<VV> a different oil conversation

[Mark Durham]

Take a good look at a camshaft. Each lobe opens a valve by pushing the
lifter which pushes the pushrod which pushes the rocker, which presses
on the valve - almost a half inch in a steep ramp up and a steep down
hill back to zero lash. The lobes will go flat so there is no ramp up
so the valve will not open, and when the taper goes away on the lifter
and cam lobe, the lifter stops turning and the cam quickly wears a
line across the lifter face, and metal starts to destroy your engine
as it agressively wears off the lobe until the lifter fails.  Not a
pretty sight. I just had to replace my crankshaft and oil pump due to
this very situation in my 62, well, I had to overhaul the whole
thing..... Mark Durham

On Sat, Feb 26, 2011 at 12:32 PM, Ray Rodriguez III <vairguy at echoes.net> wrote:
> Hey guys,
>
>     I'm more or less settled on what oil to use now (thanks guys!) but I like to know the "why" of things =P.  I'm very familiar with basic internal combustion engine theory and know more or less how everything works.  I'm a little fuzzy on the details of hydraulic lifters but I have installed them (and had them in my hand) so I am somewhat familiar.. but I'd like to know exactly where and why this ZDDP is needed and exactly what happens (and how) if you don't have it.
>
>     I've heard talk about wearing cam lobes down... but not sure if that was only relative to break-in or a problem contributed to by a lack of ZDDP.  I was pretty sure the "tappet" was the pushrod end of the lifter.  I don't recall them looking "flat" to me, though they were aftermarket lifters I had in my hands.  I also don't see how the tappet being flat would really make such a major difference, and if it did it seems all it would do is wear the lifter and/or pushrod which are easy to adjust and fairly easy to replace.  So please enlighten me!
>
>     I'm not trying to argue the point, I'd just like to be educated in the mechanics involved.
>
>
> Ray "Grymm" Rodriguez III
> Lake Ariel, PA
> 66' Corsa 140 coupe
> 63' Monza PG (winter driver)
> 65' Corsa 140 coupe  (under construction)
>
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