Mad props to a company willing to sacrifice profit to make sure the thing is done right all the way instead of just sending it out to be the customers problem
I’m not a real engine builder just an assembler, I wouldn’t criticize anything you do…. There are too many experts in the comment section for that. Keep on being you brother
When I hear people talking about engine builders, you guys are the type of people that come to mind. The people that just put stuff together and ship out engines are just assemblers not builders.
You can tell the sense of honor that Steve has, truly a good dude to the core and exactly who u want to be building your engine. Customer was dead on about anybody else just shipping it too cause they would not put this much effort into sorting every little detail/issue, being a diag guy i was glued to this video cause its such a great example of how to really diag showing how to hone in on the problem along with the process of elimination. Data is so important and always tells the tale though, problem is knowing how to interpret that data and seeing the differences. Great job and excellent customer support :), I am the same way and wont send a job if its not perfect cause customers don't care about the good reviews since they usually just look at the bad. Its not worth a little money to risk your reputation in this industry and being so transparent about everything really helps assure your customers that your looking out for their best interest, most engine builders only care about the money and would never go maximum effort like this for a random customer. Have seen it many times where people try to save money on a engine build taking it to some dude that their friend knows or whatever, the outcome is either they loose the money invested plus all the parts or they actually get a slapped together engine that's never been run/tested. Most of the builders cant even come close to the level of Steve's stuff cause he has all the data from years and knows what works because of it, the guys slapping parts together bought off ebay/amazon thinking they are a pro engine builder just makes me laugh. Have a guy right now that did a stock "rebuild" on a 98 civic D16y8 and after getting it all back together he has a knocking noise lol, funny thing is that's y he was "rebuilding" the engine and he didn't bother to check tolerances or anything and figured he would just slap some std bearings in along with some fresh rings with dingleball hone action. Tried to bring it to me but i wouldn't take it on cause it was all the cheapest Chinese stuff he could get and didn't wanna spend the money at machine shop, the moment he said that i just put the tailgate back up on his dads truck and told him i just cant do it. That's a whole can of worms problem i don't want and its different when the customer has a clue what it takes to actually rebuild a engine properly, money is always the main factor but to do it right always will cost u more unless u have the tools/skills to do it yourself at that level.
I really appreciate you giving away years of experience just to help the next one bring another piece of this puzzle for the future ones to improve (bring another piece)
Fought all these same problems with my bbc, I too put solid roller lifters on my hydraulic roller as well as stronger springs to also solve my problems. Great information and great video.
Merry Christmas!!! You guys are on it. Boost goes up when the valve/'s float causing inefficient air flow overall through the engine, creating "back pressure". Stuff like this is exactly why you are respected by many. Hard tedious work is not cheap, but the results are priceless.
On the matter of a solid lifter on a hydraulic camshaft, I have a 383 sbc that we converted around 2 years ago. The engine never really sees more than 6500 rpm and was run for an entire season this past year. The car sees double entry at most events and probably saw around 180-200 runs this season. I had set them during the winter last year, never touched them all year, just checked them a few days ago, and found that they all were still adjusted properly.
Steve Morris talking to Mike (customer). Mike, I have good news and bad, good news is we got your engine perfect. The bad news is it took 30 runs and its now time for the 30 run refresh, so it will be another week...😂
That engine is fine. Steve didn't over rev it. Didn't make it spark knock or detonate. Didn't Lean it out. It did float the valves a number times but that isn't the biggest deal. Valve float is the poor mans rev limiter.
Talking about solid lifters, even though this is a completely different use case, The Honda J-series still uses them to this day and the service manuals typically only mention adjusting lash once you hear the valvetrain making excessive noise. I have one that likely has never been adjusted over its 360k mile lifetime.
I much prefer to follow builders and tuners as they solve problems and adjust to conditions. Just drop in power and run fast times is less interesting to me. This is like math teachers requiring the student to show the process.
But then there are a selected few who can do complicated math in their head instantly. How do you show the process there? The equivalent would be a guy that makes changes at the track instinctively and improves performance.
The fact that it makes more boost psi when it looses control of the valve makes sense seeing that boost is a measurement of restriction and when the valves don’t open all the way there is more restriction in the engine so the boost goes up and the power goes down.
Or is it compression from the cylinders being pumped back into the intake manifold under the supercharger when the intake valves are floating and not seating?
@@2secondslater I don't know but I arrived at the same conclusion. I think inlet valve float may even be allowing some combustion pressure into the inlet manifold.
@g0fvt yeh, it's seems it's pretty much an issue with the hydraulic lifters causing lack of clearance in the valve train at the rpm exhibited and not allowing the intake valves to fully close, it would explain the drop off in power due to less compression charge in the cylinders and the increase in boost due to the compression charge being leaked back to the intake. Either way, we're both on the same page as armchair quarterbacks, there are definitely some weird valvetrain dynamics going on, it was proven by the swap to solid lifters solving the problem.
I`ve wanted to try putting solid rollers on a hydraulic cam but was afraid to do it for fear of wrecking good parts. About 2 years ago I heard you say that you do it and it`s not a problem. Thats when I started doing it too and the power gains were significant and so was the rpms before nose over. It made sense when you said the cam doesn`t care how stiff the springs are but the lifters do. You were soooo right. My street pump gas motors, air boat and the mud motors get the treatment so to say. No problems to date. User friendly aswell. Your info is spot on and I appreaciate it.
Loving the search for the root cause of the problem. Thanx for showing us all the extra effort you do. I'll keep buying merchandise to get some coin your way... 😊
At least early on, sounds like The intake valve is bouncing on the seat. That way you're getting pressure feedback into the intake manifold from the force of compression in the cylinder. Assuming that all valve springs are identical across the engine, it would contribute significantly to the manifold pressure increase once valve bounce/valve float starts occuring. Either that or maybe (and take this with a large grain of salt) the exhaust header is becoming a partial restriction at or above 6,800 rpm for the exhaust volumetric flow rate that the engine's producing. Or it could be a combination of both to varying degrees.
