If Rings Don't Seat:

[DAVID GAGNARD]

Originally Posted by jhv48

Good point. I'll check it out.

As for the cam, several of the lobes have ridges on them that you can actually see and feel with your finger. Almost like a roller lifter failed.

That's not good, what did the roller lifters look like??????

David

[madmaxx]

Cam is shot. get it out of the car, next stage is spalling. great catch!!! back around 2008 there were alot of issues with material and china demand. replace with billet not sadi cast and use comp cams not lunatii. i doubt your lifters are bad but replace anyways. they are cheap!!!! ford racing stock lifters. dont get sucked into bs. the ford stock last 200k plus miles in mustangs etc. the number one killer of lifters is valve float not loading!!!!!!

[jhv48]

another update: Took the heads to the machine shop that did them originally. The owner looked at them, took them apart and agreed to make it right. Guides are too big for the stems, wrong sealant may have been used on the rocker studs also. It seems that the guy that worked on them only lasted 6 months. Figures! As for the cam, ordered a new one from Rousch along with their lifters. This way, if one of their lifters eat their cam, we have some recourse. Didn't check out the lifters. They went into the trash!

As an aside, just how many miles should I expect to get out of a crate engine before it needs a major overhaul? Keep in mind, this is purely a street car.

[madmaxx]

The most demanding service in your engine is the valve train. specifically the lifters follwed by the cam followed by the rocker arm followed by the valve's. As far as the cylinders and pistons as long as you are running between 180f and 212 f they should last 100K miles or more. Depends if you boil gas out of the carb when you shut it down which washes your cylinder walls when you start up in addition to stinking the place up. see my phenolic spacer recommendation. Also if you are below 180f the cylinder and piston are not concentric and you will also get fuel dilution. I would have no heartburn replacing lifters at 20k miles. I bet the lifters you get are either comp cams or ford racing. i would prefer the ford racing. Jegs has them about $200 for a set.

A billet cam is usually suited for solid rollers which see extreme valve spring pressures so as long as there is not a defect in manufacturing and you arent floating valves the cam should also last 100k miles or more.

NOTE in a spf to run a 180f on coolant temps you need a 195F thermostat. A 180F will run about 166F. A thermostat opens at it set point but doesnt fully closes until 15F below it set point!!!!! The spf coolant system is so fantastic that it cools the engine incredibly well with very little flow. In fact i had a thermostat once that always had some flow i could never get the car past 150F in the winter!!!!! I use the cheapest one they make and it works perfect. Even in houston in the summer with 195 thermostat my coolant fans rarely come on, in fact I unplugged one because it would come on for 5 seconds and shutoff.