Cam failure

[AUTOHOLIC]

It is just one thing after another with this car.
Finally after waiting a long time to have the cam nitrated by the manufacturer, following all their recommendations, using their break in oil it lasted less than 50 miles.
I have owned this car now for over 3 years and have only been able to drive it less then 500 miles due to MANY issues with the car and also COVID type parts delays.

Here is a link to the story on th car when I purchased it.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...nvertible.html

[DDSLT5]

I can't read shit over there. Copy it here.

[RatDog]

Originally Posted by AUTOHOLIC

It is just one thing after another with this car.
Finally after waiting a long time to have the cam nitrated by the manufacturer, following all their recommendations, using their break in oil it lasted less than 50 miles.
I have owned this car now for over 3 years and have only been able to drive it less then 500 miles due to MANY issues with the car and also COVID type parts delays.

Here is a link to the story on th car when I purchased it.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...nvertible.html

Nice looking car. Why not put the original engine back in if that’s not what’s in it now.

It’s normal to have a love/hate relationship with these cars. Han in there it will work out.

Take care,
Steve

[markids77]

Put a roller in it next. Yes, there are rollers prone to infanticide as well so do a bit of reading first. No break in required; run it to temperature and forget it.

[mudbone64]

How did you detect the failure? Is the oil pressure still okay? My first failure cleaned out ALL of the bearings and the engine had zero oil pressure at idle. Through a valve train inspection I was able to catch the second failure before much damage was done.

I've watched some cam failure video and from what I've seen the lifters may be as of much a problem as the cam. As it turns out the crown on the lifters might be ground properly and it might not be. This is but one of the video's Powell machine has posted on the subject:

YouTube

After killing two flat tappet camshafts a roller is just the price of admission as far as I'm concerned. If you do go roller just make sure you get quality lifters. I usually get mine through Straub Technologies.

[GTOguy]

I wouldn't hesitate to run a flat tappet hydraulic cam if the lifters checked out for crown, surface finish, edge taper, and leakdown, and if the cam had measurable taper on EVERY lobe.
Powell Machine has great videos, as does Musclecar Solutions on this subject.

I have seen blocks destroyed by off-shore roller lifters and rockers losing needle bearings and spitting them into the engine. Needle bearings are HARD.

[Vette40th]

Only time I ever destroyed a camshaft was with the wrong springs caps/top. They were too thick causing binding of the springs.

[LATB]

Nice Vette no doubt. But I could not stand all that blue.

[AUTOHOLIC]

Originally Posted by Vette40th

Only time I ever destroyed a camshaft was with the wrong springs caps/top. They were too thick causing binding of the springs.

My mechanic sent the cam and lifters to Powell Machine for analysis. They are checking it for core shift.

[AUTOHOLIC]

Originally Posted by LATB

Nice Vette no doubt. But I could not stand all that blue.

The car originally had blue leather but a previous owner “cheaped out” and put blue vinyl in the car.
I have a nice original set of white door panels and have been considering replacing the vinyl blue seat covers with white leather. Still undecided if I am going to do this but Nassau blue with blue and white interior has always been my favorite.

[SJW]

This has been an active topic on another forum recently. Mentioned there was that the lifter bores should also be checked for any anomalies that might prevent the free rotation of the lifters. And spring pressures, obviously, can be a big problem.