Valve bounce is what I think. People have commented that the valve isn’t opening all the way, because of leak down of the lifter. I can’t imagine this making a bit of difference.
I have a 430 ci LS with a Harrop 2650, it has 2” primary with a 3” collector. The engine has been built to run to 7500/7800 but it only makes power to 6300 then just plateaus, doesn’t really drop. I have been told my collectors could be restricting a lot of power and not getting exhaust out quick enough.
@@georgemanettasmanettas8072 How much boost are you running through it. Spring pressure is like fuel pressure. The more boost U need spring pressure. The higher rpm you need valve control . My race engine has 260lb seat it revs 7-7500 all night
work'd with a great guy back..ahhh...say.almost 40 years ago...flop'd hydrolic's to solids on a hydrolic cam...cause same basic issue u had...& corrected it...!..as a 20ish yo kid i dident think u could do that...BUT...learned never to question him again...!..as u do...he knew his s**t...he was a "hard" core drag racer/dealer shop forman...i learnd SO much...!..thanks steve 4 all the videos over the past year...healthy & merry christmas to u & family...!
It’s nearly 11am on Christmas Day here 🇬🇧 but I had to watch your video Steve! Now I’m rushing 😂 I wanted to wish you and all the Morris family a very Merry Christmas 🎄🎁🥂🍾❤️
That’s a lucky man! He is getting what he paid for. Wouldn’t it be nice if more people did this. Like starting with the lifters? Nice job Steve. Thank you for sharing and showing us that people do care about what they do .
You just gained another customer by your never quit/make it right ethic. Someday, when I need a motor built, no question who will build it. Merry Christmas!
I love this channel... I saw a ton of good channel about engine on youtube, but SM is one of my favorite with any doubt. It would be a dream living in the US and working as an engine builder! The american are the best, I read a ton of cartech books, see a ton of videos of SM, Darrin Morgan, EFI university, total seal, etc etc, and learn a lot! So I really appreciate the people who take the time to share information, and make good content, for people like me who can't really do that kind of cool stuff. Merry Christmas from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and thanks
Very good lesson this shows what happens when the lifters are collapsing and that the springs can't control the valve even on a Mild lobe profiles cam. Also I ve seeing a hydraulic lifters problem across all the manufacturers. Thanks again Steve .
After watching the rest of the video and thinking about it, valve float/bounce is what I'd say. The intake valve is not completely closing before the compression stroke starts and the piston is pushing air back in the intake manifold. I'd be curious if you could advance the camshaft to get the intake valve open/closed sooner before the compression stroke starts. Assuming there is enough piston to valve clearance between the exhaust valve and piston. I think this is also proof that overkill sometimes hurts you in the case of the push rods being too large and heavy.
Merry Christmas. Learned more from you in the last year it compares to all my years in tech school on the mid 80s put together. Been in the field ever since.
I've wrenched professionally for over 30 years on everything from chainsaws to tractor trailers, and I'm still learning. Especially when I watch your channel, thank you, sir!
I believe the boost went up when the intake valves bounced off the seat letting the cylinder compression pressure return to the intake. BTW You Guys do great videos with great information. Greetings from Brazil 💪🏻🏁
After reading your thoughts on what is happening i was considering it as a possibility but since the intake closes after bdc if the valve bounced it would just effectively increase the duration of the intake closing. It would delay the closing so much it wouldnt gain cylinder fill anymore for compression bc the piston is up too far now thus compressing less air, leading to lower power but i dont believe the intake side would show more boost as like i said the intake already closes after bdc. Im definitely not arguing right or wrong. Im only engaging in discussion bc its interesting and a fun challenge to think about. I hope to always learn and dont care if im right, i do seek to know what is actually happening. Thank you for posting your thoughts on the engine.
I'm glad you posted this video. You may have helped me solve a big boost surge problem . 75 mm torqstorm puts out 12 lbs of boost up to 6,500 RPMs. From there it rises to 21 lbs @ 7,000 RPMs.
New to your channel but I can’t already see your attention to detail is superb! If I had an engine to get tested it would be yours to test. I appreciate your demeanor, you have my vote!
you are the man Steve...figuring the stuff out and making it right for the customer at your expense!!!!! Marry Christmas and god bless you and your family!!!!!! have been watching you since day one....
Brother wrestled with engine high -RPM trouble, years ago, after stuffing a popular brand cam in his SBC. . Thanks for showing what the engine dyno helps reveal to the experienced tester.
Boost pressure on the back of the intake valve effectively reduces spring pressure. The area of the intake valve (minus the stem) multiplied by boost pressure is the force acting against the spring, reducing its rating.
@@css0076 That’s not really true, by the time the valve is closing the cylinder is filled so the pressure gradient is not as high. Forced induction does effectively reduce intake spring pressure, but it’s not as much as you suggest.
Boost on the backside of the intake valve is something I never thought about but now that it is mentioned, I can see where that could come into play very interesting thanks guys. Keep up the good work. You’re doing great.
As a builder of high 250+ boost on diesel pulling engines , long time ago we figured out boost has little to do with spring pressure needed.. if we were to put enough spring pressure to keep the valves shut at 250psi plus of boost we would need we would need 1200 psi springs just to control the boost, not even taking into account of pressures need just to control the mechanical part of the valve train. 200 on the seat and 7-800 open is all it takes unless your cam is crazy on these diesel engines and the valve train is much heavier than these automotive engines.
5:41 Pretty easy, boost is a measurement of restriction, when you have a valve hanging up and not opening all the way, that is more restriction, which is why your boost is higher.
If a valve was hanging up and "not opening all the way" you'd have broken parts. Rocker, push rod, cam. It's not possible as it's mechanically pushed open by the valvetrain.
@@jeffreyharley1480 I don't think this is the case here since they shimmed up the springs and it helped the issue some. Then they switched to solid rollers and it helped more but didn't solve completely. It wasn't until putting stiffer springs on the solid lifters that it appears to be resolved. I'd be curious of the weight of the solid rollers vs hydraulic rollers. If the solids were lighter weight that may have impacted the issue more than making the assumption they were collapsing at higher rpm.
