Need engine help!! At my wits end

[edgephoto]

Have you done a leak down test?

I would be concerned with why you lost a camshaft on a "new" motor. What happened?

 

[Ricko1966]

Have you done a leak down test?

I would be concerned with why you lost a camshaft on a "new" motor. What happened?

My guess,just a guess,is he had a comp cams XE series,which in my opinion has too aggressive of ramps,trying to mimic roller grinds on flat tappets. Second guess is he didn't have all good supporting components and setup knowledge to have the engine light and come up to rpm range on the initial twist of the ignition switch. Ignition timing set on assembly, good carbureator with good setup adjustment,and primed initially, window fan blowing into the radiator before firing up the engine,not running breakin springs or breakin rockers,preoiled engine.Listing this stuff hoping others read it and don't wipe out new flat cam installs. Yea these details are PITA but so are flat cams.

 

[Nick88]

My guess,just a guess,is he had a comp cams XE series,which in my opinion has too aggressive of ramps,trying to mimic roller grinds on flat tappets. Second guess is he didn't have all good supporting components and setup knowledge to have the engine light and come up to rpm range on the initial twist of the ignition switch. Ignition timing set on assembly, good carbureator with good setup adjustment,and primed initially, window fan blowing into the radiator before firing up the engine,not running breakin springs or breakin rockers,preoiled engine.Listing this stuff hoping others read it and don't wipe out new flat cam installs. Yea these details are PITA but so are flat cams.

Yeah I think it was an xe series, I ran if for like 20 minutes for break in, it started immediately and I brought it straight to 2500rpm and held it there, primed the oil pump and everything for a while till I saw tons of oil by the rocker arms. Did everthing right but it wiped out, which i found out after comp cams products are just garbage now, few machine shop guys I know said they wouldn't even put comp parts in a lawnmower

 

[Nick88]

Only 1 cylinder,now even more suspicious that one oil ring spreader got overlapped. And clocked is the least important part of installing rings,they walk on their own,you'll tear 100k original motors apart with the gaps lined up that had no issues. Your biggest issues are not placing the bevels or notches up or down depending on if it's 1st or second ring,another biggie is getting on oil ring spreader overlapped.

I know for a fact that the rings are in properly. The Hastings rings I used had a clear mark on the top cylinder ring for direction and the second ring could go either way, oil rings were in good and all the pistons slid into the bores without incident.

 

[Ricko1966]

I know for a fact that the rings are in properly. The Hastings rings I used had a clear mark on the top cylinder ring for direction and the second ring could go either way, oil rings were in good and all the pistons slid into the bores without incident.

So what bring in springs were you running?,or what breakin rockers? Why did you tale the good carb off that you started with and put on the one that was giving you such fits and dumping fuel. And nobody overlaps an oil ring spreader on purpose it's an easy mistake that happens and doesn't get noticed at the time.

 

[Nick88]

So what bring in springs were you running?,or what breakin rockers? Why did you tale the good carb off that you started with and put on the one that was giving you such fits and dumping fuel. And nobody overlaps an oil ring spreader on purpose it's an easy mistake that happens and doesn't get noticed at the time.

I used the springs that came with the cam kit, comp said they are fine for break in, turns out it wasn't flooding, I thought it was because the oil but it was the same issue, I switched to the holley and it smoked the same. I made 100% sure every ring was clocked spot on to a chart online and checked again right before installing, I'm about to post i may have found the answer hold on.

 

[Ricko1966]

I used the springs that came with the cam kit, comp said they are fine for break in, turns out it wasn't flooding, I thought it was because the oil but it was the same issue, I switched to the holley and it smoked the same. I made 100% sure every ring was clocked spot on to a chart online and checked again right before installing, I'm about to post i may have found the answer hold on.

I hope you found it keep us posted. Again ring clock is not near as big an as due as making sure an expander didn't get overlapped. The rings will walk and change clock an expander cannot unlap itself.

 

[Nick88]

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This is a snapshot from cylinder 8, the one with the bad plug. The entire cylinder around the top has a ring of oil where the head meets the block. Every single other cylinder you can clearly see the head gasket fire ring there and it is dry. That is the cylinder the cam wiped out on i believe. Is it possible the

headgasket failed from pressure and is pulling oil from the valley, or forcing pressure into the valley and causing oil in the cylinders to get forced past the rings?

 

[Nick88]

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there is a neighboring cylinder in the same spot, dry and you can clearly see the headgasket.

 

[Nick88]

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Cylinder 8, good crosshatch no glazing, oil sitting on top of the cylinder and on top of the rings, cylinder didn't look cracked or anything, also the cylinders are hypereutectic so if it was cracked it would probably shatter.

 

[Nick88]

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here is another cylinder from opposite bank, small sitting oil on the piston, I think pressure from 8 forced oil past rings in other cylinders, it smoked BAD with no pcv, cylinder is clearly much cleaner though and much less oil on it, all the other cylinders had about the same amount, besides 8 which had a big puddle and was filthy.

 

[83Stepper]

How bad is the top of the number 8 piston? And did you do a shot of the entire bore to see if the gasket was still visible around it or just by the plug? If that much oil is dumping onto the piston in #8, there's something more than just a head gasket that's going on with it. If I were you, start running a compression test on all 8 cylinders. That'll at least get you pointed in the right direction to tell you where you need to start looking deeper into.

 

[xm20k]

Based on the position of the plug hole and valves that area would be to the outside of the engine not the valley. Coolant passages would be closer; number 8 has an oil drain back but that's in line with the valves at the rear of the deck. Mabey valve guide seals on that hole and its pooling there because that's the low side of the cylinder. Just thinking..

Crosshatch looks good.

 

[Sad Sack]

Without disassembly, my first guess is #8 valve seal and guide shot or upside-down oil ring. But I'm not the brightest knife in the drawer

 

[xm20k]

Just thought of something depending on what those heads are could be pulling it in threw the rocker stud if it's threaded and wasn't/didn't seal. Some go into the intake runner.