valve lifters, big dissapointment Options

[Elliot_Cannon]

Hi,
Finally get the 2.2 installed in my 73. I needed to get the 44idf carbs adjusted and and valve train was making a lot of noise. I took it back to the engine builder yesterday to have these adjustments made. I get a call from them this morning saying that they have to take the engine back apart because the cam had been worn down. Something about bad lifters! This on an egnine that cost me $7000.00 and had LESS THAN 20 MILES ON IT. These folks are supposed to be THE VW engine builders on the west coast. So now I have to go back up to their shop, drive the car home, remove the engine and bring it back up to them. Sorry to rant here but my wife is tired of hearing about the car.
Elliot

FAT PERFORMANCE (IMG:style_emoticons/default/fighting19.gif)

[Brett W]

"oh crap. i may have the dead cam issue. I noticed valve noise so i adjusted the valves...none were more than .001 off. so i fixed the valves and i still have noise...."


ONe thing you should check before you assume a bad cam, is the side play on the rocker arms. If you have to much side play you will still get valve train noise. With the valves adjusted PROPERLY roll the engine up to TDC for each cylinder and try and slide the rocker back and forth if you have more than a couple of thousandths you will have racket. You m,ay also try and adjust the valves a little tighter than the specs, I would only go about .001 or so at a time though and you will need to be much more diligent about checking your valves.

Don't assume right away that you have a cam that was wiped out if you have some valve train noise. Do a couple of vavle adjust and play with your rocker end play first. Then look more closely.

I have a new cam I designed coming from Web in a week or so an I will be using their lifters but I will also test them for hardness and talk with Web and Make sure they will back me if these lifters should wipe out my cam.