Fascinating. Your thirst for more knowledge is inspiring. Hey, Merry Christmas !! Here is to a safe, sane, prosperous New Year for Steve Morris Engines. Thanks for the pro-tips.
Hydraulic lifter Hp trend improved with more valvespring pressure. A bad/squishy/leaky hyd lifter would normally be pissed off with more spring pressure. I'll bet the cam lobe/spring pressure combination is allowing some valve bounce on closing, and the hyd lifter took up the slack. Got better with solid lifters because they cant pump up when you have seat bounce on closing. Improved again with solids and more valvespring pressure to combat valve closing bounce. A milder/slower cam lobe might make the hyd setup happier and require less spring and more rpm? Honestly, im just throwing out some ideas, not trying to detract from the video. This was a great problem solving video, paying attention/analyzing the data, and approaching the problem in a scientific method. Thank You Sir!!!
Great video Steve, troubleshooting a valve train really takes a trained eye. Warning I learned something!! Pretty cool watching this from beginning to end.
Excellent video as always Steve! You are a true engine builder and absolutely THE BEST! The time you take to explain the various problems you uncover AND SHARE with your viewers keeps us coming back for more. You are a firm believer that you learn something everyday as am I. And in every one of your videos, I learn so much! Merry Christmas to you and your team!
Steve love the way your brain works ...boost and valve float are arch enemies...but this video is an exact example of a diagnostic mind at work .. well done ..😊
Best thing about boost is it’s nothing but a measurement, and a tool. When there’s a change in “boost” like this, it’s always going to be something mechanical. The ol lifters just aren’t up for the task, at that specific rpm, and cylinder pressure. Primarily the exhaust side… found the limit of the Ls7’s lol Love how you guys don’t quit, until it’s right. Exactly how I do stuff. 👍🏻✊🏻👏🏻🤘🏻
A big TY Steve! Sharing this info is invaluable for the everyday enthusiast that would never have the resources to chase an issue like this down to the root cause. I have to ask now though, in your opinion how many HP would be on the table to replace the hyd roller cam profile for a dedicated solid that had lobes designed to be easy on the valve train? My guess based on nothing is possibly twenty HP. I can't see the cost of changing the cam being worth it though. Being an old school racer from the 1990's, I don't get why it's so common for LS engines at this level (7000+ RPM) to use a hydraulic lifter.... In my days, if it's going to RPM much past 6000, just go solid lifter. Hydraulics just make no sense to me at this level everything taken into consideration.
As a disclaimer, I have never been to an engine dynamometer session, nor am I particularly literate about engines and their inner workings. An interpretation of boost pressure, is correlated to intake restrictions. I can have an engine running 20 psi of boost with bad heads and/or not enough valve train to flow the air required, and I can have the same engine, making the same amount of power on less boost with better heads and/or a better valve train setup. This is the same reason why an intercooler works wonders, because by cooling the intake charge, you bring up the density of air; when the air is denser, it takes less volume, and with less volume, the pressure is lower while making the same power. There is a great video from Engine Masters on "Motortrend" explaining this very fact with tests on the dynamometer. This being said, a sudden increase in boost from a compressor like the one on this engine, driver by the crank which increases rotational speed linearly with engine rpm, can only mean that the restriction in the intake has suddenly increased. This can be due to a few factors, like Steve listed in the video: 1. The valve springs cannot control the valves at that rpm, I would presume the intake valves are the culprits since they are larger and therefore heavier. 2. The original lifters (hydraulic) were collapsing, not having time to refill the hydraulic plunger, therefore lowering effective lift at the valve.
Been doing solid roller lifers on hydraulic cams for some years now at our race engine shop, dyno told us almost the same thing but running as n/a setup. Good for you to push the real world results!🤩
Thanks for the videos. I learn something new each and every time. I am new to the LS engine and I appreciated this particular video very much. I also have an LSX 427 with the Magnuson blower set up. Thanks again! Lookin forward to my first drag n drive in approx a year and a half from now.
Wild guess at 12 minutes, valve float. The intakes are hanging open, and the cylinders are pumping back it´s air into the plenum, making the boost higher.
Two things 1 ) I wonder what the stiffer spring will do to spring osculation at lower RPM ( Spring breakage on other D and D engines ) 2 ) I've pitched the following before but it gets lost in the shuffle. It looks like the dyno room does not have enough make up air from outside of the entire building. ( RE it might not be just the dyno room not getting enough air flow, it might be the entire building isn't getting enough air from outside. ) Look at time 900 and 1641. The left hand exhaust fan slows down and the shutters get pulled shut at high RPM. When the throttle is dropped, you can see the lexan window spring back. A quick test is to make a U tube Manometer from clear plastic tubing / colored water or hook up with a HVAC guy and use their differential pressure gage ( Generically Dwyer Gauge ) While this isn't related to the lifter / spring / HP spike issue, it is going to present a restriction to the intake and have the effect of a restrictive air filter. Given the boost sensor is referenced to ambient air, a lower pressure in the dyno room is going to make measures pressure a bit higher. ( Maybe 1/2 LB ? ) This effect is very evident on larger engines moving lots of air.
Killer eye, this comment needs to get more attention! I’ve noticed the Dyno rooms get more sophisticated and more attention is paid to things like making sure the engine doesn’t suck the room dry so to say when you go up the line in order of the small guys to the real big guys like Gale Banks who is approaching oem level with his setup.
@@robertmason8341 Thanks Gale Banks can do EPA validation testing. He also does stuff for the military. He isn't a yahoo that just throws fuel at a diesel thinking that smoke = power.
@ exactly that’s why I mentioned him in particular. I watch all his stuff, best in his industry IMO. Hey do you know any channels with guys that do naturally aspirated stuff. Trying to find some good cylinders head content. I enjoy watching Steve’s stuff cause he’s a great guy, but I’m an all motor plus nitrous motorcycle drag racer. We need the cylinder head to make power before we put any spray to it!
