[JLMounce]

I have been running Lunati lifters in my 455 now since 2015. The car gets driven quite a bit. I think I have between 8-10k on it in that time.

I've not had any performance or reliability issues with them, but they are on the noisy side.

During driving operation when oil PSI is high, mixed with the HS rockers, they make sort of a whirring, sewing machine sound. Somewhat similar to the LS corvette's I've had in the past.

At hot idle when oil PSI drops to about 15 psi, they clatter.

[72LuxuryLeMansLa.]

Originally Posted by torqhead

This is the 400 I built last year for a buddy of mine's 66 GTO. Based on the way it looks I was thinking the pin worked it's way out for the roller from the side that's still there. Butler is claiming it's probably due to weak valve springs. I went with the 22407 Manley springs when I built it, motor probably has somewhere between 2 and 3 thousand miles on it. I'm going to pull the spring assembly and test them, but doubting that's what caused this.... Thoughts?

Test the springs yet?

[64speed]

Originally Posted by JLMounce

I have been running Lunati lifters in my 455 now since 2015. The car gets driven quite a bit. I think I have between 8-10k on it in that time.

I've not had any performance or reliability issues with them, but they are on the noisy side.

During driving operation when oil PSI is high, mixed with the HS rockers, they make sort of a whirring, sewing machine sound. Somewhat similar to the LS corvette's I've had in the past.

At hot idle when oil PSI drops to about 15 psi, they clatter.

I don’t mind a little tick as I can always tell people it’s a mechanical cam LOL I am just worried about failure in a daily driving situation. My block has had the lifter bore mod and I will always run 20w/50 so hopefully it will all be good

[JLMounce]

Originally Posted by 64speed

I don’t mind a little tick as I can always tell people it’s a mechanical cam LOL I am just worried about failure in a daily driving situation. My block has had the lifter bore mod and I will always run 20w/50 so hopefully it will all be good

I think you'll be fine, I wouldn't really run the 50 weight though. I tried it and the lifters didn't like it.

What I would do is shim setup the oil pump so that you can maintain a hot idle oil pressure above 20 psi. If you can do that, they will be mostly silent at all times.

[Formulajones]

On the flip side of that, I've run nothing but 20-50 in all the rollers here, except the LS stuff. But all the retro fit rollers have been running on 20-50 for decades and I've never had issue with tickers. The brand, additive package, and cold pour ratings have a lot to do with that I believe.

Either way, I wouldn't worry about dependability, just button it up and enjoy it. For every one that breaks, there are 1,000 running fine.

[64speed]

My Machinist wants me to run 20w/50

[JSchmitz]

Originally Posted by Skip Fix

I know Dave Sober(Torqjunki) took a set of Comps early ones apart that had all kinds of crap on the inside.

Did he put them back together? I have an extra pair of Comp 857 lifters. One of the rollers felt like it had a "catch" in it. So I bought a new pair. I got the spiral lock out. But the plunger hits the stud before it clears the body. The studs are swedged in place. Kinda sucks that you can't clean these out completely and reassemble. Am I missing something?

[HWYSTR455]

Originally Posted by JSchmitz

Did he put them back together? I have an extra pair of Comp 857 lifters. One of the rollers felt like it had a "catch" in it. So I bought a new pair. I got the spiral lock out. But the plunger hits the stud before it clears the body. The studs are swedged in place. Kinda sucks that you can't clean these out completely and reassemble. Am I missing something?

No, you're not missing anything, he ground the stud off.

.

[JSchmitz]

Originally Posted by HWYSTR455

No, you're not missing anything, he ground the stud off.

.

Ok. It could probably be TIGed back on.

[HWYSTR455]

It think he just took them apart to discover the internals, I don't think he put them back together and used them, but would have to go back and look. But that's what I recall.


.

[Skip Fix]

Dave just took out the Spiroloc at the top and cleaned debri out of the plunger area.

[TCSGTO]

So far the Comp 857S HR's have been silent from the first fire and run to mid 6K RPM with ease. Dumb luck maybe? I ran the hybrid set up but heard of too many solid roller failures in street apps so decided HR was the way to go and now all of this.

After reading this thread I almost expect to go out to start my engine and have the pushrods shoot out of the valve covers. Looking around the net I've seen failures with just about every brand of HR lifter from pins on a short travel Johnson working their way out to Morels floating valves at low RPM to Comp tie bar issues to plungers getting stuck & ticking problems with all of them.

