Comp Cams Evolution lifters after 14 hrs

[@HeadFlowInc]

All you needed was a $30.00 pushrod length tool. It’s so simple, you measure the PR length at zero lash with the lifter on the “heal” of the lobe with the tool; then add what ever length to set your desired lifter preload. Ie .050”-.070” with a max of .090”. Add the length of the PR tool at zero lash to the desired lifter preload; order PR. 👍

[@onemoremisfit]

I have that adjustable push rod and I used it, with the engine on a stand, 2 different methods, using a dial indicator or a scribe line reference. The lifters have an operating zone of ~.12" and I measured for between .05" and .08" of preload. They do not make the push rods in the exact length you specify. They come in size increments of .05" so you have to pick a length that they offer that is close to what you need. It cannot be exact but it should be OK if it is within the preload range. If the length is too short the valve train will be noisy. If the length is too long the engine will not run at all. The doggone lifters were running noisy in the engine so I went to different trial & error methods in a running engine. Now by trial & error I know exactly what is the longest push rod that will run in the engine, which in turn rules out the possibility that my measurements were off and the push rods were too short. I know this is expensive and time consuming but I had to do it because I had to prove to Comp Cams that the noise is not caused by a too short push rod, otherwise they are always going to say I must have goofed when I measured for push rod length. At this point there is no way anybody can say the noise is due to anything but defective lifters. And from what I have seen and heard there is a problem with manufacturers putting out lifters that won't run quiet. There are others out there having this same experience with noisy lifters.

[@tonym6854]

So you used Comp 8957-16 that are not meant for a 5.3 block ?!? And now you have issues? Amazing From Comps site... Designed for Chevrolet LSX, RHS, and Warhawk series blocks. 2.420 in. seat height. Specifically says not for stock LS blocks.

[@jad2484]

Everybody needs to start running COMP stickers upside-down.

[@Donny.C.wlWilliams]

Lol don't say that I just bought a cam kit 🤣

[@jad2484]

@@Donny.C.wlWilliams RETURN IT! Check in with Mike Jones at Jones Cams. Great guy to deal with.

[@baby-sharkgto4902]

All Comp items I have ever used all work perfectly. Of course I am always building all new engines not just throwing some Comp parts on shit assed wore out low dollar engines.

[@siliconvalleyengineer5875]

cheapist cams, springs and lifters made by chinese political prison before they were executed, thats comp

[@ericheine2414]

Did you Fell Pro head gaskets- 40 thousands of an inch. Stock metal head gasket are 20 thousands of an inch.

[@ron1836]

Huh? That sounds completely normal to me.. I think you are a little ocd about it. You realize that atleast half the sound you are hearing is the injectors.

[@onemoremisfit]

No, they are noisy. And yes I can distinguish the sound of the injectors pulsing. I have other videos of them running with more hours on them, you'll hear the noise in the driveway from a distance. They are loudest when the oil is fully hot. They sound better while cold, which lasts only a few minutes. And you should hear how loud the Comp LS retrofit lifters were, I have video posted of those too. They were the same, not bad when cold but got louder as water temp reached 160, then ridiculously loud at full temperature. I sent those back for a refund before I tried the Evolutions. All I can say for the Evolutions is they are not as loud as the LS retrofits were. They sound like solids even though they are hydraulic. When this engine comes apart again it will get stock GM lifters with the plastic trays. I'm done with Comp lifters.

[@ron1836]

@@onemoremisfit I have replaced roller lifters with a comp cams set. Along with the cam. And they always bleed down and tick pretty bad just setting over night. And don't even get me started on timing chains! I have had alot of trouble with chains for some reason in my old 318. They wear out very quickly and start to slap around and begin hitting the fuel pump arm. I am not sure if it's something with the chains. Cause I have tried 3-4 different brand. Or if it's something to do with poor oiling. Because it seems like when I take them out they are always dry. I get your frustration with all these crappy new parts though. It's just impossible to find quality anything that does what it is supposed to do any more. It's just in from what I could hear your engine sounded pretty close to normal. I mean it might have had a slight bit of extra noise. But it seemed like just barely. Have you tried thicker oil? Or an additive? Because the oil thins out as I'm sure you know when it's warm. So it seems if that's when it's louder thicker oil might help.

[@onemoremisfit]

@@ron1836 I re watched the video and you're right, it wasn't that loud back then, but it is louder now. I was optimistic at that point that the lifters would settle down with more hours of run time but they haven't. The truck was coming off a restoration and was not street driven at that point 9 months ago. Now I have been driving it since last summer. When you drive and accelerate, that will heat the oil more than just running it parked in the garage. I want to try different oil but I can't just put thick oil in it during winter here. We had -10F a couple weeks ago. When it comes to timing chains I had the OEM LS timing chain stretch badly on mine too. A little over 100K miles and that chain was stretched dangerously floppy loose. It was probably already unacceptably loose at 50 or 60K. I replaced it with an overkill timing set rated to support a claimed 3000 hp. It has multiple keyways for + or - 4 degrees timing. I checked it with a degree wheel and it comes in + 1 degree when installed straight up. It is double row width and requires the cover to be clearanced and the oil pump to be spacer-ed out. BTW the oil pump is new too, makes 55 - 60 psi at idle, oil pressure is not an issue. The engine runs fine as long as I'm willing to put up with noisy lifters.

[@ron1836]

@@onemoremisfit I think my friend you are kinda like me. Where you over worry about small problems that might not even be real problems. And you always want everything to be perfect. But doing things that way will drive you crazy and also make you spend alot of unecesary money. I hear you about not using thicker oil in winter. And also using thicker oil reduces your mpg. I'd say that if you have been driver it for awhile and nothing has blown up your probably good. Cause really if a lifter it going to actually fail it will happen pretty quickly. I'd say just turn the radio up and forget about it haha. Last thing I want to mention though is different types and brand even of lifters have oil holes in different areas. Like I know that Chrysler small block replacement lifters have holes in the top to be able to feed the push rods. But those engines don't even have hollow push rods. But something about those same diameter lifters are what's used in some other manufactures engines which do have them. So maybe it's something like that that could make things sound a little different? Also I have found myself that it seems like once you start working on something and rebuild or replace parts. Things are never quite the same again. Doesn't necessarily mean that anything is really wrong. It's just different. Like when they build a fresh engine from the factory it almost ALWAYS will run for way more miles. Than a used engine that has been rebuilt. No matter how good of parts and how good of a job someone does rebuilding it. I mean even like car batteries. The OEM factory battery will last like 10-15 years alot of times... But it is impossible to buy a replacement car battery that will last that long.

[@onemoremisfit]

@@ron1836 Listen to them in this video from 2 months later, wheel tubs installed, still bone stock exhaust. First time I had the truck on the road. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hYqlf4xtntp5ndU&ab_channel=onemoremisfit I have a louder performance exhaust on it now. The lifters are not any quieter right now, maybe a a little louder. I can hear them cruising under light throttle sometimes.

[@Cstoreri]

Sounds fine …. Let er eat!

[@allenmcdowell4083]

Sounds like a dam sewing machine

[@onemoremisfit]

Yeah, and they haven't really improved after 48 hrs of runtime now, they are still about the same, so I think they have settled in for how they are going to be. I'm not really happy with them, the only thing I can say is they are better than the other set I ran. If I have to change these lifters again I will not use Comp Cams lifters. I ran into another guy in the comments of a video that Comp Cams posted to promote these new Evolution series, he said he will never use Comp Cams lifters again, he said he has 2 engines with very noisy Comp Cams lifters. I thought a set of performance link bar lifters would be an upgrade, but I have learned from this experience that they are not worth it, especially on this engine. If I change lifters again I will use stock lifters with the plastic trays.

[@jonsingle1614]

Have you tried Johnson or Morels?

[@onemoremisfit]

No, but if I have the engine apart again I will try something else.

[@svbbs4390]

@@onemoremisfit what u try

[@flinch622]

I'm perplexed: you shim rockers up, and add pushrod length? And talking about lash instead of preload for hydaulics makes the picture even fuzzier. Noise is often lifter bleed down. The annular region on your lifters stay in the lifter bore through full travel? The business of peeking two or three thousandths above or below the lifter bore can make an individual lifter misbehave without destroying the engine. Anyway... I feel your frustration: when hydraulics work, its beautiful. When they don't, it's a matter of tenths [ 0.0001" increments], which demands aerospace precision in polishing plunger & bore to spec. I... prefer to stick with mechanical - flat or roller, because nothing is really maintenance free. Last set of hydraulics I used [years ago] had problems on break in: pulled them for disassembly/ clean & inspect and found two with metal flakes inside the bores serving #2 valvetrain. Depending on how that went... could have jammed plunger movement or defeated check ball and caused bleed down.

