So I have a bit of an issue. I had a lifter fail not to long back (as in the past two months) so i replaced them all. Put Ls7 lifters in, and put the heads back on and all was well. Drove the car for a couple months with no issue's and now all of a sudden, wa laa.

Sypmtoms now ( and im posting this because i need some help because im truly lost)
Went out playing around the other night, got on the car and it pulled great. Had no issues. maybe a day or two later (? not positive on the time frame but close) it develops a tick. The same darn ticking noise it made when the old lifters went out. Now I didnt change out the cam while i had it torn down, but there was visible scaring on it on a couple of the lobes. so now i have a tick and the car just feels dead. I mean it will still drive and what not but it feels as if it has a dead cyclinder. Feels like its running on 7 cylinders. The tick goes away and comes back while im driving so i dont think its in the bottom end, but am i looking at ANOTHER set of lifters? Plus it has the factory oil pump on it so if i have to replace the lifters then im going to put a melling HV oil pump to fix the problem.

I just wanted everyone else's opinion on what they thought was going on. Im about to go buy a good mechanical oil pressure gauge and put it on because the eletrical factory one that was replaced with an advance auto brand i just cant trust.



The basic setup were dealing with-
Vengeance Racing Vindicator cam, Comp push rods, comp 921 springs, ls7 lifters, stock cast 243's with some port work yada yada. I mean basically a stock lS6 with a Vindicator cam and all the bolt ons to go along with it.

Things ive done in the past 24 hrs.
-Changed the oil ( the old oil had no debri in it, i drained it through coffee filters to look)
- Changed plugs in case one was screwed or something
- Replaced the rocker arm ( had one on the driver side rear that had a bit to much slop, if you will in it for me so i put another one on to do away with that issue)

Anyone with any ideas would be extremly helpful.
Thanks in advance.

 

What exactly was the failure on the lifters? The rollers themselves?

 

The lifters were pitted pretty badly so im guessing the hydraulics inside of them? i mean they still spin, and the lobes of the cam had some scarring on them as well.

(I think, just my conclusion, is that these wasnt enough oil getting to the actual lifters, generated alot of extra heat and all went down hill from there. They are pitted on a few so bad that they look like a sponge)

 

Pitted? I'm not familiar with pitting on a lifter. Bottom line, if the rollers were damaged, it was probably the cam that took them out. If you had damage to the cam lobes, it should have been replaced.

 

If the rollers looked like this it is time for a new cam.

 

^ yeah thats what they looked like. So now its time for a new cam, obviously and also time ANOTHER set of lifters. Now that we have clarified that i need a new cam and i have alot of work ahead of me, would that cause the car to run like it is down a cyclinder? If so im gonna start tearing it down tomorrow and ordering parts.

 

Yes, that lobe you spoke of earlier that had scratches more than likely now has a groove where the lifter roller contacts. This means you are not getting full valve lift anymore. It is common for this type of damage to be mistaken as a lifter issue when in fact it is improper heat treatment of the cam lobes most of the time. Sorry for the work you now have. We could have saved you the grief had you posted photos of the lifters the first go around. Best of luck!

 

Ahh oh well, live and learn you know. What is the thought process with the oil pump? Anyone thinking i should replace it with the High Volume one? Would that fix the problem im having with the heat?

 

Eric is referring to the heat treatment of the cam, which will dictate it's wear characteristics, durability, etc.......not a heat problem.

 

Exactly, it was a POS cam manufacturing process from the get go.

 

Thanks for the info guys. Im about to go outside and start tearing it down and get going. How would this effect oil pressure? Would it have an effect on the pressure?

 

Normally it has nothing to do with the engine oil pressure. However, if bad enough, and particles are blocking the pickup tube screen or oil filter there could be a pressure drop.

 

Yeah the oil pressure is all over the place right now, but i think alot of that has to do with it being an advance auto parts oil pressure sensor. Thing acted up a few times before all of this.

 

Lucky131969, Eric D, Z06supercharged........ Thanks for the help guys. Im one of those people who like to validate what im thinking before i will agree with my own opinion alot of time HAHA. Anyways, the teardown begins in a few minutes. I will post pictures of the Almost brand new lifters, and the cam once i get them out. Wish me luck haha.

Oh and im installing a new High pressure/volume oil pump and completely aftermarket oil pressure gauge to make sure that i have one i can trust.

Thanks again
Dustin