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Has This Happened To Anyone Else....?
Barksavon - 12/7/13 at 04:20 PM

I replaced the head gasket on my Pinto engine this week after water started leaking into no 2 cylinder, went for a run last night and everything seemed ok although oil pressure was dropping low on tick over but i put this down to me putting too thin a viscosity oil in (5w/40 instead of 10w/30 - 20w/50 as per the haynes book)
Started car again today ran ok, started again 20mins later when suddenly a disturbing rattle from inside the rocker cover.....took cover off to find the pad had come off one of the cam followers..!!
Looks as though the brazing has failed.
I'm counting my lucky stars i wasnt out in the car when this happened but also now concerned as to why this has happened, is it a common failure or could it be linked to my head gasket replacement or using wrong spec oil.
Any advice welcome
Thanks
Ian

Mr Whippy - 12/7/13 at 05:18 PM

Can't say I've heard of that happening and I've thrashed the crap out of pintos in the past and never broke a thing

Not sure what you thinking putting such thin modern oil in an old style engine

jacko - 12/7/13 at 05:21 PM

No not me
I would replace all the followers if it was me
It might be a good time to put a fast road cam kit on
Did you reset the tappets after fitting the head its just a idea
Jacko

Barksavon - 12/7/13 at 05:28 PM

The engine has a Newman fast road cam fitted but standard followers, does the uprated cam put a great deal more stress on the followers??

ianm67 - 12/7/13 at 06:03 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Barksavon
The engine has a Newman fast road cam fitted but standard followers, does the uprated cam put a great deal more stress on the followers??


I ran a Newman cam on standard followers in a 2.2 Pinto that I built, I didn't have any issues but I did use uprated valve springs...

[Edited on 12/7/13 by ianm67]

perksy - 12/7/13 at 07:44 PM

Photo might be a good idea ?


Did it have new followers when the cam was replaced ?

jacko - 12/7/13 at 07:52 PM

Is the cam rubbing in the right place on the followers ? that are ok

snapper - 13/7/13 at 05:29 AM

Standard followers are generally ok but I thought the pads were just a hardened part of the casting
Never ever heard one come off, have heard a whole follower come adrift.
I think Newman do a hard insert for their followers may be one of them
Pinto rocker geometry is critic and cam lobe wipe area on the followers should be checked

MikeRJ - 13/7/13 at 09:27 AM

The standard followers don't have a brazed on pad, but Newman do supply modified followers with a carbide pad installed to reduce wear. It's probably worth getting in contact with them to see what they advise.

quote:
Originally posted by Barksavon
i put this down to me putting too thin a viscosity oil in (5w/40 instead of 10w/30 - 20w/50 as per the haynes book)


5W40 has a higher working viscosity than 10W30. It simply behaves like a 5 weight oil when cold.


[Edited on 13/7/13 by MikeRJ]

JacksAvon - 13/7/13 at 11:51 AM

Millers 20/50 for pinto engines

Barksavon - 13/7/13 at 12:45 PM

Ive uploaded a photo of the damaged follower its on the 'home' page but i dont know how to get it onto the thread. Ive got some used standard followers and ive compared the damaged one with those. The pad on the damaged one is longer than standard so i think its a newman one, the cam to follower geometry looks to be ok though i'm no expert on the subject, anyway for now ive fitted one of my standard followers and set the clearance, changed the oil and it seems to be running ok....bit worrying though with the pad coming off the follower as there are another 7 in there!!!

Barksavon - 13/7/13 at 12:48 PM

[/img]
just worked out how to get the photo on the thread....

britishtrident - 13/7/13 at 02:39 PM

quote:
Originally posted by MikeRJ
The standard followers don't have a brazed on pad, but Newman do supply modified followers with a carbide pad installed to reduce wear. It's probably worth getting in contact with them to see what they advise.

quote:
Originally posted by Barksavon
i put this down to me putting too thin a viscosity oil in (5w/40 instead of 10w/30 - 20w/50 as per the haynes book)


5W40 has a higher working viscosity than 10W30. It simply behaves like a 5 weight oil when cold.


[Edited on 13/7/13 by MikeRJ]


Even better than that for the cold start and running ratings oils are rated at 0c and a 100c working temperature.

If the oil viscosity is plotted at 150c a 0w/40, 5w/40 or even a 5w/30 is likely to be be more viscous than even decent 20w/50 mineral oil.

britishtrident - 13/7/13 at 02:41 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Barksavon
[/img]
just worked out how to get the photo on the thread....


Looks like a manufacturing defect

britishtrident - 13/7/13 at 02:55 PM

quote:
Originally posted by JacksAvon
Millers 20/50 for pinto engines


20w/50 Kills engines.

Pintos and a few other SOHC engines had horrendous camshaft wear problems back in the 1970s because of 20w/50 mineral oils were all that was widely available.
Ford got their act together with metallurgy and more importantly oils got better result camshaft problems became rarer.

It is no co-incidence that not only camshaft problems rare, but also big-end bearing and piston cylinder bore wear problems are rare these days, because of better oils the life expectancy of a typical tin-top engine has tripled. These days most cars now go to the crusher with perfectly serviceable engines.

Barksavon - 17/7/13 at 04:22 PM

Rang Newman Cams on Monday re this follower, spoke to Ken Newman who immediately agreed to send a replacement out to me f.o.c. and it arrived today (although the bloody postman had dropped it in the street and fortunately a lady who knows us picked it up and dropped it round later !!!)
Anyway really pleased with the service from Ken Newman and hopefully wont have a repeat of the problem....