valve train shrapnel screens

[grumpyvette]

its fairly common practice for race engines to install a course mesh screen over the oil return holes in the block to limit the travel of fragmented valve train components, should something rather nasty occur and bits and pieces of fragmented valve train find their way into the lifter gallery, Ive always used 3/16" -or 1/4" grid stainless screens and used epoxy too secure the screens to the block surfaces over the drain back holes, along with high temp magnets, the reason is that a single roller bearing , bit of shattered valve spring,or valve keeper that gets into the lower engine can do an amazing amount of damage and its PREVENTABLE with the magnets and screens installed
if the magnets used with shrapnel screens in the lifter gallery drain holes,if you place one in the rear of the lifter gallery and at least two in opposite corners of the oil pan, you generally catch valve train trash like metallic grit and lost valve keepers before they can find their way into the oil pump, greatly reducing the chances of problems

engine building is about 75% technology and science and 10% art, and 15% skill gained through experience,over time.
doing it successfully mandates the person involved, in the process, can accurately observe, think, and recognize problems,
and if required, stop and think up solutions.
yes it involves knowing how components are intended to function and accurate precision measurement and access to some specific tools and a skilled well equiped machine shop you can trust, is a mandatory factor and skill set.
so many guys seem to be under the absurd impression that any and all solutions,
to any and all problems,
invariably involve, throwing away some component,
and installing some new out of the box part,
instead of acting logically and actually measuring,
thinking and potentially custom clearancing or at least reading the instructions,
and as most experienced engine builders will tell you ,
almost nothing you can buy fits and functions correctly in out-of-the-box, condition
,too near its true potential.after its ,
carefully, inspected, and correctly clearanced, and fitted.

many guys for some reason fail to think things through completely, adding magnets too the oil pan can prevent a great deal of metallic debris from entering the oil pump which it must pass through well before reaching the oil filter, and if theres a decent volume of debris already trapped in the oil filter, in most cases the lube system can bye-pass the restrictive flow past the filter, it only takes a single valve lock to destroy oil pump gears and the oil pump pick-up pre-screens don,t always prevent that

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/magnets.120/#post-49772
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/magnets.120/#post-49771

heres a good example of why keeping small metallic debris like valve locks and rocker arm bearing parts out of the oil pump gears is a good idea, shrapnel screens and magnets tend to reduce that from occurring.

DO NOT USE WINDOW SCREEN FOR THIS APPLICATION (SHRAPNEL SCREENS!)< THE HOLES ARE TOO SMALL AND THEY WILL CLOG UP, holes should be in the .100-.125 range, and used in conjunction with the high strength magnets

on a SMALL BLOCK RUNNING FLAT TAPPET LIFTERS ,ADDING THIS OVER THE SHRAPNEL SCREENS TENDS TO ADD ADDITIONAL PROTECTION FROM VALVE TRAIN FAILURE DAMAGE

25050 Lifter Valley Oil Baffle, Small Block Chevy, including 18° heads Only $33.99
http://www.jegs.com/i/Moroso/710/25050/10002/-1
* Increases horsepower by shielding bottom of intake manifold from hot oil
* Keeps surplus oil out of valve covers by eliminating oil splash
* Maintains oil pressure during pushrod or rocker arm failure by keeping lifters in their bores (except with roller cam)
* Due to slight variation in blocks, the baffle may have to be trimmed .060 - .100" before it will "snap" into place
* Cannot be used with roller lifters
NATURALLY YOU'LL NEED TO DO OIL CHANGES REGULARLY WITH DECENT QUALITY OIL on a HIGH PERFORMANCE ENGINE OR THE SLUDGE BUILD UP FROM OLD OIL ON THE SCREENS PREVENTS OIL DRAINING BACK AFTER AWHILE, IF YOU ALLOW THE OIL TO GET THAT OLD,and DIRTY, YOU'VE GOT ZERO BUSINESS INSTALLING SCREENS IN AN ENGINE

