- Joined
- May 2, 2022
- Messages
- 86
Had an AFM lifter fail on the ‘Rado so decided to go ahead and replace all the lifters and put in a Stage 1 cam since I had to replace the cam with a non-AFM version anyway. The engine was fed a diet of mostly M1EP 0W-20 and Fram filters changed at OLM recommended intervals.
First thought: The oil did a great job as far as I can tell. The heads were immaculate and there was no scoring whatsoever on any cam lobe or bearing. No sludge to be found on the top end, and the only varnish was on the bottom of the valve cover in a small area on the driver side. Ran a compression test on all cylinders before disassembly and all (failed lifter on #7 aside) were 200+psi + or - 4.
Two: Have run a catch can since almost new, and even though I’m not sure it made a difference, the valves were not as bad as I had expected them to be. You can see the extent of the buildup in the picture. Not great…not terrible either.
Three: One could debate whether or not the catch can made a difference on the intake valve carbon buildup, but I’m now convinced that the DI intake valve cleaners I occasionally ran were a waste of money. I soaked the valves in Seafoam for 24 hours to see what effect it would have. Absolutely nothing. It softened up the carbon somewhat, but only by mechanical scrubbing would it actually come off.
Moved up a viscosity grade as the more aggressive cam will put more strain on the engine.
First thought: The oil did a great job as far as I can tell. The heads were immaculate and there was no scoring whatsoever on any cam lobe or bearing. No sludge to be found on the top end, and the only varnish was on the bottom of the valve cover in a small area on the driver side. Ran a compression test on all cylinders before disassembly and all (failed lifter on #7 aside) were 200+psi + or - 4.
Two: Have run a catch can since almost new, and even though I’m not sure it made a difference, the valves were not as bad as I had expected them to be. You can see the extent of the buildup in the picture. Not great…not terrible either.
Three: One could debate whether or not the catch can made a difference on the intake valve carbon buildup, but I’m now convinced that the DI intake valve cleaners I occasionally ran were a waste of money. I soaked the valves in Seafoam for 24 hours to see what effect it would have. Absolutely nothing. It softened up the carbon somewhat, but only by mechanical scrubbing would it actually come off.
Moved up a viscosity grade as the more aggressive cam will put more strain on the engine.
