Hydraulic lifters, Web-Cam Options

[watsonrx13]

OK, Joe Ricard has just informed me that he's received the new lifters for my rebuild. They are the Web-Cam Performance Lifters, ordered through PP, as recommended for the Web-Cam camshaft for carbureted cars.

Is this good, bad, correct, wrong?

I'm confused (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

Do I need to call PP and get an exchange?

If I should get an exchange, what should I order?

This car is going to be a driver with occasional AX runs. Joe is rebuilding the engine, it's a 2.0l with 94mm P/C, twin 40 IDF, 9.2:1 CR. I'm looking for reliability and dependibility.

[MattR]

I think the consensus is: stay away from hydraulic lifters.

Im running a very similar setup (9.2 cr, 44idfs, etc), and I went with a web 494 grind and solid lifters.

[F4i]

are you sure they are hyd. lifters? The "solid" ones are two piece.

[Demick]

The new solid lifters are 2-piece. Shake them and they will rattle (hydraulic ones won't rattle, but look very similar). Do a search here on lifters. There have been reported problems with the new lifters either breaking or causing the cam to go flat within the first few hours of running. But in most cases they are probably fine. I decided that I couldn't risk my engine on questionable lifters and put in ceramic ones from LN Engineering instead.

Demick

[Joe Ricard]

Yup these rattle. So what's the deal never seen these before although I don't put engines together everyday.
Label on the box says 914 high performance lifters.
Got a cir-clip holding the inside piece in.

Anybody got an explaination how these work?

[StratPlayer]

Hey Dimick,,, were those ceramic lifters drop in or did you have machine work done to make them fit?????

[Jake Raby]

I developed this

http://www.aircooledtechnology.com/lifters.htm

To test lifters and camshafts as well as break them in prior to use so they could be inspected for wear..

There are no good conventional lifters out there.. Out of the 65 sets that we have tested 50 or so of them have had uneven wear, or signs of going flat.

The problems are numerous and I'm still working to make it all better. Its to the point where EVERY engine we build gets ceramics- No risk taking here.

The lifters you have thatare solid but rattle are web cam solid lifters. That two piece design is the reason we don't fancy them. I am working with another company to make an insert that will go inside the lifter and get rid of the rattles and lash issues that it can cause.

This testing has sucked, after almost 8,000.00 worth of cams, lifters, and prototypes the problems still are not cured. The next step is Billetcams ground with more taper for a higher lifter surface speed, coupled with all components being fully micropolished to a mirror finish to to reduce friction and load points....

Nothing off the shelf is perfect these days with lifters. I have to get this straightened out because I'll starve if we don't! 8 months of backlog does no good if we can't assemble anything!

[Demick]

Hey Dimick,,, were those ceramic lifters drop in or did you have machine work done to make them fit?????

Drop-in. The early ones required machining (and maybe you can still buy ones that require it), but for the most part, they are all drop-in now. At least I am pretty sure about that. Give Charles at LN Engineering a call - he will give you the low down.

Demick

[SGB]

Perhaps manufacturing quality isn't the same days....
I bought a web cam specifically ground for hydraulic lifters in 1989 that has been great for me for about 50 K miles. I've finally got it set truely "right" and the car is stronger, quieter, and cooler than it used to be. It still rattles more than solid lifters when started after sitting over two weeks. Even when mis-set, the valves "work", which may be part of the problem. After all, I put these in 15 years ago and just finally got the clearances right. But I thought that the hydro lifters had to be used with the right grind, and mine is a little higher lift and longer duration than stock, it isn't enough to get more than prolly 125 hp. I think Webcam used to have two hydrualic grinds recommended when I bought mine. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving-girl.gif)