Help...!!!

[ffindling]

Originally Posted by Eliems

Machine shop is saying, "Put the roller cam in without removing the engine, the metal filings will have been caught in the oil filtre."

They said if I insist on sending the engine out for inspection of the bearings, they will charge me if the bearings are OK.

I am pretty sure the mechanics can remove the oil pan and inspect the bearings without pulling the engine and I have asked them to do this.

Feedback please.

If the camshaft failures were caused by oil starvation, installing a roller setup will do little good, just might take longer to fail. Of course, you can pull the pan and inspect the main and rod bearings, but even if they are in good shape, that may not be indicative of oiling issues with the valve train. Something is causing those failures and unless that cause is isolated and fixed, throwing new parts into the engine is likely to yield the same results.
Camshafts rarely fail as long as they are properly lubricated and manufacturer-recomended break-in proceedure is exactly followed.
Have you sent the failed camshaft/lifter assemblies back to the manufacturer?
They can generally determine if the failure was caused by a defect in manufacture or by some external issue such as oiling. If they determine the
failure was caused by a manufacturing defect, they usually make good on it
and replace it. Of course, if it failed due to oil starvation, they would be
less inclined to replace it. Most cam grinders stand behind their products
and when they fail, they are as anxious as you to find out why it did fail.
Oiling issues with 385's have never been a big problem, but like any other
engine build, the ducks have to be in a row. There are plenty of them out
there running flat tappet cams with pretty high seat pressures, so the 385
design is intrinsically capable of running such setups, but like any other
engine build, good block prep is absolutely essential!

....Fred