@@robertmason8341 Powell machine and Eric Weingard ( I think the spelling is correct ) Seem to be doing NA automotive stuff that could relate to MC stuff. I'd think that high RPM bike stuff would be very different due to high port velocities leading to choked flow sooner than automotive stuff.
@ I watch both of them, know any others ? I don’t think there’s any bike specific engine builders but i can still sometimes catch a nugget of useful info here and there from car guys plus I’m thinking of building a drag car, I’m getting a little too old to be going 180+mph
I feel your pain, the road to discovery is expensive. Eight years ago I had a 400SBC, fixed oil pump, for correct volume and pressure, hydraulic roller lifters, to solid lifters, back to different hydraulic rollers, ti retainers, valve springs etc. GOOD JOB. PS sorry about your dyno, hope SF, takes care of you.
Hi Steve, great video! I agree with css0076, I too have seen compound turbos on tractor pullers hold valves open: not the case here. The lifters were partially collapsing at high RPM thus not opening the valves all the way as evidenced by the climb in intake pressure not having anywhere to go. Keep up the good work!
I've never heard your spiritual journey, but it's easy to see in your actions and decisions. My favorite feature of the SMX is the ring in combination with the copper head gasket with 1/2 inch head bolts (4X per cylinder). These big ideas set your work apart from anything else I've seen. It's a real joy to see just how tough these ideas are. I think 'enlightened' is a fair description of your SMX. BTW: Thank you for this last year's videos. Wish I lived within driving distance. Thank you Stve & Val.
I've had good results with my line2line coated oil pump. It basically self clearance once installed on the engine and pressure increased through rpm range. Some of the typical coyote noise went away too. I can't wait to see my oil analysis results to see if engines wear pattern has changed. (This is on an N/A street car) Its going to be interesting to see how it fairs on a higher hp build. I may try it on my road race car and see how it holds up.
Very nice testing Steve. I like the solid lifter upgrade. I do think a good set of hydraulic roller lifters would have bern nice with a upgraded spring. Nice power and torque. Thanks for sharing. Merry Christmas Steve to you and yours. 🙏
I’m only at 7mins or so! Anytime we ever seen boost jump like that, an intake valve, or two was not opening! Like regular travel lifters, bottoming out! LS7 lifters have been garbage lately! Take some apart & see the beautiful machine work, & trash in them! They all quit right around 6800, unless you actually get a good set! Some guys run 8800, season after season with a really good short travel hydraulics! To the lash babies, ask guys that have owned there tractor trailer trucks for decades! It’s called running the overhead! Most of the super experts, get super anal about adjusting the valves! Even at 150000miles, they are all usually within a few thousands! Other than brand new rebuild, or something going away! Merry Christmas 🎄🎄🎄🎄!
Hello when technical knowledge is shared that took someone years to acquire and then Freely share it thank you guys. Class act going on there. All the best 2025😊
Steve This type of thing is Exactly why You Guys There Are So Amazing!!! Your an Absolute Gem in this Hobby/Industry there is a very small amount of people like you guys but the ones that are Rise To The Top!!! Hope you and your family have a Wonderful Christmas!!
Steve you and your team out did yourself again! This is the major reason I watch your channel...Mike is 1000% right when he said no other engine builder wouldn't take the time to figure out what was wrong..
I always love your videos because of your thought process your knowledge and always wanting to figure out what is wrong. I have had to reverse engineer so many different things through my life either mechanical electrical hydraulically or whatever I’m working on to figure out the root problem and buildthe correct fix
Merry Christmas Mr Morris my teacher , as always teaching this young 60 years young Aussie new information and methods .❤Steve Morris .
Mad props to a company willing to sacrifice profit to make sure the thing is done right all the way instead of just sending it out to be the customers problem
True, Mr Morris is pretty smart. He knows great product and customer service will result in more business and profits in the long run.
What's a "mad prop"?
@@oscaracme
Uh, ... mad props = big ups
He's not sacrificing any profits.
I’m not a real engine builder just an assembler, I wouldn’t criticize anything you do…. There are too many experts in the comment section for that. Keep on being you brother
Props to you for knowing the difference between builder and assembler.
When I hear people talking about engine builders, you guys are the type of people that come to mind. The people that just put stuff together and ship out engines are just assemblers not builders.
Agree 💯
You can tell the sense of honor that Steve has, truly a good dude to the core and exactly who u want to be building your engine. Customer was dead on about anybody else just shipping it too cause they would not put this much effort into sorting every little detail/issue, being a diag guy i was glued to this video cause its such a great example of how to really diag showing how to hone in on the problem along with the process of elimination. Data is so important and always tells the tale though, problem is knowing how to interpret that data and seeing the differences. Great job and excellent customer support :), I am the same way and wont send a job if its not perfect cause customers don't care about the good reviews since they usually just look at the bad. Its not worth a little money to risk your reputation in this industry and being so transparent about everything really helps assure your customers that your looking out for their best interest, most engine builders only care about the money and would never go maximum effort like this for a random customer. Have seen it many times where people try to save money on a engine build taking it to some dude that their friend knows or whatever, the outcome is either they loose the money invested plus all the parts or they actually get a slapped together engine that's never been run/tested. Most of the builders cant even come close to the level of Steve's stuff cause he has all the data from years and knows what works because of it, the guys slapping parts together bought off ebay/amazon thinking they are a pro engine builder just makes me laugh. Have a guy right now that did a stock "rebuild" on a 98 civic D16y8 and after getting it all back together he has a knocking noise lol, funny thing is that's y he was "rebuilding" the engine and he didn't bother to check tolerances or anything and figured he would just slap some std bearings in along with some fresh rings with dingleball hone action. Tried to bring it to me but i wouldn't take it on cause it was all the cheapest Chinese stuff he could get and didn't wanna spend the money at machine shop, the moment he said that i just put the tailgate back up on his dads truck and told him i just cant do it. That's a whole can of worms problem i don't want and its different when the customer has a clue what it takes to actually rebuild a engine properly, money is always the main factor but to do it right always will cost u more unless u have the tools/skills to do it yourself at that level.
Boost = volume with nowhere to go!
kudos for doing it right!
