Engine and Transmission Tech

Does anybody have experience with one bank, the left side, of a Rover V8 exhibiting far more wear on the cam & lifters than the other bank? I am in the process of replacing my worn cam and noticed the left side lifters are worn considerably more than the right side. I initially attributed the worn cam to lack of awareness of the removal of zinc & phosphorus from engine oils about the time I built his engine in 2000, as well as an episode where the crankcase was flooded with gasoline after a fuel pump failure. Another cause may have been mixing cam & lifters from different manufacturers.

I plan to replace the existing Crower 50230 with either the same cam or possibly the 50232, this time using Crower Cam Saver lifters. I don't believe there was any issue with coil bind or valve guide interference on the original build and my spring pressure should not be excessive.

Looking at some old Buick lifters from a very high mileage engine the left side look marginally worse than the right. I am wondering if I could have a block oiling issue. I based the build on a short block from John Eales/J E Developments.

I appreciate any insight anyone can provide.

Joe, possibly you can re-post n the Engine & Drive Train section and get more responses. Just a suggestion.

Thanks for the move, this location makes more sense. I decided last night that the wear issue is not due to any block oiling deficiency. With the lifters removed I ran the oil pump, plenty of oil is flowing from the lifter galley oil passages on both sides. Hopefully the Cam Saver lifters will help prevent a recurrence.

I believe that you were a victim of the change in oil formulations Joe.
And the fuel wash certainly didn't help either.
You generally do see more wear on the left bank of lifters in most V style engines. This is due to the cam receiving very little oil at low engine speeds.
The lobes rely almost solely on leakage from the lifter bores at slow speeds. That's why you run over 2500 rpm on brake-in. The crankshaft throws oil up onto the cam at these speeds.
The oil is concentrated on the right side of the cam and mostly is thrown off by the time it gets around to the left side lifters. Hence more wear on the left.
Comp cams makes a very clever tool that ensures full oiling at all times. The tool cuts a small groove into the lifter bore.
This gives full oiling to the cam lobe/ lifter interface.
I've used this type of tool for years and have had very few cam problems ever since.
Double check on the Crower lifters, I haven't used the cam saver style but I was led to understand that they bleed down while sitting.
Not a big deal but it would make some noise upon start up.

Cheers
Fred

A low-$ oil accumulator tank,(Moroso/etc), controlled by a solenoid oil control valve, could be a helpful device.