Cam Break in. What Is Accomplished?

[1BIGJIM]

What exactly happens in this 25 minute break in period? Metal on metal, nothing should give, right? Thank goodness I have never had a problem in the 25 years I have been doing this. :D

[78Eliminator]

Motor break in:
If you have a rough final hone and old style cast hastings rings, the rings will mate with the cylinder walls and create a final seal.
If you have a flat tappet cam, the convex cam lobes with wear mate with the outer edges of the lifters so that they will spin in their housings.
The valves will finish mating into their seats.
If you are going to have bearing failure due to debris, that will happen around that time too :D

[cstraub]

Lifter pattern is established as is surface to surface mating with the cam and lifter. If you didn't have any trouble in the past, you probly will now. Several factors have changed, different MFG, loss of Mfgs, Gov. taking sulpher out of oil. Flat tappets are nightmares these days.
Chris

[78Eliminator]

Like a wise man once told me: Roller valve train and injection.

[Blown 472]

Originally posted by cstraub69
Lifter pattern is established as is surface to surface mating with the cam and lifter. If you didn't have any trouble in the past, you probly will now. Several factors have changed, different MFG, loss of Mfgs, Gov. taking sulpher out of oil. Flat tappets are nightmares these days.
Chris
Is that why there are so many cam faliures lately?

[cstraub]

Blown,
It's terrible. I can't warranty a hyd. what so ever and the only way I will on a solid is if the customer uses the Schedule 55 core, much better material, and an EDM lifter. The Shubeck is the best choice, but most won't go for $700 for a set.
Chris

[Blown 472]

I have been reading alot about flat tappet going away, lots of peeps blaming the cam grinders. Next cam for me is going to be a roller.

[Dave C]

you mean they make cams other than a roller??!???;) :D

[DansBlown73Nordic]

So what is the best advise????? I have a brand new cam to break in....:frown:

[058]

Originally posted by Dans66Stevens
So what is the best advise????? I have a brand new cam to break in....:frown: Break your cam in with a set of light springs.

[HammerDown]

Originally posted by Dans66Stevens
So what is the best advise????? I have a brand new cam to break in....:frown:
What I did was to run the Engine (break in) with just the outter Valve springs. After a day on the water I then installed the inner springs.

[TIMINATOR]

Just because you use a roller doesn't make it trouble free.... we had installed a Comp Cams street roller in a 355 we recently did, it was an austempered core so a bronze drive gear wouldn't be required. With the recomended spring pressure it lasted 2 WEEKS! The roller lifters sunk into the cam lobes about .050/inch! Comp DID NOT WARRENTY THE CAM/LIFTERS!!!!! They stated that perhaps we should look into using the more durable steelcore cam next time! I replied that if it didn't work why did you make it? catalogue it?" sell it? NOT warrenty it? They said that the retail warrenty period was 1 year, and the cam was made 2 years ago, that was their REAL reason for not replacing it. I said that since we are an engine builder and that we bought it wholesale and sold it retail that the customer was the end retail user and he only had it for a couple of weeks. Does the warrenty period start the day its made or sold? The new story was then that we didnot purchase a complete kit of parts with the cam so...NO WARRENTY! The motor was built with complete AFR 210 heads so we figured that since they buy their springs from the same place that Comp does, no problem.WRONG!!!!! We no longer use Comp Cams exclusively, nor do we highly recomend them as before, but we DO have a disclaimer stating that we will not assist the customer with his dealings in warrenty matters related to parts. We regret that but it cost us dearly in lost time on the phone and its not over yet. Look at this from our side, if the manufacturer doesn't have enough confidence in his product to warrenty it, why should I? P.S. we have had warrenty/ quality issues with other mfgs. too, I don't have a solution except to be so big and successful that I too could afford to tell the consumer to piss up a rope. But we don't do business like that. Maybe you all learned somthing from this. Good luck....... TIMINATOR :yuk: