Sometimes things don’t go right out on the water. Sometimes you have to limp home on one engine or worse, call the tow boat. This happened to one unlucky fellow powerboater far offshore. That’s right: lifter failure. After an embarrassing day with a hot (the wrong kind of hot) and sunburnt wife, this guy turned to Allmond Marine to perform a through analysis of his remaining lifters (one was scattered throughout the engine and beaten so badly we couldn’t learn anything from it). Lucky for you readers, he’s allowed us to share the visual portion of the report.
If you’re interested in a similar analysis, reach out to us at info@allmondmarine.com
Six lifters were supplied for review. A visual inspection revealed nothing to note about the condition of the lifters. The roller wheel was turned by hand and a lack of smoothness was noted on the lifters marked “2” and “6”. This grittiness was noted with a “G” on the bag containing the needles, roller tire and axle. The axles were retained with circlips as well as an interference-fit to the body. Upon disassembly, these parts were bagged with a numeric code. The numeric code did not correspond to engine installation position, as that information was not provided.
The image above is a macro photograph of the “1” roller tire. No abnormal wear is notable. The roller tire has a finely polished finish on all surfaces, exhibiting high reflectivity. The part appears to be in good condition.
The image above is a macro photograph of the “1” roller axle. No abnormal wear is notable. Slight burnishing is present, which is normal wear. The roller axle has a finely polished finish on the outside diameter, exhibiting high reflectivity. The part appears to be in good condition.
The image above is a macro photograph of the “1” roller needles. Sixteen needles are present. No abnormal wear is notable. Slight burnishing is present, which is normal wear. The needles have a finely polished finish on the outside diameter, exhibiting high reflectivity. The parts appear to be in good condition.
A measurement with dial calipers was taken of the roller axle, showing a diameter of approximately 0.317 inches.
A measurement of the OD of the roller tire was taken, finding approx. 0.750″. A measurement if the ID was not taken, as the appropriate gauging pin was unavailable
I needle from the #1 roller was measured and found to be approx. 0.076″ outside diameter.
Above is an overall photograph of the “2” roller assembly. Immediately noticable is spalling on the roller axle. Slight distress is visually present on the needles in the form of rounding of the OD at the ends. The ID of the roller tire shows light frosting, a sign of early spalling wear. Damage such as that seen on the ID of the tire is frequently found when spall remains in a roller bearing interface, causing micropitting as they roll through the interface. It is notable that the axle orientation upon disassembly placed the spalled surface toward the camshaft.
In the macro view of the spalled #2 roller axle, the pitting and wear is clearly visible. The spalled surface extends approximately 160° around the OD of the axle. The spalled area extends the full width of the needles.
The “3”, “4”, and “5” roller assemblies were in good condition, and were shown in the customer’s report, but are omitted here.
Above is the “6” roller assembly. Visual appearance is much like the “2” assembly, but maybe slightly further along in the wear process.
The “6” roller axle shows deeper wear than the “2” axle, with a similar angular extent of the spalled surface
The “6” axle was measured with a dial caliper. It measures 0.004″ smaller diameter than an unworn part, which would correspond to a .0034″ increase in lash as measured at the valve on this customer’s big block Chevrolet from this wear alone.
The “6” lifter body was inspected. It too exhibits a highly polished appearance, and some slight surface rust as the review took place several months after the parts were disassembled.
Above is a shot detailing the oiling feature of the lifter body. This manufacturer provides lubrication to the roller area via a drill down the side of the lifter body. The drill down the side of the body is sealed by the interference fit of the axle. There is a tiny hole which feeds oil to the roller assembly. Interestingly, this small hole breaks out on the side of the roller tire, not at the end of the needles.
Also visible are the circlip grooves and one of the circlips. Part of the body, on the top in this view, was ground away to expose the underside of the circlip for removal.
This view shows the roller oil feed from the other end. Oil is sourced from what would be the lash adjuster gallery, were these hydraulic lifters.
An overall view of the “6” lifter body alongside its mate.
A view of the pushrod sockets. Wear appears normal.
The customer’s report contained data for the following:
- surface finish
- microscope photos
- hardness testing
- heat treat verification
- steel microstructure analysis
The customer requested this data not be shared publicly.
Analyst’s Assessment
The lifters analyzed did not present any signs of flaws in machining, assembly, material or heat treatment. All signs suggest the parts were manufactured properly. Failure was deemed to be due to rolling contact fatigue, which is a normal failure mode for any rolling element bearing. Given that one lifter had failed and two more were severely spalled, it was concluded that the lifters had reached the end of their life in the application. Performance marine applications are characterized by high cycles with high loads, which are tough on many engine parts, lifters in particular.