[@onemoremisfit]

I use the .03" thick shim to roughly split the difference between two pushrod lengths that are .05" apart. I have 3 different length sets of pushrods for this engine. One set is 7.3" One set is 7.35" And one set is SUPPOSED to be 7.4" but it measures more like 7.42" (with 2 in the set that measure 7.418") All 3 sets do not measure exactly what they are marked as. The 7.3" and the 7.35" sets are actually 2 or 3 thousandths over, which is probably tolerance, and the 7.4" set is more like twenty thousandths over because of supplier's manufacturing defect. I put a top end rebuild with a new timing set and a cam swap and lifters in the engine. All valve train parts are new. I degree'd the cam with a degree wheel for straight up timing and used an adjustable checking pushrod to come up with the correct length. I used two different methods to get the length and I did it on the engine while it was on an engine stand with valley cover off and I could literally see as well as feel lifter preload. I don't recall the exact length I came up with but 7.3" was as close as I could buy because they make the lengths in .05" increments. The lifters are supposed to work with any length that preloads the plunger to something inside of a .12" range. The 7.3" set ran noisy. The Comp Cams rep said maybe I got the length too short. So I bought a set at 7.35" and they ran noisy too. So I bought a set at 7.4" which were actually .02" over, and they were too long to run. So I made the .03" shims and the 7.4+.02" set would run, but still noisy. So in that trial & error process using a range of lengths that cover .12" I ruled out incorrect length as a cause. At that point I knew exactly what was the longest length that would run, and it ran no different than a length that was about .1" shorter. So I know that pushrod length is not the cause of the noise. I made a video of the engine running. The other strange thing is the lifters were quiet when cold, then got noisy as the oil warmed up. I had a set of the Comp Cams retro fit LS lifters in it at the time. I had the Comp Cams rep view the video and listen for himself. He said looks like you need to change the lifters. I sent the LS retro fit lifters back and they gave me a refund. Then I bought the new Evolution lifters. They will not run with the 7.4+.02" set. They will also not run with the 7.35" set, but they will run with the 7.35" plus the .03 shim. So I absolutely know for sure the length is not too short, and I know I have the longest length that will run in there. The Evolutions are a little quieter, but they still make noise, just not as bad as the retro fit LS lifters. And they also sound OK when cold but get noisy as they warm up, same as the others. The engine runs fine, as long as you are willing to put up with hydraulic lifters that sound like solid lifters. At this point I have flipping had it with screwing around with lifters and pushrod lengths. When this engine comes apart again it will be getting stock GM lifters with the plastic trays, because that's the only thing that has ever run quiet in there. This is only a 5500 rpm engine. I thought deleting the plastic trays and going to a link bar lifter would be a nice upgrade, but it has been nothing but an expensive nightmare. Two sets of lifters, three sets of pushrods, and a ton of wrench time under the hood, all for nothing but trouble. I've been scared straight ... NEVER AGAIN.

[@jad2484]

The only thing COMP makes that is worth a crap anymore is rockers. Everything else they make is JUNK. Run away from COMP.

[@richwood8650]

Sorry for your trouble. I quit using comp cams in the 80's. Never looked back.

[@jad2484]

@@richwood8650 I actually returned the COMP big block chevy roller lifters with the needle bearing bushing, that only last about 5000 miles at most before coming apart and destroying your motor, for a set of Jones Cams XLR-8 Evo16 roller lifters with a stainless bushing. And a custom ground Jones roller cam. Only thing COMP will be Magnum XD stainless rockers.

[@colbranmx]

YIKES

[@bobg3034]

What oil are you running!

