Remove Inner Valve Springs for Break in Period

How important is this step in the break in process of new cam and lifters? Seems like a lot of extra work and I don't hear many engine builders saying this is a must. Naturally I don't want to ruin a new cam and lifters........what are your thoughts?
Just for reference the motor is a 401 Nailhead and Schneider Cam and lifters and valve springs.

 

How much seat and open pressure do you have?
Break- in is very important ..... Must use oil additive ....and if you have the option to break-it in with a softer spring... It's a good one to have.... We do it

Tony

 

Remove them,use additive as Goat said whats the pressures what cam? you can pm me if you want or i am sure GR02 would be happy to help aswell.

 

It really depends on the spring pressure, quality of the cam and lifters.

If you use good oil and a additive there is really no need.

We build 2-3 motors a mounth and never have any issues.

Every engine gets high zinc oil, quality filter, and a botttle of #159 Comp additive.

 

It's most often done with high performance springs that have a good deal more seat pressure than stock. If not a high performance spring, you can get by without it.

 

Springs are 250 open 110 closed...............Schneider cam lifters and springs.
Lift is .480 intake and .495 ex plus 1.6 rocker arms.
Thanks guys

 

My neighbor was sick when his new Plymouth strocker big block ate the cam shaft with about twenty minutes of run time. Shavings were every where.
Good luck
DT

 

Thats not a real big spring, but I would probably do it anyway. You need to re-set the valves and re-torque the heads anyway, how much extra work is it in the grand scheme of things? Weighed against that, I would be asking myself how much work it would be pulling an otherwise fresh motor out and dis-***embling it to clean out the debris from a flattened cam lobe.

 

As said... Its not much cam and you really dont need to BUT..... what he said^^^^^

Tony

 

Ive seen cams with less eaten up, stockers A little now or alot more later....

 

I have since decided on a set of ceramic composite lifters but yes I fired my engine for break in with out the inner springs.

 

It's not a problem with roller cams....

 

Break it in without the inners. When I spoke to the cam grinder he said it's not necesary. my cam didn't make it through the break-in period. Called him back and he said I should have checked to make sure all the lifters were spinning.
How the heck are you supposed to see a pushrod that may not be spinning with a motor turning 2500 rpm shooting oil all over? Even with valve covers cut open.

 

Its not the lifters you will/can still wear the cam use the proper additives and breakin and you have a good chance on not wearing 1 out BUT... It still happens on agressive spring pressures and cams. Go roller if you can afford it.

 

Having built engines for years I've seen it done both ways. Take the advice already given but remember one thing. If you flatten a cam and didn't use the soft springs for break- in you've got your own personal tale of 'woulda,coulda, shoulda" that you can relate to all of your friends during the "bull" sessions. Be sure to take your wallet out and lay it on the table during the retelling...................it will probably have something to add to the drama.

Frank

 

Well - yes it CAN happen with a roller cam . My last BBC pulled the rivit on the connector bar - the lifter turned, and took out the cam! Found out they were Chinese made lifters (didn't know they were into those parts). Just so nobody feels TOO safe............

 

Frank..........I have way too many stories of woe, I'll do it the safe way and run the outter springs only.
Thanks for all the feedback guys.

 

But the question becomes would it have lost the rivet with softer springs.

CTFuzz,
Do you have double springs or a single spring with a damper. The reason I ask is that your cam numbers are not real big and I can't imagine running a double spring on a cam that small.

This is not to say you ar running a sissy cam just that it doesn't appear to have enough lift to need a double spring.

 

Thats not a real agressive flat tappet spring even for a street driven car. I ran around 130 on the seat, 340 over the nose in my FE, that was with a .654" Ultradyne flat tappet. Thats getting to be more of an agressive, "street racer" type flat tappet spring.

 

That's not a big enough spring pressure to be concerned with. Our race motors are 330+ closed and 660+ open and don't even mess with doing it. Break-in oil is necessary though. You'll be just fine !

 

^^roller cam.

 

Give your cam the best chance it can get for break in. Dont be lazy and leave the inner springs in there.

-Remove inner springs
-Use lots of lube on the cam and lifters
-Use the right oil for break in (30 wt non detergent with additive or or joe gibbs break in oil)
-Make sure the lifters rotate in the bore correctly

No need to rev it past 3500 durring the first hour of running the new cam. Save the rpms for after break in and installation of inner springs.

 

I cant believe it has inner springs with the numbers you gave.

 

That's whay I asked if it was a double spring or a single with a damper. A single spring with a damper would be more common with a cam of that type.

 

I wish he would post a video removing the dampner from the spring. LOL.

 

DO everything they say. We lost 3 Comp Cams sloid lifter cams in 3 different engines over a 2 year period. Used the break in lube, used the zinc additive, used vavoline 20/50 vr1 with zinc. Did it all BUT use weak springs. Never again. EDIT....one of the cams was an Erson. 140lbs spring pressure.

 

Jeez! Never thought of that! You guys could be right. I just ***umed that he would know the difference, but I could be wrong!

 

So CT Fuzz, if the "inner spring" is a flat strip, DONT remove it!

 

Also... do not let the motor idle for the first 20 -30 minutes.

 

Agree, doesn't make sense, I think he means inner dampner (flat wound).