Do Do I need break in oil when replacing lifters?

I am replacing the lifters, push rods and rockers on my 56 Buick 322 Nailhead. I am not replacing the cam. Do I need to run a break in oil and preform normal breka in procedures? Or can I jsut use normal oil?

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

Ya know I think I would. It's cheap insurance. I would also use a good Moly lube on everything as you put it together.

 

Any other opinions?

 

I would use the zzdp additive and normal oil. Plenty of moly on the lifters and cam too.....

 

Use a pre lube if you can otherwise you should be fine. When I freshened the top end of my race motor(950hp) I just prelubed with oil and didn't have any problems.

 

Thanks guys. I do not want to ruin th cam or the new lifters. So I think I see 2 votes for use a break in additive/oil and 1 no need to use it.

Other thoughts so we can have a majority on which way to go?

 

Are you replacing the head bolts? If so, where did you find them?

 

Hey Phil!! No not replacing the head bolts. Not taking the heads off. Just replacing the top end valve train. Chasing a noise and I believe I found the noise and it results from insufficient lubrication. Hoping that cleaning things and replacing the rocker shafts, lifters, etc. will improve oiling to the top of the engine. The rockers get plenty of oil but it is coming out between the rockers and the shafts rather than being delivered to the tips and pushrod cups of the rockers. Hoping this fixes it. Other than the noise the motor runs pretty good. Cleaned the sludge from the heads already and will clean the valley when I open that up.

 

Non roller cams should have additive all the time. As far as cranking it up, yes on the lube, yes on not letting it idle for 20 minutes. While new bearing do play a role in fresh start ups, the main thing is keeping the cam lubed, decently it only gets splash oil.

 

Ill be doing this(new lifters) in a few days hopefully, thanks for the info.

Also do I need to follow regular break in procedures just like if I put a new cam in?

http://www.camshaftshop.com/camshaft/79-flat-tappet-break-in-procedure

 

Yes!!

 

Thanks!!

Is the procedure I linked to a good one to follow or does anyone have another one they like?

 

Please correct me if I am wrong, but isn't the one of the main reason of the break in oil and break in period to get the cam and lifters acquainted with eachother? If so then I would say that you definitely needed to do some kind of break in oil (actual break in oil or reg oil with additive) and do the normal break in procedure.

 

You break it in just like you are starting with a new cam and lifters. The lifters need to find a home on the cam lobes. Slather them with cam break in lube and use good break in oil or break in additive. I like the stuff that GM sells myself. But there are other oils that some of the fellas have good luck with.

 

I believe with non-roller lifters you should always run an oil with adequate zzdp. Now the Nailheads do have relatively low spring pressure but I still do it. It's cheap insurance.

 

Exactly. There was a time when you could get reclaimed oil and be OK but that ship has sailed, today you need to do your research and buy the very best oil you can lay your hands on. They have just fiddled around too much with products that we used to take for granted.

 

Yup, and newer oils have very low zzdp quantities.

 

When in doubt, lube it up. Whadda we talkin about here, 7 bucks?

 

Thanks everyone. I will be using a good break in oil or additive. I had always planned on using a good cam lube in the lifters. I was also planning on putting some on the pushrods and rocker tip. I think it is good insurance as well. Does any one disagree?

I have also spoken to a few people recently who sugegsted to not use new lifter with an old cam. They said it could cause the cam to go flat. Is there a slight possibility of that or a great possibility of the came going flat?

Thanks again

 

IDLE NO, I think the recommended practice is about 2000 rpm fluctuating.
The varying rpm is to help distribute the oil in varied placed, on the camshaft.

 

yes run a additive or a break in oil, a brad penn or comp cam or similar.

 

The last bottle of GM EOS(engine oil supplement) I bought was about $18 when I broke my cam in. I run Valvoline racing oil, it has plenty of zinc. I'm running 20w50 but it comes in 10w30.

 

I shouldn't say this but I have never paid for a bottle, just lucky I guess, maybe it helps to look like your about one meal away from being the next under bridge dweller to not make the trip. I think it is up around 30 bucks now, at least that is what someone told me, cheap at any price.

Roadsterpu,
I have run new lifters on old cams many times. They used to say that you can't go old lifters on a new cam and I am inclined to believe that is closer to correct.

That said I have a friend that has had good luck lapping old lifters on a piece of glass and putting them on a different cam. I am not prepared to try that so I am going to put that in the do not try this at home kids column. But it has been done.

 

I opened the valley pan last night and it is not near as dirty as I thought it would be. I was pretty happy with what I saw compared to what I thought I would see. Lifters looks pretty good and don;t have any heat scoring on them. Looks like everything has been getting pretty good oil in there. I checked a few lifters and it appears the wear might be around .004". I used a set of calipers and a straight edge to measure the wear. I do not believe that is excessive for a stock 1956 motor. More to come once i get all the new parts and get it put back together. I am hoping this will fix my problem and allow proper oiling. Thanks again guys.

 

Supposedly it takes less than a minute for the cam & lifters to establish a wear pattern, with the lifters matching the cam. Stories have been posted here of lifters with little, minutes, run time being sanded smooth & reused. I've put new lifters on old cams a number of times w/o a problem.

 

How did you measure lifter wear with a straight edge? Normally lifters are slightly domed when new, so if they are .004" low, then they are pretty well worn. They've lost all their convex shape, and are slightly down to concave shape.
I personally wont ever change a set of litfters and not a cam, as the new lifters will quickly wear into the shape of the old cam, and be back where the old ones were. Hope it works out for your Buick.

 

Thanks for the info. I measured it from what would be straight across the face of the lifter. If the come convex new, then these are pretty worn. The worst of it is the cam goes flat and i have to rebuild the motor. All that is at risk is a few gaskets and $100 in lifters. I hope it works out as well. Really hope.

 

You can trash a cam and not rebuild. It just depends on how much the pieces do or how big the pieces are that come off the cam.

it is recommended that you tear it down and give it a good cleaning. but if the bearings and rings are in good shape and etc there is not reason to rebuild just reassemble with care and run it some more.

Remember if your crank is round and within tolerance and your bores are good you can get away with a good freshening instead of a complete rebuild. Rings and bearings are cheap compared to doing the whole enchilada. Lots of race motor get freshened on a regular basis and never get remachined until it is completely necessary.