I really appreciate you giving away years of experience just to help the next one bring another piece of this puzzle for the future ones to improve (bring another piece)
Fought all these same problems with my bbc, I too put solid roller lifters on my hydraulic roller as well as stronger springs to also solve my problems. Great information and great video.
Merry Christmas!!! You guys are on it. Boost goes up when the valve/'s float causing inefficient air flow overall through the engine, creating "back pressure". Stuff like this is exactly why you are respected by many. Hard tedious work is not cheap, but the results are priceless.
This is why I followed you. You are an honest competent engine builder who is worthy of emulation.
On the matter of a solid lifter on a hydraulic camshaft, I have a 383 sbc that we converted around 2 years ago. The engine never really sees more than 6500 rpm and was run for an entire season this past year. The car sees double entry at most events and probably saw around 180-200 runs this season. I had set them during the winter last year, never touched them all year, just checked them a few days ago, and found that they all were still adjusted properly.
Steve Morris talking to Mike (customer). Mike, I have good news and bad, good news is we got your engine perfect. The bad news is it took 30 runs and its now time for the 30 run refresh, so it will be another week...😂
That engine is fine. Steve didn't over rev it. Didn't make it spark knock or detonate. Didn't Lean it out. It did float the valves a number times but that isn't the biggest deal. Valve float is the poor mans rev limiter.
@@steveletson6616- Do jokes routinely go right over your head?
@@danmyers9372very well put lol 😂
If it was a aluminum rod hemi it damn near would 😂
I take it you usually laugh at shitty jokes.
Talking about solid lifters, even though this is a completely different use case, The Honda J-series still uses them to this day and the service manuals typically only mention adjusting lash once you hear the valvetrain making excessive noise. I have one that likely has never been adjusted over its 360k mile lifetime.
I got to 275K miles on a J series till the lash started to become noticeable.
I much prefer to follow builders and tuners as they solve problems and adjust to conditions. Just drop in power and run fast times is less interesting to me. This is like math teachers requiring the student to show the process.
But then there are a selected few who can do complicated math in their head instantly. How do you show the process there? The equivalent would be a guy that makes changes at the track instinctively and improves performance.
Steve, great demonstration of valve control and how it can affect the engine performance. Hope you and your family have a Merry Christmas.
That is wild seeing the boost increase as the springs start losing valve control. That's great info, thanks for sharing!
No problem bud.
The fact that it makes more boost psi when it looses control of the valve makes sense seeing that boost is a measurement of restriction and when the valves don’t open all the way there is more restriction in the engine so the boost goes up and the power goes down.
Or is it compression from the cylinders being pumped back into the intake manifold under the supercharger when the intake valves are floating and not seating?
@@2secondslater I don't know but I arrived at the same conclusion. I think inlet valve float may even be allowing some combustion pressure into the inlet manifold.
I would hope the valves are opening completely, as I can't see how them not doesn't result in valvetrain damage.
"losing control" means they are not closing on time . They have no choice but to open .
@g0fvt yeh, it's seems it's pretty much an issue with the hydraulic lifters causing lack of clearance in the valve train at the rpm exhibited and not allowing the intake valves to fully close, it would explain the drop off in power due to less compression charge in the cylinders and the increase in boost due to the compression charge being leaked back to the intake. Either way, we're both on the same page as armchair quarterbacks, there are definitely some weird valvetrain dynamics going on, it was proven by the swap to solid lifters solving the problem.
I`ve wanted to try putting solid rollers on a hydraulic cam but was afraid to do it for fear of wrecking good parts. About 2 years ago I heard you say that you do it and it`s not a problem. Thats when I started doing it too and the power gains were significant and so was the rpms before nose over. It made sense when you said the cam doesn`t care how stiff the springs are but the lifters do. You were soooo right. My street pump gas motors, air boat and the mud motors get the treatment so to say. No problems to date. User friendly aswell. Your info is spot on and I appreaciate it.
My guess early on, hydraulic lifter is collapsing at high rpm.
Seen something similar on small GM stuff.
Loving the search for the root cause of the problem. Thanx for showing us all the extra effort you do. I'll keep buying merchandise to get some coin your way... 😊
Thanks
Merry Christmas to the entire SM family and crew!!! God Bless all you folks and thank you for the entertainment as well as the education!!!
At least early on, sounds like The intake valve is bouncing on the seat. That way you're getting pressure feedback into the intake manifold from the force of compression in the cylinder. Assuming that all valve springs are identical across the engine, it would contribute significantly to the manifold pressure increase once valve bounce/valve float starts occuring.
Either that or maybe (and take this with a large grain of salt) the exhaust header is becoming a partial restriction at or above 6,800 rpm for the exhaust volumetric flow rate that the engine's producing.
Or it could be a combination of both to varying degrees.
Valve bounce is what I think. People have commented that the valve isn’t opening all the way, because of leak down of the lifter. I can’t imagine this making a bit of difference.
I have a 430 ci LS with a Harrop 2650, it has 2” primary with a 3” collector. The engine has been built to run to 7500/7800 but it only makes power to 6300 then just plateaus, doesn’t really drop. I have been told my collectors could be restricting a lot of power and not getting exhaust out quick enough.
@@georgemanettasmanettas8072
How much boost are you running through it. Spring pressure is like fuel pressure. The more boost U need spring pressure. The higher rpm you need valve control . My race engine has 260lb seat it revs 7-7500 all night
@@rustyh8806also if springs aren't heavy enough it will blow the valve off the seat aswell
@
It has made 20lbs of boost
The springs are 230 on the seat and 660 open
Thanks for another great lesson and donation of your time to do so Steve.
work'd with a great guy back..ahhh...say.almost 40 years ago...flop'd hydrolic's to solids on a hydrolic cam...cause same basic issue u had...& corrected it...!..as a 20ish yo kid i dident think u could do that...BUT...learned never to question him again...!..as u do...he knew his s**t...he was a "hard" core drag racer/dealer shop forman...i learnd SO much...!..thanks steve 4 all the videos over the past year...healthy & merry christmas to u & family...!
