Is this normal cam wear?

[Frankb]

Pulled distributor. This is what I saw.

 

[dadsbee]

Maybe try zooming in so we can see it...

 

[Bighouse]

Did it run good? I’d put that distributor right back in….

 

[Frankb]

Ran great except for some top end noise. Found some rockers loose (not enough preload) so I adjusted. Another pic best I can do with this camera

 

[R413]

Don’t go looking for problems, run it!

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Don’t go looking for problems, run it!

I tend to agree.... On my green car I run a Comp cams XE grind, they are known to go flat.... I randomly notice some valvetrain noise... Maybe something, maybe nothing, could be I'm paranoid knowing how many flat tappet cams have gone away in the last twenty years....

My solution? I bought a filter cutter & every time I change oil I cut the filter open.... I don't get in a hurry, the car doesn't get driven all the time so after changing oil, I let the filter drain for a few days so I'm not making a huge mess, just a little mess... But when I open that filter media & see no metal it gives me a warm & fuzzy feeling..

Amazon product ASIN B01N156ODN

 

[Frankb]

When I talked to my engine builder about the valvetrain noise he was worried a lifter might be bad. Engine has Gaterman roller lifters. He wanted to open the oil filter up to check for fod. Nothing in the last filter. This was about a week ago. I'm going to put it together and drive it

 

[hemidon1]

looks normal to me--add some Zink additive to a fresh oil change--about ten bucks--I add this to ALL the engines I build-its a super wear guard for hardened metal.

 

[PRHeads]

Fundamentally, there should be no lifter or lobe “wear” with a roller cam.

If something is wearing, there’s a problem.

 

[Geoff 2]

If you want trouble free driving when using roller lifters, use solid roller lifters. If a hyd cam, lash the lifters to 0.006-8" hot.