Lifter/Cam failure advice

[Inferno_Orange_]

So the other day when I started my car it was making a tapping sound with the rpm that I didn't notice till I drove it about an 8th of a mile. I immediately turned around and parked it and checked the oil. Had a few sparkles so trailered it to be checked out.

Turns out a lifter failed and took the cam lobe out with it, and it's gonna be around $2500 for a rebuild. At this point i'm wondering if I should look into another block, as spending that much on a motor that's had metal going through it seems kinda iffy. I really liked the setup I had, which was the GPI vvt ss1 package, as a good daily but I had a valve spring break last year with 30,000 cammed miles and now this at 40,000. I'm trying to decide what route to go, whether to rebuild it with the same setup, a different setup, or even a different block. I am in college though, so my budget isn't very big. Also if anyone is curious, I've been running Joe Gibbs driven ls30 oil since the valve spring broke a year ago. Any input appreciated

[_Onyx_Wolf_]

I’m most likely in the same boat and depending on the block might just stroke and resleeve it

[fireman1153]

I had this same thing happen to mine which resulted in built 416, procharger and 900+ whp. I say if they need rebuilt, might as well go all out. I ended up building my trans and buying a strange S60 to go with it too. Tons of money but I don't have to worry about things breaking for a while.

[_Onyx_Wolf_]

Also when u do the rebuild I would go with Johnson lifters and new trays they seem to be better than stock from what most people are saying.

[InFiD3ViL]

As long as the block, cylinders, and lifter bores are structurally sound it should be ok to rebuild, lots of metal or not. It will be completely disassembled, inspected, and cleaned anyway. Any competent builder will make sure all passages are clear and clean of debris.

I snapped a rod and destroyed a piston in my L99 last year and I fully intend to rebuild that someday. The block and crank look good to me but I will have it professionally inspected.

But some people just get a bad feeling about rebuilding an engine they had bad luck with, so I get it. Sometimes a fresh start is less stressful.

[Greenhornet2]

a complete engine is quite a bit more than cam and lifters. Budget it change the cam and lifters especially if you can do it yourself change the oil a couple times and run it. complete engine overhaul starts to run about the same as just getting a short block and if you are able to swap the engine yourself, but have to pay labor for an overhaul will likely save you money. A forged short block can be had for around $5k and support whatever you are going to throw at it. New cam and lifters parts around $1500 with a roll of the dice (most will not recommend this) really depends how much metal and if the filter caught it but it sounds like it didn't if you could see it in the oil. If it was super fine you might get lucky. Big differences are in if you are doing the work or paying someone else. Personally I would go with a short block, but that is because I am always looking for more power.

[mrimpala02]

I had this same thing happen to me a couple years back. Luckily I caught it before any major damage. I pulled the cam swapped the lifters and put it back to work. It has been running strong since. If it dies it dies. Excuse to upgrade (as if I really need one).

[christianchevell]

A good rebuild would also be with driven racing br30 for a break in of the cam even with 8620 core.... And no one usually re-sleeves a ls3 the sleeves are cast in and its known to be a disposable block...I purchased a new block with forged internals myself from SAG performance but you can get a stock short block cheaper.... Forged is $$$$$, a bare block was $1400 and that was Indiana....

Generally speaking the springs should be changed at at 25k of use or take it easy on a manual as overrevs occur so easy on downshifting with a forced mechanical over rev harming the springs life... You should just tear it down and see what it looks like IMO and be budget minded, and being in college I would have recommended something like a ASA cam specs that can have springs last basically the life of the cam as its low lift like stock only lots more duration etc....

I know your a l99 though and you might just want to go with exactly what you had for a cam.... But maintenance is always a issue with hot rods, in the old days we built flat tappets that lasted forever with their springs and were cheap and shift kitted the trans.... Only you know what your budget is and where you think you need this or that...

[Moto-Mojo]

Just out of curiosity, do all you guys race / track your cars to break all these engines? Or does all this carnage happen driving to church? I had a customer of mine who builds motors say to me the other day, "You're never going to hurt that LS motor." I wonder if he's ever looked here? Seems a LOT of people hurt LS motors.

[_Onyx_Wolf_]

Originally Posted by Moto-Mojo

Just out of curiosity, do all you guys race / track your cars to break all these engines? Or does all this carnage happen driving to church? I had a customer of mine who builds motors say to me the other day, "You're never going to hurt that LS motor." I wonder if he's ever looked here? Seems a LOT of people hurt LS motors.

I’m very hard on mine lol a lot of aggressive driving and pulls almost everyday every so often.

[InFiD3ViL]

Originally Posted by Moto-Mojo

Just out of curiosity, do all you guys race / track your cars to break all these engines? Or does all this carnage happen driving to church? I had a customer of mine who builds motors say to me the other day, "You're never going to hurt that LS motor." I wonder if he's ever looked here? Seems a LOT of people hurt LS motors.

It does seem there are a rash of reported failures lately. I don't know if there is a common theme between them such as similar parts used or whatever.

What I do know is that the guys whos cammed cars are running great aren't really reporting on it. So that obviously skews perception when the issues are all that are reported here. But it still has gotten my attention...because my cam kit is sitting behind me in the bedroom lol.

[Moto-Mojo]

Originally Posted by InFiD3ViL

It does seem there are a rash of reported failures lately. I don't know if there is a common theme between them such as similar parts used or whatever.

What I do know is that the guys whos cammed cars are running great aren't really reporting on it. So that obviously skews perception when the issues are all that are reported here. But it still has gotten my attention...because my cam kit is sitting behind me in the bedroom lol.

Yeah, unnerving on two counts - one, I’d love to cam it someday but that mod, even as great for gain as it is, seems to be a little hit or miss on quality. And even some older, respected vendors seem to have had some recent issues. Maybe just my memory is off. But like you say, the trouble-free cars ain’t talkin.

And I drive mine pretty ‘spiritedly’ too.

[PhantomBlack]

I've got the same setup as the OP (SS1 cam) and I also been using Joe Gibbs LS30 oil the day it got cammed.
No issues yet, but I only have about 8k miles on this setup so time will tell. However I will be replacing my springs at 25k no question about it.
I'd like to know what kind of lifters he had that failed at 40k? LS3/LS7 lifters I assume?

[Black_SS10]

I believe many of these cam job horror stories are due to improper installation. Not measuring pushrod length. Not checking the cam bearings prior to installing a new cam. Hell, I had a split cam bearing before I did my cam. Next would be the install method. Either the correct way or the shortcut way. The correct way is removing the heads and what not. The short cut way is using dowel rods and hoping you don't spin a lifter or what not.