Engine Failure: Causes and Solutions

Hi everyone,

I had another engine failure last week.
Vehicle: Volkswagen Polo 6N with an engine from a Seat Ibiza AFN, tuned to 140 horsepower.

The car simply stopped running. I took the cylinder head off this weekend. All the hydraulic lifters are completely damaged, and 2 of them are scattered in many small pieces inside the cylinder head. But strangely, the engine block is undamaged, and all the valves are okay. The timing belt was new and in good condition, the tension was correct, and the oil was also fine.

The engine is from a car that was involved in an accident. It's possible that the engine already had a Becker unit installed previously. The radiator, intercooler, and air conditioning condenser were not included with the engine because they were damaged. The oil cooler also had a crack.

What could have happened?

Thank you and best regards.
Schnupfi.