuff and be very expensive

 

I can verify that, my neighbor put a solid roller in his 69 camaro and never did any maintenance. Well one day the engine was no more. I have a hydraulic roller in my street vette, that is as far as I would go with a street car.

 

Solid roller+ no maintenance= certain motor death.

 

Thats the info I was looking for. I'm more inclined to go hydraulic roller now. I'll give up a little HP but it will work work better.

 

Just exactly what maintenance are we talking about here? check valve lash, periodic teardown and inspection? anything else?

steve

 

I went with Crane Cams Powermax Hydraulic Roller #119831, .509/.528 lift & 222/230 duration @.050 I am pleased with its performance and it still gives me enough vacuum for my headlights and wipers. I am also running th-400 tranny and stock rear end. 2400 stall converter. It is also the same camshaft GM uses in their fast burn ZZ383 engine. Nevermind, I just realized you have a BB.

 

Thats about it...gotta keep a closer eye on the springs also.

 

I run oil restrictors with a solid roller, the theory is to too keep more oil in and around the center of the motor to lubricate the cam and rollers on the lifters instead of pumping it up to the upper valve train.This is especially important with the style of roller lifter I have which has no oiling holes for direct oiling to wheels. I will be using a different solid roller in my new 427ci small block which will have direct oiling to roller and I am debating running oil restrictors in it.

25,000 + trouble free miles so far

 

I have Comp Endure-X (pressure-fed oiling) lifters on order. I was also wondering about restrictors. I posted on this subject in the Engine mods forum earlier today. No help there.

 

Why use any roller junk on the street anyway. They are race car parts. I will say that not very many are actually used in a race engine atmosphere. {on a track} Horsepower gain is almost nill and not worth the risk of blowing a engine with out race car maintence. {ie} Tear down or inspect every race. Amatures using this junk is like giving them a hand granade under the hood. A good flat tappet solid lifter engine will run as good with out the problems. Many have expressed the desire and need to use tall rear end gears to not hurt a engine. But will address a roller cam just exacly the opposite. For what, bragging rights at the local cruises. There is a lot of trick stuff involved with using a roller cam. Rev kits in the galley is a must to keep the lifters on the cam. a lot of garbage not needed with for example a middle 11 second L88 with what for lifters? Why a non roller solid lifter cam producing nearly 600 HP right out of the box. You dont need a roller cam to go fast.

 

Flat tappet cams are becoming obsolete, can't even get the correct oil for breakins anymore. It's 2007, technology marches on, every time you post to bash roller cams I have another 5000 miles racked up on mine and loving every minute of it

 

MotorHead...which lifters are you looking at?..BTW, while my heads (Vic. Jrs.) were off, I decided to check out my springs. One was down to 120 lbs. seat pressure.

 

I am looking at the Isky Red Zones at the moment, most likely go with them. What springs were you using ?

 

I have the Edelbrock supplied solid-roller springs (1.55 dia, 210 on the seat). Only about 2,000 miles, but some were hard...