Looking for advice on 416 build I have a bad lifter
 

I noticed yesterday a noise in the motor that turns out is a lifter going bad. This is on a VVT2 Texas Speed head cam build. It has been a disaster to say the least, my journey started a 15 months ago when I had 6 valve springs break on my Texas Speed heads. It turns out they made a spring change to PAC springs now. Texas Speed did warranty the heads, but it didn't solve the problem of broken spring parts in my motor. Now I have lifters going bad, not sure what caused it but now I need to replace the lifters and the cam, since they would be doing this it would make sense to take the pan off to see if there is any more parts in their that keep making their way out.

I have gotten to the point that I am thinking just starting over with a new build is the only way I will have piece of mind. So my question is do you save the block and just buy a rotating assembly get all new bearings and clean the motor, or do you buy an assembled short block? I want to keep the car naturally aspirated for the track. I was also told that their are Johnson lifters out now that are an improvement on the OEM lifters. I already have the rest of the parts on my car for a solid build MSD intake, Halltech CAI, C7 R timing chain and polished an ported heads.

I am also hesitant to use Texas Speed again, this Cam kit is what is the root cause of all the problems, literally every part they sold me has failed from the lifters to the heads and springs and put me in the position I am in now. So who else out there does a good 416 rotating assembly and or assembled small block?

Appreciate the help in advance.

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Texas speed 416ci LT4 with 20k miles on it and all the cam lobes look like shit. One lifer axle completely gone, and I am doing this job right now...

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I’ll have the cam out tomorrow and post pics...

This build had about 20k miles on it too, ridiculous to have that kind of failure so early.

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Nice

I'm sure mine will look very similar.

What was the cause in this case?

Well, the motor is missing #3 intake valve lash cap, I have not found it yet and until I do, I can’t make an educated guess. It could be anything from accidental over rev loosing lashcap and falling into the lifter roller path all the way to alcohol content.

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“Good” cam lobe and lifter pieces as well as a lower rod bearing. The cam bearings look like shit...I’ll be pulling this one and I’ll go through it and the complete oiling system.

Could incorrect pushrod length cause this?

I would think that incorrect pushrod length would need to be WAY off to cause this damage. Using a pushrod thats slightly off usually won’t cause this damage from what I have seen. Typically you would cause the rockers to not contact the right part of the valve stem by being too short or long and that would excessively wear the rocker to valve stem contact area. But I don’t think it would cause this type of damage. Maybe i’m wrong though..

not in this case, lifter preload is correct. Anything I say at this point would be speculation and potentially pointing fingers at others prematurely. That said, this engine was replaced at 8k miles because it had catastrophic rod failure...and one has to wonder if the sump system was properly cleaned out. The truth is that I’ll never know, but I know it’s going back tight and right and tight this time.

ttt
 

I agree plus I know only 20,k miles but if the pushrods was off this much to cause this it would have went out before this. I would say metal in the cam not being broke in correct from the oil that was used. Maybe totally wrong here.. May also be like you said here lash cap going out and doing the damage to the lifter & cam...

Now that you have just said this on the oil sump it really only takes a very small amount of small metal in that dry sump to do crap like this. I know some have said to buy a new dry sump set up if you have a motor to go out and get shaving into the oil system... Robert

Oil used was Joe Gibbs Driven, not the issue. I’ll have more detailed pics by the weekend...

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More drama...

Update, block and liner damaged along with piston, and all pistons scuffed pretty damned good. While we can repair this block, I have located another one needing only a sleeve, and will be replacing all the pistons. Looks like lifter roller got caught by a rod on its way down and hit the base of the cylinder.
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Subbed to this. Im so curious.

I have located a block that needs a sleeve for 500.00 and the pistons are 929.00 with rings. I am replacing the cam, lifters, oil cooler, and cleaning out the dry sump system. This will basically be new when I’m done with it. Depending on my machinists schedule, I could be filing rings and doing engine assembly by this weekend. Fingers crossed because my guy needs his daily driver back ��

I buy a cam kit from Texas Speed and after 1 month of using it i hear ticking from the engine now and i send it to the shop and he told me it lifter failed to work and they send me another one and the ticking sound not going so the mechanic guess it the engine went bad and i think it the cam it self but i was planing to buy 416 engine from Texas speed but after your thread i hesitant too .

How are you making out? Back together yet?