Copper shavings in oil? What’s going on!

[L31MaxExpress]

If it is brass or copper there are only a couple places that can come from. Neither one of those are the camshaft or lifters.

Copper is a backing layer in main, rod and cam bearings. Some GM distributors also have a brass shim between the gear and housing.

 

[Pinger]

The goldish-bronze-ish metalflake oil is more than likely overheated steel shavings from the cam and lifters self-destructing.

If so, a magnet will confirm.

 

[WV_Dave]

Do you have a bronze distributor gear? Vortec cams typically require steel melonized gears per the cam manufacturers.

This. Pull the distributor and look at the gear on the bottom that rides on the cam. If you kept your old gear (bronze) and switched to a new cam that requires a steel gear, then this is my guess.

 

[0xDEADBEEF]

If it is brass or copper there are only a couple places that can come from. Neither one of those are the camshaft or lifters.

Copper is a backing layer in main, rod and cam bearings. Some GM distributors also have a brass shim between the gear and housing.

True, but the material from the cam goes all through the engine and can take out bearings.

 

[Hipster]

Comp said my stock springs would be fine

I find that really odd. Why would a sale's clerk circumvent the engineers spring package recommendations? Normally they're hell bent on selling more parts. You may already have far more engine building experience than the person that gave you that answer. There's really no need to get on the phone when spring specs are already published in the catalog.

Valve springs have a cycle life. At 217k and a gaziliion heat cycles later probably a bit more than a little bit tired and under listed spec spring pressure/rate numbers by a good margin.

Less spring pressure is actually beneficial for break-in. In dual spring applications you do the break-in with the inners removed. They survive the break in and idle just fine. That you got that far is not really all that conclusive. What happens at 6k rpm with insufficient spring pressure is another story. There's volumes written the subject of valve train instability at rpm.

Not every cam failure is a instantaneous catastrophic event. Some will beat themselves to death slowly over thousands of miles.

 

[Hipster]

If so, a magnet will confirm.

I jumped in this thread thinking this was a new issue. But after coming across another thread, it's been going on since April. That thread, and some of the others are very convoluted. It was running right, it wasn't running right, it was running great but shaking badly, There was metal in the oil, there wasn't. He's been asked if ran right before the cam swap. It was then it wasn't. Mom and Dad don't want him touch it anymore and G-ma is footing the bill for his hot rodding experience Etc. Almost comical if I wasn't picturing the crankshaft slinging metal fragments all over the inside. What those fragments are , IMHO, not high on my list. A teardown and inspection will reveal what it is. It could be the thrust bearing going south from hotrodding and hammering on a tired old engine.

Ask a question, get advice. Keep asking and you'll eventually get to the quick fix, slap it together and send it answer that result in history repeating itself whether it's on this site, another one, or on the phone.

 

[Pinger]

I jumped in this thread thinking this was a new issue. But after coming across another thread, it's been going on since April. That thread, and some of the others are very convoluted. It was running right, it wasn't running right, it was running great but shaking badly, There was metal in the oil, there wasn't. He's been asked if ran right before the cam swap. It was then it wasn't. Mom and Dad don't want him touch it anymore and G-ma is footing the bill for his hot rodding experience Etc. Almost comical if I wasn't picturing the crankshaft slinging metal fragments all over the inside. What those fragments are , IMHO, not high on my list. A teardown and inspection will reveal what it is. It could be the thrust bearing going south from hotrodding and hammering on a tired old engine.

Ask a question, get advice. Keep asking and you'll eventually get to the quick fix, slap it together and send it answer that result in history repeating itself whether it's on this site, another one, or on the phone.

I didn't realise this had been rumbling on elsewhere...

Just out of curiosity, could the initial valve lash settings have been sufficient to coil bind the springs?

 

[RichLo]

I didnt realize it was that guy again. It would be nice if he continued on a single thread to keep us informed on the history.

 

[sewlow]

You may already have far more engine building experience than the person that gave you that answer.

 

[Caman96]

As in “the school of hard Knocks”?
No pun intended.