#8-or-#6 mesh stainless screen, or 1/8" or larger perforated metal is about correct, but its a bit smaller than ideal if you don,t do regular and frequent oil changes

this PERFORATED SHEET METAL AND EPOXYS USED ABOVE IS GREAT, ESPECIALLY WITH MAGNETS

THIS SCREEN IS A BIT SMALLER THAN IDEAL IN THAT ITS EASILY CLOGGED

moroso sells kits but you can easily do it yourself

viewtopic.php?f=62&t=1518&p=3473#p3473

http://www.moroso.com/catalog/categoryd ... Code=13021

http://www.moroso.com/catalog/images/25000_inst.pdf

http://performanceparts.com/part.php?partID=5904

viewtopic.php?f=44&t=1518&p=22252&hilit=preforated#p22252

J&B weld works if the blocks been degreased before the epoxys used

http://jbweld.net/index.php

IVE used it for many years with zero problems

btw, add a few magnets to the oil pan and drain back area in your engine, the trap and hold metalic dust that comes from wear and increase engine life span by preventing that crap embedding in the bearings

http://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetai...d=D66SH&cat=13

http://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=D66SH

http://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=D82SH

these are even more tolerant of temp swings and retain strength at even higher engine oil temps plus they are smaller and easier to use

custom made by HELICOIL, this shows hes thinking things thru!

The SH material in the D66SH magnets, means that the magnets can be heated to 300° F without any loss of magnetic strength, unlike standard neodymium magnets that begin to lose strength at 175° F. Suitable for many high temperature applications.

http://people.msoe.edu/~yoderw/oilfilte ... study.html

http://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=D66SH

if your worried about the potential for valve train shrapnel getting into your engine use several of these magnets in the lifter gallery and oil pan and shrapnel screens in the lifter galleries, its amazing the crud they collect and hold and prevent from getting into the oil pump

shrapnel screens in the lifter gallery and magnets in the lifter gallery , rear drain holes in the heads and oil pan sump, plus a decent screen on the oil pump pickup go a LONG WAY toward preventing metallic trash from reaching the oil pump, and a single valve stem keeper, ot bit of busted valve spring reaching the oil pump gears are all it takes to ruin an oil pump

http://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=D66SH

http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=120&p=150#p150

use J&B WELD on future builds, it drys solid over night,

or if your in a hurry theres the 5 minute dry version

both formulas work up to over 300F, and your oil should NOT get that hot

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-900510/

these work great, for inspecting what reaches the filter,but if you,
place several of these magnets (LINK BELOW) in your oil pan,and lifter gallery, it reduces significantly the metallic crud going thru the oil pump, thus reducing wear and preventing some issues like busted bits of valve train reaching the pumps gears

viewtopic.php?f=44&t=1518&p=12667&hilit=preforated#p12667

http://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=D82SH

http://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=D66SH

http://www.twpinc.com/wire-mesh/TWPCAT_ ... 8S0280W36T

BE AWARE magnets heat tolerance differs so ask for and pay attention to the heat limitations, a MINIMUM of 300F for any magnet expected to be used bathed in hot engine oil would be smart
if you want to build custom windage screens, oil cooler mount plates,grills, exhaust baffles ,LIFTER VALLEY SHRAPNEL SCREENS etc
perforated steel or aluminum sheet comes in really handy, THE SIZE AND MATERIAL USED WILL NATURALLY VARY WITH THE APPLICATION

home depot and lowes carry some types
heres more sources

http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?id=1004&step=2

viewtopic.php?f=44&t=1518&p=3473#p3473

shrapnel screens epoxied into the block to prevent valve train failure shrapnel from inducing bearing failure if crap gets sucked into the oil pump is a good idea IF you do frequent oil changes so the screens won,t get sledged up

THE SCREEN ABOVE IS CLOSE TO BEING IDEAL

THE SCREEN ABOVE IS TOO SMALL TO BE IDEAL

while I generally use stainless 6 or 8 mesh screens theres lots of options that will work just fine, just remember to keep the oil changed regularly or theres some potential for sludge to clog ANY size shrapnel screens
http://www.twpinc.com/twpinc/products/T ... 6T0350W36T
http://www.twpinc.com/twpinc/products/T ... 8S0280W36T

