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Trying to learn about cam wear #3273147
11/29/24 05:12 PM
11/29/24 05:12 PM
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USA
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hudsonhornet7x Offline OP
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Hello,

My engine has been run for about an hour on a stand with appropriate oil. I took off the valley pan for a cursory look and saw this wear pattern on the cam lobes. Is it normal? The cam is a Comp solid flat tappet in my 470. I have not torn down any further than the pictures you see. The lifters that are not under load all spin freely in their bores. Just wondering if this looks ok to the more knowledgeable people on here. I don't see any metal shavings, just the wear pattern on the lobes.

Thanks in advance for any advice.


IMG_6861.JPGIMG_6862.JPG
Last edited by hudsonhornet7x; 11/29/24 05:14 PM.
Re: Trying to learn about cam wear [Re: hudsonhornet7x] #3273148
11/29/24 05:13 PM
11/29/24 05:13 PM
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USA
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hudsonhornet7x Offline OP
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more pictures

IMG_6863.JPGIMG_6864.JPG
Re: Trying to learn about cam wear [Re: hudsonhornet7x] #3273188
11/30/24 08:48 AM
11/30/24 08:48 AM
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North Dakota
6PakBee Online content
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I honestly don't know because I've never checked a new cam with only an hour on it. But I have two thoughts: Fire it back up with the valve covers off and verify that all lifters are rotating. If so button it up and run it for another 3-4 hours. Pull the valve covers and check again that all the lifters are rotating. Then pull the manifold off and check the lobes again. twocents


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Re: Trying to learn about cam wear [Re: 6PakBee] #3273189
11/30/24 09:21 AM
11/30/24 09:21 AM
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Apollo, PA.
B1MAXX Offline
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When you lose lobes the oil will look like metal flake, that oil looks good from the picture.

Re: Trying to learn about cam wear [Re: B1MAXX] #3273194
11/30/24 09:55 AM
11/30/24 09:55 AM
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Rodenteliminator Offline
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Some of the wear patterns look suspicious, were the lifter bores machined ? In the second pic it looks like the one lobe with the narrow pattern the lifter is on an angle, might be the pic or my eyes but the different pattern on some of the lobes might create an issue.


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Re: Trying to learn about cam wear [Re: Rodenteliminator] #3273203
11/30/24 11:46 AM
11/30/24 11:46 AM
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Kansas
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Thelma133 Offline
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Agree. One of the bores doesn’t look straight from the pictures.

Re: Trying to learn about cam wear [Re: hudsonhornet7x] #3273268
11/30/24 08:22 PM
11/30/24 08:22 PM
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mhead Offline
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Run it!The cam if it was going flat would have already done it.Like others has said you would have seen metal flake all through the oil.The lasts few solid cams I got has a coating on them so that could be what your seeing that is wearing some.
If the valve lash hasn't changed much send it.

Re: Trying to learn about cam wear [Re: mhead] #3273273
11/30/24 08:35 PM
11/30/24 08:35 PM
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hudsonhornet7x Offline OP
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Thank you all for the replies. I looked at it again tonight, and just eyeballing it the bore looks just like the rest of them to me. Of course I have not been able to measure anything so I have no proof one way or the other. Next I will be looking at individual lifters to check them and see how the wear patterns are.

Re: Trying to learn about cam wear [Re: hudsonhornet7x] #3273279
11/30/24 09:00 PM
11/30/24 09:00 PM
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Eagle, Idaho
Neil Offline
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As long as the wear pattern is not going all the way across the lifter face you are probably good. Cutting the oil filter open, or just draining the oil, you'll have some metal sparkles in the oil, but that is normal on new engines so don't panic about that. Don't be surprised if you still see some amount of sparkles in the oil even on the 2nd oil change since oil pan nuts are usually above the bottom of the pan so not all the oil ever comes out. You can still get some amount of oil from the initial break-in oil mixed in with the 2nd oil change oil making it appear you have a problem when you really don't.

Also you can hook up a vacuum gauge while it's running. That will tell you if the valves are fully moving open and closed as they should if the cam and lifters are intact.

Camera lens is what is making that one lifter bore on the right in the close up look funky I think. If it was actually off kilter all that much the engine would have never made it very far back when it left the assembly line, and someone would have replaced it already.

Last edited by Neil; 11/30/24 09:09 PM.
Re: Trying to learn about cam wear [Re: Neil] #3273389
12/01/24 03:45 PM
12/01/24 03:45 PM
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fredericksburg,va
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cudaman1969 Offline
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I don’t like it in the center, look at any old cam the wear on point is out to the edge of cam, always, that’s how it spins the lifter not from the center.

Re: Trying to learn about cam wear [Re: mhead] #3273398
12/01/24 04:23 PM
12/01/24 04:23 PM
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Rittman Ohio
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Originally Posted by mhead
Run it!The cam if it was going flat would have already done it.Like others has said you would have seen metal flake all through the oil.The lasts few solid cams I got has a coating on them so that could be what your seeing that is wearing some.
If the valve lash hasn't changed much send it.

iagree
I've had cams that looked like that before and they went for thousands of miles. It's just part of the break in process with the lifters finding their spot to live twocents

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Re: Trying to learn about cam wear [Re: hudsonhornet7x] #3273500
12/02/24 01:04 AM
12/02/24 01:04 AM
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Bend,OR USA
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Cab_Burge Offline
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They look good to me up
Would drive it from 200 to 500 miles and recheck the lash hot and se what the oil looks like up in the heads and go from there.
If one of the rockers start clicking look at it sooner up wrench scope

Last edited by Cab_Burge; 12/02/24 01:05 AM.

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