Push rod lifter broken

[AGB]

Dear fellow 170 friends,
Today is a sad day for me. Found out that the push rod lifter broke into pieces. For some time I noted that the engine lost power, but we looked all over and couldn’t find the reason, today we found. The lifter is broken in at least 3 pieces and the ‘housing’ is even more damaged. Apparently we are going to have to open the engine. Sadly the engine has only 100 hs since overhaul some 4500 total.

We should all look at the bright side, right? It could have been much worse, could have lost the whole engine, plane, and more.

So as this history progress I will post here what has happened. Has anyone seen anything like this happening before? The mechanic said he has.

D.

[Indopilot]

Yep! Been there done that. Was doing some engine work for a 0-300 that involved one cylinder on each side of the engine. Was carefully repositioning the rod for the Lt side install when I heard a "chink" from the Rt side. The pushrod cup for the lifter did not have a retainer spring. The cup had come out, cocked side ways and caught on a protrusion, breaking the lifter body side out. Didn't eat to good that month.
Brian

[johneeb]

Brian,
I had the exact same thing happen while working on only one cylinder. Its a pitty the engine assembler couldn't take the time to replace the lifter retainer snap rings in the cam follower bodies. If they had you and I would not have had that engine out of airframe experience.
Johneb

[blueldr]

Early lifter bodies did not have retainer snap rings.

[Indopilot]

Hi Johneb,
As I remember it,(kind of etched in my memory) the older style lifter bodies didn't have a groove provision to even install a retainer spring clip like the "newer" ones do. But one good thing, I've never forgotten to check that those little suckers were where they belong again
Brian

[Bill Rusk]

Do a search here and you will find another case....MINE.


That is one plus to Lycoming, they don't have this design flaw.

Bill

[GAHorn]

Do a search here and you will find another case....MINE.


That is one plus to Lycoming, they don't have this design flaw.

Bill

Yep, ...they have an entirely different set of flaws of their own!

[johneeb]

I found this artifact in that stuff I keep around to remind me to be carefull.
Johneb

[N1277D]

Looking back through 50 years of engine logs, I noticed that the C145 in my C170A also had a premature overhaul due to a failed lifter. The case failed due to a lifter and had to be replaced at about 800 SMOH at one of the previous overhauls.