This is a brand new Crane bonze tipped fuel pump pushrod. It ran for maybe two minutes before I pulled the pump off due to a leak. IMO, is should not have a wear pattern on the tip like that (cam side) after such a brief period of run time. And yes, I did coat the tip in high pressure assembly lube before installing it. I also coated the sides of the rod with heavy axle grease to hold it in place while I installed the pump. I have done it this way for years with no issues.

This is a billet hyd roller cam that is a Cam Motion core. Do they grind the fuel pump lobes at an offset to induce spin on the pump pushrod like they do for flat tappet cam lobes? The stock rod that came out of my old 454 with a flat tappet had a circular wear pattern on the end, which is what I would expect to see.

Looking for some feedback on this one. The last thing I want to have happen is to mushroom the end off this thing to where it won't come out. Not to mention sending a bunch of debris through the engine!

I don't think they rotate.I also replace mine often. I you let it go too long it will be hard to get out. If you find a fix for this please let me know.

Uhh. Did you have the bronze tip against the cam? They do rotate. It buys a circular wear pattern on the bronze tip that goes again the cam lobe...

Well chit, fbc, I was hoping you would have something more encouraging to say to me, like "don't worry, be happy, and drink another beer." I'm afraid that the answer to your question may be "go to an electric pump". Which I may have to do if the damned rod mushrooms and gets stuck in the block.

I looked at my old pump pushrod again, and it definitely has a pattern on it where it was spinning. Which only makes sense, if you think about it. Just like flat tapped lifters, you have to have the fuel pump rod spinning to keep it from wearing. Perhaps that is the issue with yours, fbc. Have you looked real closely at the passage in your block to make sure there is not a burr that is causing it not to spin.

I would love to have a cam grinder weigh in on this issue. They almost have to have the lobe ground with one side higher than the other to promote spin, and you can usually actually see that on a new cam. I may have to take a look at an old flat tappet cam to see if I can see the taper on the lobe.

This damned boat is making an old man out of me. And I'll be a divorced old man if this motor bites the dust again.

Yep, positive.