IVE typically used these magnets in an engine, one in the rear oil drain on each cylinder head, one near each lifter gallery drain and 4 in the oil pan sump

http://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=D82SH

BE AWARE magnets heat tolerance differs so ask for and pay attention to the heat limitations, a MINIMUM of 300F for any magnet expected to be used bathed in hot engine oil would be smart

heres whats left of a failed roller lifter roller wheel, Ive seen several similar failures , roller lifter life and valve train component expectancy tends to be rather short once spring pressures exceed about 500 psi and lifter exceed about .700 with that failing the cam lobe was nearly instantly destroyed, without several magnets and a shrapnel screen trapping most of the debris damage would be even worse to the bearings that what it was as easily 90% plus of the crap was trapped by magnets and never entered the oil pump, if only a single one of those hardened roller bearings gets sucked into an oil pump the norma/ result is a seized or busted oil pump and almost instant loss of oil pressure

 

[grumpyvette]

obviously if you want any engine to continue to function, and a dependable source of constant cooling oil flow over moving parts is mandatory, adding shrapnel screens makes that frequent oil changes are MANDATORY, because the cheaper oils tend to have higher concentrations of paraffin wax in the base oil that after a while degrades and forms a waxy sludge.
be honest with yourself here! installing shrapnel screens on a street driven car should only be considered if your 100% sure your not going to ignore a consistent maintenance schedule and even then a #6 grid or #8 mesh is fine as ID suggest be used, NEVER window screening , like this pictured below, as it clogs very easily, restricting oil flow return to the oil pump
viewtopic.php?f=44&t=1518&p=22252&hilit=preforated#p22252
while I generally use stainless 6 or 8 mesh screens theres lots of options that will work just fine, just remember to keep the oil changed regularly or theres some potential for sludge to clog ANY size shrapnel screens
http://www.twpinc.com/twpinc/products/T ... 6T0350W36T
http://www.twpinc.com/twpinc/products/T ... 8S0280W36T

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/mor-25026?seid=srese1&gclid=COOf2IODscgCFZKAaQodHWoF1Q
it should not take a great deal of imagination to see that a broken rocker, lifter or push-rod could dump metalic debris into an oil drain back port that wold rapidly result in increased internal engine damage as a result.

Something like this, placing magnets and shrapnel screens helps engine durability red ones in drain valley, green ones being overkill/optional?


yeah thats logical magnet locations,

IVE typically used these magnets in an engine, one in the rear oil drain on each cylinder head, one near each lifter gallery drain and 4 in the oil pan sump
proper magnets trap metallic debris
SmCo Samarium Cobalt Disc Magnets
http://www.magnet4less.com/

http://www.hardwareandtools.com/Jackson ... escription

THE SCREEN GRATE SIZE ABOVE IS FAR TOO SMALL TO BE IDEAL
IF your going to used shrapnel screens, a windage tray and magnets (ALL HIGHLY ADVISED, ON A RACE ENGINE APPLICATION)

I think you might find this link very useful

http://www.chevelles.com/techref/ScreenInstall.pdf

proper magnets trap metallic debris
SmCo Samarium Cobalt Disc Magnets
http://www.magnet4less.com/
many magnets lose their magnetic pull if heated to 200F
these below won,t
yes I've told a great many people about the benefits of placing several high quality ceramic or similar high quality high heat tolerant magnets inside an engine,
no mater how well any engine is built youll eventually find micro-metallic trash circulating with the oil flow and inevitably use of the magnets in the lifter gallery,
heads and oil pan will result in you find a amazing amount of micro-metallic trash trapped on those magnets,
keep in mind all that trash would gone through the oil pump gears, well BEFORE it had any chance of getting trapped in the oil filter.
many magnets lose their magnetic pull if heated too 200F
these SPECIAL CERAMIC MAGNETS below won,t
they are available from several vendors
proper magnets trap metallic debris
SmCo Samarium Cobalt Disc Magnets
http://www.magnet4less.com/

https://www.magnet4sale.com/smco-magnets-dia-3-4x3-16-samarium-cobalt-magnets-608-f-temperature/
http://www.magnet4less.com/product_...ucts_id=254&osCsid=ckl4nevgdrmireotnegg7jcf36

http://www.magnet4sale.com/smco-magnets-dia-1x3-8-samarium-cobalt-magnets-608-f-temperature/

Samarium Cobalt MAGNETS HELP
http://www.magnet4sale.com/smco-disk-magnet-dia-1x1-4-samarium-cobalt-magnets-608-f-temperature/
magnets are ceramic and glass hard, don,t try to drill or grind them, as they can shatter

