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Frustrated

Mr T Bucket

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Not really frustrated, but a somewhat heightened level of angst, LOL. I know it's going to make me appreciate it that much more when.....well....more like if it runs, to have the Ford drivetrain in my T. But man is it wearing on me. Had the issue with the Comp Cam camshaft back in November when I was first test fitting some of the engine parts. The pin for the fuel pump eccentric wasn't coming out of the cam far enough to properly engage the eccentric. After talking with the guys at Comp and not figuring out anything, the last thing I tried was measuring the depth of the hole. Luckily I hadn't thrown away the original cam. Hole in the new cam was deeper than oem. Problem found and fixed.

Tonight, was priming the oil pump. Yep, I've almost got the engine done. Was hoping to have my gauges by the weekend so I could install the oil pressure gauge and check the oil pressure, but wasn't looking like that was going to happen. Was in the garage and ran across an old gauge from my air compressor when the regulator broke last summer. Hot dog. Quick trip to Walmart and 7 quarts of oil in the pan and I'm spinning the pump. 60 lbs of oil pressure but have 2 lifters that aren't allowing enough (or any) oil out the top and through the pushrod. Tops of those two valves are still bone dry after 10+ cycles of 30 second primes, rotating the crank 1/4 turn after each prime. Finally took them out and blew through them myself and can hardly get any air through. Got an email in to Comp to see what they say.

Not really a big deal right at this moment, but was so looking forward to checking one more thing off the list. Instead, I just added to it, LOL.
 
Oil passages are good and clear. I had checked every pushrod before installing them. Pulled those 2 pushrods back out and rechecked them. Pulled each lifter out and primed the pump again. Plenty of oil flow coming out of the oil galley into each lifter bore. Cleaned a pushrod and stuck it in the lifter cup and blew through it myself. One of the lifters very hard to get any air through and the other next to impossible. Pulled one of the other lifters that primed up fine and ran the same test. No issue getting air through it. Gotta order some more stuff in the next couple of days. If I haven't heard anything from Comp, I'll see what Summit can do for me. Bought the cam and lifters back in September. Otherwise, it's only another $12 for 2 more lifters.
 
Is this a roller cam or flat tappet? I personally think you are worrying too much about it. If it is a flat tappet, buy some compcams breakin additive and make sure you coat the cam lobes liberally with moly assembly lube, and fire her up. I remember a small block a few years ago that needed quite a bit of run time to settle down a tappet, the oil will eventually get there.
 
I have had engines where you had to spin the drill so long to get oil flowing everywhere that the drill motor got too hot to hold. 30 seconds is not long enough IMO to really prime a motor.

We just got the new motor for my Kid's rpu running and I usually use Comp Cam zinc additive, but this time we used Lucas Break in additive. Very impressed with it, you dump in a whole bottle and when I rubbed the oil between my fingers it is super slippery. He has a flat tappet cam so once we change the oil we will be running half a bottle with every change.

Don't get discouraged, little problems with a car we build at home are part of the game. The engine on my 27 has been in and out 3 times to fix little issues and we had to scrap the first engine we built for my Son's car and start over with a new block and heads because of oiling and scoring issues. I know it gets discouraging, and expensive, but the problems eventually go away and you will forget about them when you are driving down the road. :)

Don
 
I use s pressurized pre-lube tank that I bought from Blueprint Engines and have been using it for years without fail and it saves so much time and aggravation when the distributor is difficult to get to. It's a simple tank that you put the oil into and then pressurize with shop air connected to the where the oil sender is and open valve. Worked on an engine that sat for 2 years and pumped the lifters right up after a few cycles.
 
Accusump would probably work as a pre-lube oiler too. I used to run one on my race car to keep oil starvation from occuring.
 
I got to thinking the other day, that I hadn't updated this thread. And seeing as how I dislike not hearing the outcome of someone's predicament, I thought I'd better post up.

Short version: everything appears to be fine.

Long version: I had emailed Comp and they said they were going to send me 2 lifters. Cool. Except the package got here and they had forgot to put one of the lifters in the box. I decided at that point that I wouldn't be happy until I took every single one of the lifters apart to inspect them. So I did. Rather ingenious use of a rivet in my drill press on the plunger and only one errant flying retainer that I thought was gone forever, netted me a refresher course on the mechanics of hydraulic lifter operation. After nearly setting up a CSI layout with laser pointers and velocity charts, I did in fact find the one retainer, even though I now had an extra lifter. If any of your shops or garages are like mine, then you know when something goes "ping" into the distance, it's probably gone. Didn't find anything inside the lifters that would change one's outlook on life, nor that would cause me to tear the whole engine down. Simply reassemble and reinstalled them all in the same bore and spun up the drill again. Probably my mind playing tricks on me, but it seemed like I was getting oil sooner, than before. You guys were probably right. Just needn't worry about it. They're getting oil, so I should be set.

A minor apology too, for venting, but a thank you too, for listening. So far, I have resisted the urge to throw anything lately, though I did come home tonight to find that the roof on the house is leaking. Yay.
 
Thats good news,,and about the Ping and flying off in the distance and digging around looking for is usually when I find the shit I lost the time before and it makes that a spare
 
I have a Troll in my shop that snatches my "ping" item, tools, lighters, etc. and hauls them down the deep dark hole under the steps.

Ron
 
I'm still trying to find our how something made out of steel can evaporate when it is dropped.
It defies all laws of physics
 
Mike's Law says if there is anything a dropped object can somehow get under, that's where it went.

RPM, we had some wooden shelves behind the counter, at the speed shop. Sherrie came up out of the dyno room and asked me for a couple of Holley jets. I grabbed two, and naturally, managed to drop one. The jet hit the top of my shoe and took off, headed toward Sherrie. It rolled almost 2 feet (on carpet, no less), then made a 90° turn and rolled through a knothole in the facing board on those shelves. Sherrie's jaw hit her shoelaces, when she saw it. But that jet knew it had to follow Mike's Law.
 
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We just had that happen tonight. My Son was using a number stamp to put the side that his baffles go into his headers so he wouldn't get them mixed up and when he hit it with a hammer it took off flying. We searched and finally found it way back behind the bandsaw. Never thought it would have gone that far. We have lost stuff in the shop that we have never seen again.

Don
 
my system is to look in the worst place first. It's usualy there:confused:
 
If I could look in the last place first, it would be easy to find anything!! How can you drop a wrench and hear it bang its way to the floor. Look under the car and it isn't there. Look for it for 10 minutes and finally give up and go to the tool box and get another. Come back to the car with new wrench and look down and there is the other wrench. I swear it has to be the Leprechauns hiding in the dark corners.
 
Sometime back I was working on my steering and the u joint that goes on the steering box was missing, after going through the garage for a month (with help) I ordered a new one when the new one got there I went to work putting it on. I rolled the car back a few inches and there it was laying against the tire. Guess I'll use it on the next one.
 
Sometime back I was working on my steering and the u joint that goes on the steering box was missing, after going through the garage for a month (with help) I ordered a new one when the new one got there I went to work putting it on. I rolled the car back a few inches and there it was laying against the tire. Guess I'll use it on the next one.

I do that with tools also. Allen wrenches are the worst.
 

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