[@onemoremisfit]

I have Mobil 1 0W-40 in it right now. Before that I had Mystik JT-8 straight 30W in it, this was the last of an old 5 gal pail that I bought in the 90s when this brand was full mineral base and I just wanted to use it up, so I put it in there for a run-in oil. Same with the Mobil 1, I needed to use it up so it's in there now. And there is no difference in how the engine sounds or runs. I talked to a Comp Cams rep about oil and he said use a good semi synthetic. I asked for a specific brand and weight and he would not provide any specific brand or number. Then he told me a bunch of preachy stuff about synthetic oil being unnecessary and mineral base oil being around and used in high performance engines for a long time. I'm 63 years old and I don't really need to be told stuff like that. He also said that mineral base oil will increase oil pressure, and I did not see that happen in my engine at all. Oil pressure is the same with straight 30 mineral base or multi viscosity synthetic. I bought some new Mystik JT8 that is semi synthetic and will probably try that next, after the Mobil 1 is used up. I am not in the mood to drain and dispose 7 quarts of oil for nothing. (7 quarts because I have dual remote large filters and a cooler). But it will be ready for another oil change soon. Bottom line is I doubt there is any difference to be seen with any good quality oil. I do not think the oil is causing the noise. If I put poor quality oil in it and had noise then I could understand that. BTW I am the original owner of the truck and this engine was over-maintained from new, always Mobil 1 which is a good quality oil, and changed it often. (That's why I have an oil disposal problem). The engine was never raced or run hard, mostly cruising and towing. The OEM valve train was never noisy. When I tore the engine down for a cam change and top end rebuild it was clean and sludge free inside. People will argue about this or that oil brand all day long but as long as you put good quality oil in and don't leave it in there a long time then you should not have major problems. I understand that oil becomes more critical in a race engine, but this is not a race engine.

[@baby-sharkgto4902]

You have 2 remote oil filters and an oil cooler??? If you are still running a stock oil pump with 2 remote oil filters and an oil cooler, that may be why you have some engine noise. Melling says if you have an oil cooler *or* a remote oil filter that you need a high volume/ pressure oil pump… and you have 2 remote filters and an oil cooler 🤔 That would explain why it doesn’t make noise when it’s cold but does when it’s warm. What is your oil pressure cold? What is your oil pressure when hot? Furthermore these engines will go 500k+ miles without 2 remote oil filters and an oil cooler.

[@baby-sharkgto4902]

@@onemoremisfitso I went back and way a few of your your videos so I see that you do have good oil pressure.

[@onemoremisfit]

@@baby-sharkgto4902 Yeah, the engine has a new oil pump and there is plenty of oil pressure. I also have dual remote large can oil filters and a good size cooler out in front of the radiator. Basically the cooler I can keep the oil the quieter the lifters run. I have Driven GP-1 10w-30 oil in it and as long as I can keep the oil cool it doesn't get too loud and I can tolerate it. The engine runs fine, can't complain about that, it pulls well and runs smooth and clean. I just got a new transmission built for the truck and will be putting that in this weekend, transfer case is also going out for a rebuild. Then I guess I will be leaving the power train alone for a while until the engine is ready for a rebuild someday. When that happens the lifters I use will be stock GM units.

[@pmd7771969]

Awful

[@tomreyn3610]

Measure. And measure again. If the lifter is in the preload stroke and noisy, - they are shit, or working as designed. Thinking a shit design. Comp Cams Reps, read from a scripted book. - w no 3rd world accent. Run it. Run it Hard. Warranty? Good Luck.

[@onemoremisfit]

The first set of lifters I tried were their standard LS retrofit. I had 3 different length push rods with shims to split the difference between lengths. I went up to the length where they won't run, then backed off a size to where they do run. They ran almost quiet on cold start and got really noisy as water temp reached 180 degrees. I have a video posted of these running, and they were horrible. They gave me a refund on that set. The 2 guys I spoke to were American with southern accents. Now I have the Evolutions in the engine. They would not run the same length push rods as the other set, even though I'm pretty sure they are supposed to be interchangeable dimensions.They needed to have push rods that are 1-1/2 sizes shorter to run. I also went too long to run on those and backed off a length at a time, to make sure I did not have push rods that are too short. The Evolutions also sound decent when cold, but get noisy once the oil is fully hot. But at least they are not as noisy as the others. They are a slight improvement, that's all I can say for them. I never thought going into this that it would be so hard to get a set of lifters that run right.