The standard list of suspects in premature wear on cams and lifters (especially Lycoming engines where the cam sits high over the crank) usually centers on inactivity, which leads to oil runoff, followed by corrosion, pitting and dry start issues. Owners magnify the problem by not motoring the engine with the starter when the engine has been sitting over a month untouched, never mind the failure of the owner to properly prepare the engine for temporary storage. The following theory points to a different cause and is not universally accepted. It does, however, merit some consideration in that the two ideas of inactivity and blow-by are not mutually exclusive.
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