Same thing happened to the engine in my sons 66 Mustang when they took Zink out of oil,.. And didn't inform anybody... The cam lobes looked like door knobs..
In attempting to picture the steps that lead to a failure... might have been hard local region(s) that cracked loose and broke away under pressure.
This is the results of what happens when modern oil without the Zinc additive is used in older engines. The valve spring pressures squeeze the oil film out of the contact between lifter and cam lobe. Commonly called a flat cam. Modern engines with roller lifters don't have the problem. Most instruction sheets that come with new camshafts tell you to run a good break in oil that contains the proper additives and when you first start the engine to run it at about 2000 RPM for 20 minutes to seat the lifters to the cam lobes.
My Son just had a new 455 Olds built for his rpu by a local race shop, and the guy gave us the oil he wants to see run in the motor. We never knew this one existed, but it looks like Lucas has developed this one just for we rodders and classic car owners who run flat tappet cams. http://www.jegs.com/p/Lucas-Oil/Lucas-Hot-Rod-Classic-Car-Motor-Oil/2875897/10002/-1 We have always put in a half bottle of Comp Cams break in additive with every change, but now won't have to.. Don
How long were they in use? Did only 5 of the lifters show this wear? If it was short term and only 5 showed this wear, I would believe that the problem lies in the metallurgy of the camshaft or lifters. If all of the lifters show similar wear after a short time, one could possibly blame the oil but it could still be a poor hardness match between the cam and lifters or a lack of proper assembly lubrication. Were they all at one end of the camshaft? Was there a problem with fuel contamination in the oil? Was there an oil pressure problem?
Good info Don. Thanks for the link. It's not just Chinese lifters that do that without zinc. I had a set of good, made in the USA, lifters do that too. If you are not running roller lifters, ZINC is your best friend!
Don's Hot Rods - good info - the special app Lucas oil has been around for a while and mentioned in threads here on zinc - not cheap but, I use it in older motors
Nope , not the last I've heard. You can run just about any oil WITH AN ADDITIVE , otherwise Brad penn VR1 RACING ,Lucas ... dave
nope rotella has been cut back because of the new emissions systems they run which is like a catalytic system on a car , most diesels have been running roller valve trains for years . if your lucky you can find the old formula of rotella but its still might not be enough to protect the lifters . Case International oil has the zinc and other metallics in it as its made for older tractors and implements that use solid lifters and older style parts and the low ash formula will help keep acid forming down too . you can get it at any CAse international dealer .
Those look horrible. I was using Joe Gibbs until the price doubled so I switched. I have been using Amsoil Dominator in my racing engines.for 5 years. Never a lube problem but both engines are full roller. A 575hp 347 and a 835hp Roush 358. Synthetic available in 5/20, 10/30, 15/50 and a sae 60 They also sell a high zinc synthetic oil for street use called Z-Rod in 10/30 and 20/50 Also available is a synthetic high zinc called Premium Protection in a 10/40 and 20/50 The have break-in oil also I have always been a solid mechanical lifter guy. Now a days almost everything gets a solid roller to keep problems at a minimum. Its expensive but better than losing an engine.
Run Brad Penn and Wix filters in my older motors have been without issue. Sounds like you just get to pick up the pieces after someone else dropped the ball. My dad refuses to run good oils in his old tractor engines, buys the cheapest stuff he can find. Told him that it will be some of the most expensive money savings he has ever seen one of these days.
Dude I bought the truck from just added oil when it ran low from all the leaks and was running water in the motor as well. Pulled the motor and it's now sitting in the corner of the garage. Found a 283 bored .60 over short block- just getting back together. It's was only these five that looked like this. And if I remember they were from the rear. Thanks for all the oil preferences. The bitch was that the truck idled and ran fine...just had no power- thought it was the two banger.
So you have no way to tell if it was actually rebuilt. Maybe it was a rattle can rebuild of a worn out engine. I noticed that the oil spots on the cardboard have a lighter colored halo around them. That can be an indication of fuel in the oil.
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