It’s nearly 11am on Christmas Day here 🇬🇧 but I had to watch your video Steve! Now I’m rushing 😂
I wanted to wish you and all the Morris family a very Merry Christmas 🎄🎁🥂🍾❤️
That’s a lucky man! He is getting what he paid for. Wouldn’t it be nice if more people did this. Like starting with the lifters? Nice job Steve. Thank you for sharing and showing us that people do care about what they do .
Merry Christmas Steve and Family and crew.
Thanks for the year full of top notch dyno and racing footage Steve and Team. Appreciate it. You guys are the best🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅
Thanks for all the knowledge, just a garage mechanic and love to learn new things. Maybe one day I really work on modding my engine.
You just gained another customer by your never quit/make it right ethic. Someday, when I need a motor built, no question who will build it.
Merry Christmas!
I love this channel... I saw a ton of good channel about engine on youtube, but SM is one of my favorite with any doubt. It would be a dream living in the US and working as an engine builder! The american are the best, I read a ton of cartech books, see a ton of videos of SM, Darrin Morgan, EFI university, total seal, etc etc, and learn a lot! So I really appreciate the people who take the time to share information, and make good content, for people like me who can't really do that kind of cool stuff. Merry Christmas from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and thanks
Yes I agree. Cheers.
Very good lesson this shows what happens when the lifters are collapsing and that the springs can't control the valve even on a
Mild lobe profiles cam.
Also I ve seeing a hydraulic lifters problem across all
the manufacturers.
Thanks again Steve .
Yep
I'm 5:37 in and my guess is valve float is allowing some combustion pressure back in the intake manifold.
After watching the rest of the video and thinking about it, valve float/bounce is what I'd say. The intake valve is not completely closing before the compression stroke starts and the piston is pushing air back in the intake manifold. I'd be curious if you could advance the camshaft to get the intake valve open/closed sooner before the compression stroke starts. Assuming there is enough piston to valve clearance between the exhaust valve and piston. I think this is also proof that overkill sometimes hurts you in the case of the push rods being too large and heavy.
Merry Christmas. Learned more from you in the last year it compares to all my years in tech school on the mid 80s put together. Been in the field ever since.
I've wrenched professionally for over 30 years on everything from chainsaws to tractor trailers, and I'm still learning. Especially when I watch your channel, thank you, sir!
I believe the boost went up when the intake valves bounced off the seat letting the cylinder compression pressure return to the intake. BTW You Guys do great videos with great information. Greetings from Brazil 💪🏻🏁
My guess also. Beat me to it
After reading your thoughts on what is happening i was considering it as a possibility but since the intake closes after bdc if the valve bounced it would just effectively increase the duration of the intake closing. It would delay the closing so much it wouldnt gain cylinder fill anymore for compression bc the piston is up too far now thus compressing less air, leading to lower power but i dont believe the intake side would show more boost as like i said the intake already closes after bdc. Im definitely not arguing right or wrong. Im only engaging in discussion bc its interesting and a fun challenge to think about. I hope to always learn and dont care if im right, i do seek to know what is actually happening. Thank you for posting your thoughts on the engine.
I'm glad you posted this video. You may have helped me solve a big boost surge problem . 75 mm torqstorm puts out 12 lbs of boost up to 6,500 RPMs. From there it rises to 21 lbs @ 7,000 RPMs.
New to your channel but I can’t already see your attention to detail is superb! If I had an engine to get tested it would be yours to test. I appreciate your demeanor, you have my vote!
Enjoyed the problem solving process! Please enjoy the time off with your family in celebration of Christmas.
I love watching Steve's brain at work. That thing never stops until it's satisfied!
Merry Christmas from one long roof lover to another!
you are the man Steve...figuring the stuff out and making it right for the customer at your expense!!!!! Marry Christmas and god bless you and your family!!!!!! have been watching you since day one....
Brother wrestled with engine high -RPM trouble, years ago, after stuffing a popular brand cam in his SBC. . Thanks for showing what the engine dyno helps reveal to the experienced tester.
Merry Christmas Steve, Val, Kyle and the SME Gang. Top notch tec from Steve and crew. Ohh last cookie "Eats 20 more" LOL
Great video!!! No engine builder on the planet would do all that at no charge other than you!!!!
Merry Christmas
Nah, most know to use Johnston short travel lifters for a higher revving, boosted LS instead of wearing out a motor on dyno.
Merry Christmas to you and your family. I see Dewey in the background looking for his present's.
Another very informative video, heck in fact you even learned something. Merry Christmas to you, your family and crew.
Boost pressure on the back of the intake valve effectively reduces spring pressure. The area of the intake valve (minus the stem) multiplied by boost pressure is the force acting against the spring, reducing its rating.
@@css0076 That’s not really true, by the time the valve is closing the cylinder is filled so the pressure gradient is not as high. Forced induction does effectively reduce intake spring pressure, but it’s not as much as you suggest.
No it doesn't.
Boost on the backside of the intake valve is something I never thought about but now that it is mentioned, I can see where that could come into play very interesting thanks guys. Keep up the good work. You’re doing great.
As a builder of high 250+ boost on diesel pulling engines , long time ago we figured out boost has little to do with spring pressure needed.. if we were to put enough spring pressure to keep the valves shut at 250psi plus of boost we would need we would need 1200 psi springs just to control the boost, not even taking into account of pressures need just to control the mechanical part of the valve train. 200 on the seat and 7-800 open is all it takes unless your cam is crazy on these diesel engines and the valve train is much heavier than these automotive engines.
@scottmuller1901.. I imagine the relatively lower RPM of a diesel wouldn't require enough spring handle 7000 RPM either.
Blessed Christmas men! Learned a lot in today's video. Thanks
5:41 Pretty easy, boost is a measurement of restriction, when you have a valve hanging up and not opening all the way, that is more restriction, which is why your boost is higher.
If a valve was hanging up and "not opening all the way" you'd have broken parts. Rocker, push rod, cam. It's not possible as it's mechanically pushed open by the valvetrain.