Samarium Cobalt MAGNETS HELP
http://www.magnet4sale.com/smco-disk-magnet-dia-1x1-4-samarium-cobalt-magnets-608-f-temperature/
magnets are ceramic and glass hard, don,t try to drill or grind them, as they can shatter

a 36"/40" aluminum sheet like this, that costs about $40-$60 will provide windage screens and shrapnel for 3 engines,I PREFER the PERFORATED ALUMINUM FOR WINDAGE SCREENS, thats an option, if your semi skilled at fabrication, that beats the crap out of buying $300 plus worth of milodon screens that don,t work as well in my experience as a carefully fabricated custon screen will

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/mil-32260/overview/
adding some magnets to trap loose metallic debris, from broken or worn parts helps reduce potential problems
http://www.magnet4sale.com/samarium-cobalt-discs/


http://www.ebay.com/itm/Aluminum-Perfor ... 5af09e4d05

you can cut 4 individual shrapnel screens like the picture above and epoxy them in place or on some blocks a lifter gallery long single shrapnel screen can be fabricated

while I generally use stainless 6 or 8 mesh screens theres lots of options that will work just fine, just remember to keep the oil changed regularly or theres some potential for sludge to clog ANY size shrapnel screens
http://www.twpinc.com/twpinc/products/T ... 6T0350W36T
http://www.twpinc.com/twpinc/products/T ... 8S0280W36T

AS YOU MAY NOTICE DOING THIS ON A BIG BLOCKS A BIT EASIER
that stainless perforated steel should be fine, in fact nearly ideal as long as you fabricate a single plate shrapnel screen to lay over the lower lifter gallery floor area, making a single drop in shrapnel screen (usually with several magnets ) has the advantage of far more surface area and far easier cleaning than the typical epoxyed in individual screens and if you've never done that here's how you go about making the pattern easily.
first you place the block with a level on the block rails and move it around until the level indicates the block rails are level in all directions, next you place 3 full block length layers of tin foil in the lifter gallery floor over the oil drain areas and smooth them out, then you heat about 4 blocks of paraffin wax up, and pour it in to fill the lifter gallery floor up to the mid point on the lifter bores , on roller blocks the wax won,t cover the spider spring bosses
please pardon my rotten computer graphic skills

once the wax/paraffin hardens you lift it out , carefully flip it over on the perforated steel, remove the tin foil and spray the paraffin outer edge with black paint, allow it to dry then remove it, the result is a stenciled outline showing the shrapnel screen, pattern to cut out for a custom fit.

"Any source for the magnets Grumpy? "
http://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.a ... SH&cat=167
Ive used these for years, keep in mind youll want to run an OIL COOLER and a large baffled oil pan, youll ideally want to keep oil temps in the 200F-230F range preferably at the lower edge of that range MOST of the time
http://www.magneticdrainplugs.com/

http://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=D82SH

http://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=D44SH&cat=167

http://www.magnet4less.com/product_info.php?cPath=3_27&products_id=251 (prefered)
http://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=D82SH (acceptable)

use these, magnets linked above, in the lifter gallery and oil drain areas in the cylinder heads, and if you want too, the corners of the oil pan, the normal Neodymium magnets loose strength when subjected to high heat the ones listed ,especially the cobalt magnets are designed to operate under high heat conditions, you certainly don,t want metallic crap that was formally functional Neodymium magnets, that have lost the magnetism loose in the engine, you don,t need a great deal of pull strength, what you need is a way to trap and hold micro fine metallic crud from wear issues and preventing, that crap from getting embedded in bearings or causing wear in moving valve train components

btw I generally bend my perforated steel or aluminum lifter gallery floor covering shrapnel screen in an arc to allow the center to be higher than the edges , and BTW aluminum and stainless won,t stick to magnets so use J&B WELD EPOXY

THIS is a good example of what happens to bearings if the oil passages are allowed to push small metallic debris, from wear like rockers,valve tips,cam and lifter wear thru the engine, use of a few small magnets, and shrapnel screens helps reduce or eliminate this

result of a serious lack of regular filter and oil changes

YOU CAN ORDER #6 0r #8 stainless wire mesh from most larger local hardware stores or on EBAY or AMAZON if you shop carefully, most smaller hardware stores won,t carry it in stock but they all have the option of ordering it, THE WIRE MESH IS PREFERRED FOR SHRAPNEL SCREENS, typical minimum orders 12 sq feet at about $75 which will set you up for at least a couple dozen engines shrapnel screens so I generally find someone to split the cost with and we both get enough for a couple engines at only a few dollars each
be sure you,
pressure clean the block with a good grease solvent