Probably wise to do a yearly inspection similar to what you'd do with a SR valvetrain just for peace of mind.

[JLMounce]

On the crud inside the lifters deal, the techs at Lunati told me to run a can of seafoam through the oil before an oil change, run plunger all the way down with the rocker adjusting nut, then set the pre-load.

According to them, the solvents they have to use due to EPA regulations don't really play well with oil, so you can get some gummy build up after a bit.

I've not had to run the valves on my engine so I haven't actually tried this yet. I was going to do so this fall when I do my yearly oil-change. It took about a month or two or running before I really starting to get any ticking from my lunati lifters.

[grivera]

Originally Posted by JLMounce

run plunger all the way down with the rocker adjusting nut, then set the pre-load.

Bottom out the plungers?

[JLMounce]

Originally Posted by grivera

Bottom out the plungers?

Yup, that's what I was told. I was told to do it very carefully and not force it. The gist of it was to get any gunk loosened with the cleaner, then to push it out by running the plunger to the bottom.

[AG]

The fact that the same issue has occurred with different people indicates to me that a quality control issue exists. I consider myself knowledgeable enough that the issue is not me but the lifters. How can a pushrod cup become cocked in the lifter body as with HWYSTR455? How can some people have issues and some not? Perhaps it is lot to lot variation, but I have no idea. All I know is I am in the middle of a nightmare that is not over and I foresee it will end with a call to Comp requesting my money back in exchange for their crappy lifters.

[Dragncar]

Originally Posted by Formulajones

For sure it's hard to beat flat tappet cam reliability. I have a ton of roller examples, I'll give a few. I've only had one hydraulic roller failure myself, in my 454, and I blame that on AFR for custom specifying the camshaft and then sending the heads with solid springs that had 275 lbs. seat pressure. Even still it ran for about 5,000 miles before it ate a lifter.

After setting that one up correctly with 150 lbs. seat pressure, and a new set of Comp lifters, it's been together for about 15-16 years now, never had a valve cover off since and runs perfect.

I had several LS engines with factory rollers. One was my wifes daily, and at 60k miles it got a custom Crane cam in it and a set of double springs, pushrods etc.. but I reused the original lifters. I spun that to 6700 regularly and my wife continued to put another 70k miles on that engine and still ran perfect when sold.

A 455 I put together for my father about 15 years ago, also had Comp hydraulic rollers in it. That one ran perfect for about 5 years and he drove it 2-3 days a week, to work and cruises etc... and the car ran mid 11's. Snapped an oil pump shaft and killed the short block. Cam and lifter cam out perfect. I have no qualms about using them again in a future build.

My sons little fox body is going on 246 or 248,000 miles now (can't remember which) with it's original roller lifters.

Like I've said before, I think the major failures are pretty few and far between for guys like us. Engine builders see it more obviously since they build 100's of engines a year. Quite honestly I don't worry all that much about it. If the valve train is setup properly, correct spring pressures etc.. I don't see why a good set of hydraulic rollers wouldn't give years of faithful service.

Thanks for that, I really appreciate it. It nice to get some honest first hand information on something like this.
I have this HR cam I bought from Luhn here, 60 $ and its a bit larger than a RAIV cam and the Comp hyd rollers I bought for 180$ here too. Planing on using them on a street 455 or 440 with my Whittmore ported HOs and ex manifolds.
Maybe 470 HP or so in a 79 WS6 TA for the wife.
Just the horror stories and all. Don't want to go on a long cruise and lunch the engine. has to be reliable.

[Dragncar]

Has anyone had great longevity with any of the bushed solid rollers on the street ? That would be the way to go IMO if they last a long time. Do not have to worry about pump up issues. If you have a rock solid stud girdle and steel roller rockers I have found lash does not change. Look at all the solid lifter 4 bangers they made over the years without issues.

[Formulajones]

Nope. I posted in here somewhere about that. Had the Crower bushed solid rollers with pressurized oiling, about as good as it gets, and pretty darn expensive.

They lasted about 4,000 street miles or there about. One roller just decided to lock up or eat itself for reasons unknown, and it came out of the engine egg shaped. It was a tight lash solid roller and was set at .017" and the spring pressure wasn't outrageous, just your typical 240 lbs. seat pressure that is commonly run on the street with these things. Crower had no explanation for it.

[68 Firebird]

Roller issues like these concerned me enough to stick with standard lifters a few years ago. So far so good with Crower Cam Saver lifters and VR1 10W30. Gerry