@@cruizinmax01but couldn’t hydraulic lifters collapse and and allow the valves to open all the way? Just thinking…
@@jeffreyharley1480 I don't think this is the case here since they shimmed up the springs and it helped the issue some. Then they switched to solid rollers and it helped more but didn't solve completely. It wasn't until putting stiffer springs on the solid lifters that it appears to be resolved.
I'd be curious of the weight of the solid rollers vs hydraulic rollers. If the solids were lighter weight that may have impacted the issue more than making the assumption they were collapsing at higher rpm.
Fascinating. Your thirst for more knowledge is inspiring. Hey, Merry Christmas !!
Here is to a safe, sane, prosperous New Year for Steve Morris Engines. Thanks for the pro-tips.
"Best Holiday Present" -- Miles of SME Smiles opening to video
Hydraulic lifter Hp trend improved with more valvespring pressure. A bad/squishy/leaky hyd lifter would normally be pissed off with more spring pressure. I'll bet the cam lobe/spring pressure combination is allowing some valve bounce on closing, and the hyd lifter took up the slack. Got better with solid lifters because they cant pump up when you have seat bounce on closing. Improved again with solids and more valvespring pressure to combat valve closing bounce. A milder/slower cam lobe might make the hyd setup happier and require less spring and more rpm? Honestly, im just throwing out some ideas, not trying to detract from the video. This was a great problem solving video, paying attention/analyzing the data, and approaching the problem in a scientific method. Thank You Sir!!!
Great video Steve, troubleshooting a valve train really takes a trained eye. Warning I learned something!! Pretty cool watching this from beginning to end.
Merry Christmas Steve. Thanks for all the content, knowledge, and inspiration.
Great work fellas 😎🤙 much love from Pennsylvania 🥳🇺🇲
Nice work Steven Morinsin , Runs Great 👍
Merry Christmas Steve & Company.
Excellent video as always Steve! You are a true engine builder and absolutely THE BEST! The time you take to explain the various problems you uncover AND SHARE with your viewers keeps us coming back for more. You are a firm believer that you learn something everyday as am I. And in every one of your videos, I learn so much! Merry Christmas to you and your team!
Steve love the way your brain works ...boost and valve float are arch enemies...but this video is an exact example of a diagnostic mind at work .. well done ..😊
Best thing about boost is it’s nothing but a measurement, and a tool. When there’s a change in “boost” like this, it’s always going to be something mechanical.
The ol lifters just aren’t up for the task, at that specific rpm, and cylinder pressure. Primarily the exhaust side… found the limit of the Ls7’s lol
Love how you guys don’t quit, until it’s right. Exactly how I do stuff. 👍🏻✊🏻👏🏻🤘🏻
Learned heaps. The boost going up made sense when you list control of the valve. Merry Christmas to you all the way from NZ in summer.
A big TY Steve! Sharing this info is invaluable for the everyday enthusiast that would never have the resources to chase an issue like this down to the root cause.
I have to ask now though, in your opinion how many HP would be on the table to replace the hyd roller cam profile for a dedicated solid that had lobes designed to be easy on the valve train? My guess based on nothing is possibly twenty HP. I can't see the cost of changing the cam being worth it though.
Being an old school racer from the 1990's, I don't get why it's so common for LS engines at this level (7000+ RPM) to use a hydraulic lifter....
In my days, if it's going to RPM much past 6000, just go solid lifter. Hydraulics just make no sense to me at this level everything taken into consideration.
As a disclaimer, I have never been to an engine dynamometer session, nor am I particularly literate about engines and their inner workings.
An interpretation of boost pressure, is correlated to intake restrictions. I can have an engine running 20 psi of boost with bad heads and/or not enough valve train to flow the air required, and I can have the same engine, making the same amount of power on less boost with better heads and/or a better valve train setup.
This is the same reason why an intercooler works wonders, because by cooling the intake charge, you bring up the density of air; when the air is denser, it takes less volume, and with less volume, the pressure is lower while making the same power. There is a great video from Engine Masters on "Motortrend" explaining this very fact with tests on the dynamometer.
This being said, a sudden increase in boost from a compressor like the one on this engine, driver by the crank which increases rotational speed linearly with engine rpm, can only mean that the restriction in the intake has suddenly increased.
This can be due to a few factors, like Steve listed in the video:
1. The valve springs cannot control the valves at that rpm, I would presume the intake valves are the culprits since they are larger and therefore heavier.
2. The original lifters (hydraulic) were collapsing, not having time to refill the hydraulic plunger, therefore lowering effective lift at the valve.
Hey Steve just wanted to take the time out to say Merry Christmas
Tech Stuff YEA love it when you get into the TALL weeds and thoroughly explain the why, where and when.
Customer:"Cool man that"ll be perfect!"
Steve: "Ok Yeah can t do that."😂
Gotta commend you for always trying to do the right thing.👍
Thanks
Been doing solid roller lifers on hydraulic cams for some years now at our race engine shop, dyno told us almost the same thing but running as n/a setup. Good for you to push the real world results!🤩
Thanks
Merry Christmas and God Bless.
Thanks for the videos. I learn something new each and every time. I am new to the LS engine and I appreciated this particular video very much. I also have an LSX 427 with the Magnuson blower set up. Thanks again! Lookin forward to my first drag n drive in approx a year and a half from now.
Thank You for all your hard efforts in helping and teaching us ✅💪🏼🏁
Merry Christmas 🎉
Wild guess at 12 minutes, valve float.
The intakes are hanging open, and the cylinders are pumping back it´s air into the plenum, making the boost higher.
Two things
1 ) I wonder what the stiffer spring will do to spring osculation at lower RPM ( Spring breakage on other D and D engines )
2 ) I've pitched the following before but it gets lost in the shuffle. It looks like the dyno room does not have enough make up air from outside of the entire building. ( RE it might not be just the dyno room not getting enough air flow, it might be the entire building isn't getting enough air from outside. )
Look at time 900 and 1641. The left hand exhaust fan slows down and the shutters get pulled shut at high RPM. When the throttle is dropped, you can see the lexan window spring back.
