Johnson HT-2011 hyd lifters
You had another problem that led to this and snap rings could be insurance against the plungers coming out... but more so would be having the right spring pressures,checking them, and not trying to rev it like a solid...
Hmm...interesting take on the situation, because your message certainly reads like I basically haven't followed any of the proper engine assembly processes...which happens NOT to be the case here.
Springs were matched up to the cam. They were checked, valve close & open pressures were verified, all were good. Pushrod length was checked, it was good. The lifters I picked were picked purposely to run with 0 preload and indeed they worked very well. Something did happen to cause valve float (again, only my suspicion, but nothing else upon the teardown suggested otherwise)...it may very well be that with the motor revs going up to 6500-6700 that was just too much for the valve springs...again, I did not spec out these springs for this cam, therefore I really had very little decision to make here.
...Too many people don't take credit for operators error... and too many people say never use this or that. Just because one man is an idiot...doesn't the next will be.
That "idiot" statement in particular doesn't sit well with me at all, poor choice of words on your part. But given that the forum is about information and experience sharing I'll refrain from assessing your suitability for passing judgement.
Anyways, re-read my post pls. I will suggest that given that the very same lifter manufacturer switched to a hard retaining clip design and replaced the very flimsy sheet-metal clips suggests to me that they recognized a failure point in their design and had chosen to address it. Like it or not, in the case of these lifters the new design works better and if that means it has a wider marigin for error...well, that's just great...I am happy to obtain that designed-in insurance for the same price of the old part if anything to prevent problems from occuring over which I had very little control.