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Hond ... 177499-_-N

and high pressure water,
rinse and dry the block, clean the internal oil passages with a rifle bore brush,

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/block-prep.125/

and cover the machined surfaces with a good quality rust preventative

a high pressure air hose and extended nozzle

and a heat gun help the process.

paint the cast surfaces

yes the stuffs expensive and high quality,
try to have a buddy go in for 50% of the cost,
a quarts easily enough for 5 -7 engines,
if you look at it, as a durability enhancement, thats less than $10 an engine
https://www.eastwood.com/glyptal-re...MIlvW7u4TQ4gIViLrACh0WFgRnEAQYAiABEgLLafD_BwE

Ive used it and seen several other people use it , it works fine.
glyptal is used to seal in, micro surfaces and prevent fine metallic dust,
that might be present ,
even after a blocks been cleaned,
from getting into the oil flow circulating back to the oil pump,
if the blocks clean, grease free and dry when its applied ,
and if its left to dry over night it will not come off.

http://www.twpinc.com/wire-mesh/TWPCAT_ ... 8S0280W48T
http://www.onlinemetals.com/index.cfm

adding a quart of marvel mystery oil at each oil change with its high levels of detergent additives to replace one quart of the better quality synthetic oil used, and swapping both oil and filter at least every 7000 miles, tends to preclude the sludge build up, the high detergent levels tend to hold crud in suspension better and tends to help the filter grab it as is passing thru, obviously a quality oil filter , thats frequently replaced,is mandatory in this process
if properly clearanced, to the rotating Assembly arc, and welded into place, in the oil pan most sizes of perforated sheet can be used for shrapnel screens or fabricating a windage screen,most sizes, with at least 40% open area should work ok,Ive used very similar looking perforated metal sheet in the past with good results

,

but look at this chart, I circled the type I used in green notice the percentage of open area vs closed sheet changes a great deal with the pattern and hole sizes selected ONE BIG ADVANTAGE TO USING PREFORATED STEEL , for a windage screen or a shrapnel , SCREEN or windage screen, IS THAT IF YOU PLACE SEVERAL HIGH TEMP CREAMIC MAGNETS ON A PREFORATED STEEL SHAPNEL SCREEN OR WINDAGE TRAY ITS MAGNNITIZED MAKING IT VERY DIFICULT FOR METALIC FERIOUS CRAP TO FLOW PAST THE BARRIER AND BACK TO THE OIL PUMP AS THE WHOLE SURFACE TENDS TO TRAP AND HOLD EVEN FINE DEBRIS,
I generally want holes covering at least 45%-50% coverage and at least 1/4"-3/16" in diam. in a windage screen perforated sheet
http://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=D82SH

BE AWARE magnets heat tolerance differs so ask for and pay attention to the heat limitations, a MINIMUM of 300F for any magnet expected to be used bathed in hot engine oil would be smart

while I generally use stainless 6 or 8 mesh for shrapnel screens theres lots of options that will work just fine, just remember to keep the oil changed regularly or theres some potential for sludge to clog ANY size shrapnel screens
http://www.twpinc.com/twpinc/products/T ... 6T0350W36T
http://www.twpinc.com/twpinc/products/T ... 8S0280W36T

New
magnet size is not all that critical, but get the high heat tolerant types linked, above ,
I generally use the 1" x 1/4" in the oil pan and lifter gallery and the, smaller 1/2" x 1/4" near the cylinder head oil drain back holes,
placed where oil draining back to the lifter gallery will run over them,you'll be amazed at the amount of metallic debris they catch.
read the link's on the shrapnel screens, and oil mods as thats also useful info.
the first time you tear down and inspect the crud trapped on those magnets, in an engine that has a few hundred hours of running time,
that was prevented from reaching the oil pump gears and bearings youll become convinced of the value
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/oil-system-mods-that-help.2187/#post-54398

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...e-used-prw-stainless-steel-rocker-arms.14896/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/magnets.120/#post-76609