Looking for a little help. I just started a 390 I assembled last month. It is kinda a budget build. It is a 10k 360 with a set of 390 rods and crank ( polished with new main and rods). Cam came out of my sons engine when we went bigger. it only had about 500 miles on it. Comp cams flat tappet hydraulic cam. Primed the engine with air drill. Fired it up and started right up and sounded good. After it warmed up it started to clatter. Hooked a gauge up and it had about 10 pai at idle and 30 psi at 3k. I was running 15w40 oil with break in additive. I dumped the oil and added straight 30 and no change. Pulled the distributer and primed it again hot and has 50 psi. Got the distributor back in and fired it up again and then turned it off and all the lifters collapse right away. Dont lifters normally bleed down slowly? Comp cams lifters no good?
They freely admitted to selling you bad lifters? Well good for them. Are they going to send over some help to pull that heavy intake
Just once I'd like to see some scum sucker that was selling bad parts have to come to the customer and fix their screw-up LOL. That cast iron FOMOCO intake is one heavy piece!
Let us know if the new lifters take care of it. My brother had a noisy 390 that never did quiet down. He ended up selling it. Gave up too easy if you ask me.
Don't forget to change the oil filter. I have seen them unravel and put filter media right in the oil galley. I was lucky to be able to fish it all out.
I had a 428 (same block) that had noisy lifters at idle. Turns out one of the little oil galley plugs on the front of the block had popped out, so alot of the oil that was suppossed to go up to the lifters was flowing out over the timing chain. You could pull the front cover and check. Then you might find the little sucker in your oill pan.
I liked to tap those for a threaded plug and drill a small hole to spray oil on the timing chain. That does sound like low oil pressure for a fresh 390. It will only go down as it gets more hours on it.
I had a 360 that had been rebuilt and it had shorter lifters in it,it was fine cold but as soon as the motor warmed up they all made noise. They were about .025 shorter then the correct lifters,would have been fine if it had adjustable rocker arms and I changed them without pulling the intake.
Aluminum Dual Quad intake. Took 10 minutes to pull off. I can collapse all 16 lifters by hand. I said no thanks. Keep your lifters, I am buying a different brand. No more Comp Cams lifters for me ever.
If you use their cam, you need lifters that are of similar hardness so neither the cam lobes or lifters wear each other.
Maybe the lifters didn't like being made to work with a 2nd hand cam from another motor, just a thought...
Lifters were matched to cam. From one motor to another. Cam lobes were not worn. Lifters were bad internally.
I had a 351-w built that has a couple noisy lifters and was told if it had a comp cam it could be the lifters,its not that bad so I have not change them.
Glad your lifter noise is gone, now I would be interested in why you have dismal oil pressure. Have you installed restrictors in the oil passages to the rocker rails yet? There are a few mods that will make your FE happy long term.
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