A quick test is to make a U tube Manometer from clear plastic tubing / colored water or hook up with a HVAC guy and use their differential pressure gage ( Generically Dwyer Gauge )
While this isn't related to the lifter / spring / HP spike issue, it is going to present a restriction to the intake and have the effect of a restrictive air filter. Given the boost sensor is referenced to ambient air, a lower pressure in the dyno room is going to make measures pressure a bit higher. ( Maybe 1/2 LB ? ) This effect is very evident on larger engines moving lots of air.
Killer eye, this comment needs to get more attention! I’ve noticed the Dyno rooms get more sophisticated and more attention is paid to things like making sure the engine doesn’t suck the room dry so to say when you go up the line in order of the small guys to the real big guys like Gale Banks who is approaching oem level with his setup.
@@robertmason8341 Thanks
Gale Banks can do EPA validation testing. He also does stuff for the military. He isn't a yahoo that just throws fuel at a diesel thinking that smoke = power.
@ exactly that’s why I mentioned him in particular. I watch all his stuff, best in his industry IMO. Hey do you know any channels with guys that do naturally aspirated stuff. Trying to find some good cylinders head content. I enjoy watching Steve’s stuff cause he’s a great guy, but I’m an all motor plus nitrous motorcycle drag racer. We need the cylinder head to make power before we put any spray to it!
@@robertmason8341 Powell machine and Eric Weingard ( I think the spelling is correct ) Seem to be doing NA automotive stuff that could relate to MC stuff.
I'd think that high RPM bike stuff would be very different due to high port velocities leading to choked flow sooner than automotive stuff.
@ I watch both of them, know any others ? I don’t think there’s any bike specific engine builders but i can still sometimes catch a nugget of useful info here and there from car guys plus I’m thinking of building a drag car, I’m getting a little too old to be going 180+mph
Very interesting video. That was a lot of work. LOVE the tech side of these videos. Merry Christmas..
Awesome education Steve, love your work. Cheers from Down Under
I feel your pain, the road to discovery is expensive. Eight years ago I had a 400SBC, fixed oil pump, for correct volume and pressure, hydraulic roller lifters, to solid lifters, back to different hydraulic rollers, ti retainers, valve springs etc. GOOD JOB. PS sorry about your dyno, hope SF, takes care of you.
Hi Steve, great video! I agree with css0076, I too have seen compound turbos on tractor pullers hold valves open: not the case here. The lifters were partially collapsing at high RPM thus not opening the valves all the way as evidenced by the climb in intake pressure not having anywhere to go. Keep up the good work!
Merry Christmas Steve & Kyle ! Love your vids!
I've never heard your spiritual journey, but it's easy to see in your actions and decisions. My favorite feature of the SMX is the ring in combination with the copper head gasket with 1/2 inch head bolts (4X per cylinder). These big ideas set your work apart from anything else I've seen. It's a real joy to see just how tough these ideas are. I think 'enlightened' is a fair description of your SMX. BTW: Thank you for this last year's videos. Wish I lived within driving distance. Thank you Stve & Val.
Thanks for sharing Steve. Have a Merry Christmas to you and your families
😮 Thank you for sharing that overlay.
Merry Christmas, Steve & team!
Merry Christmas Steve!
This is what TH-cam was made for. Educate the people. Thank you professor Morris 💪
Hey Steve Merry Christmas to you You, Val, Kyle and the rest of the family and crew!!
I've had good results with my line2line coated oil pump. It basically self clearance once installed on the engine and pressure increased through rpm range. Some of the typical coyote noise went away too. I can't wait to see my oil analysis results to see if engines wear pattern has changed. (This is on an N/A street car)
Its going to be interesting to see how it fairs on a higher hp build. I may try it on my road race car and see how it holds up.
Very nice testing Steve.
I like the solid lifter upgrade.
I do think a good set of hydraulic roller lifters would have bern nice with a upgraded spring.
Nice power and torque.
Thanks for sharing.
Merry Christmas Steve to you and yours. 🙏
awesome again and very interesting. Wow thats crappy youtube views are down, I am going too watch it a few times to help out
Merry Christmas, Steve, family, and crew! Peace 🎄 🎊 🍻 💨
I’m only at 7mins or so! Anytime we ever seen boost jump like that, an intake valve, or two was not opening! Like regular travel lifters, bottoming out! LS7 lifters have been garbage lately! Take some apart & see the beautiful machine work, & trash in them! They all quit right around 6800, unless you actually get a good set! Some guys run 8800, season after season with a really good short travel hydraulics! To the lash babies, ask guys that have owned there tractor trailer trucks for decades! It’s called running the overhead! Most of the super experts, get super anal about adjusting the valves! Even at 150000miles, they are all usually within a few thousands! Other than brand new rebuild, or something going away! Merry Christmas 🎄🎄🎄🎄!
Hello when technical knowledge is shared that took someone years to acquire and then Freely share it thank you guys. Class act going on there. All the best 2025😊
Steve This type of thing is Exactly why You Guys There Are So Amazing!!! Your an Absolute Gem in this Hobby/Industry there is a very small amount of people like you guys but the ones that are Rise To The Top!!! Hope you and your family have a Wonderful Christmas!!
My swag was that it was spring related. I never would have thought to put solids in to test. That’s why you’re the pro.
I said "Valve Float" I hope you and your family have a great Christmas! You pinpointed where it was! Thank You!
😅Loved the sound of those sequential pulls. Westech has run those solid rollers on hydraulic cams with good results NA
Steve you and your team out did yourself again! This is the major reason I watch your channel...Mike is 1000% right when he said no other engine builder wouldn't take the time to figure out what was wrong..
Thanks
Merry Christmas to the Steve Morris and family 👪 😊
Your videos are great I always learn something ,I want to wish you your family and Kyle a very Merry Christmas God bless you all .
I always love your videos because of your thought process your knowledge and always wanting to figure out what is wrong. I have had to reverse engineer so many different things through my life either mechanical electrical hydraulically or whatever I’m working on to figure out the root problem and buildthe correct fix
It's lost Control of the valve train somewhere