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Poll

Camshaft issues

camshaft
1 (100%)
camshaft followers
0 (0%)

Total Members Voted: 1

Author Topic: Camshaft questions on 2.3  (Read 2163 times)

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Offline fomocolover

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Camshaft questions on 2.3
« on: November 11, 2014, 10:33:03 PM »
 couple questions,I just bought a 1979 Pinto with a 2.3, got it home and noticed it ran kinda rough pulled the valve cover and noticed the #4  camshaft lobes were ground down.im sure it was a lack of oil getting to the lobes.The car has sat for a long time and the oil was terrible...any way changed the oil before I even pulled the valve cover.Question is I have a new cam on its way is there a procedure to brake in the new cam ? and second is when I pulled the cam followers I noticed they have different numbers stamped on them im going to probably replace them but are they numbered for a reason ? or are they all the same ....Thanks ....By the way this car is amazing absolutely no rust at all it was the white one that was on Ebay in Vegas.....

Offline 76hotrodpinto

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Re: Camshaft questions on 2.3
« Reply #1 on: November 11, 2014, 10:53:28 PM »
First off, you didn't mention if you addressed why the #4 lobes were lube starved. If you haven't fixed that yet, git-r-done. As far as breaking in the new parts, pretty much the same as a full break in. Use a good assembly lube and a break in oil, run it 30 minutes or so at various mid range speeds, no load. Change oil/filter and try not to lay in to the throttle for a few miles yet.
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Offline Clydesdale80

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Re: Camshaft questions on 2.3
« Reply #2 on: November 11, 2014, 11:06:31 PM »
before installing the new cam make sure all the lifters move freely, I'll bet the lifters for #4 are froze up.
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Offline amc49

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Re: Camshaft questions on 2.3
« Reply #3 on: November 12, 2014, 12:33:00 AM »
Depends on how much of the cam lobe is missing. If only a little bit you might get away with it. If not, well, Racer Walsh, who used to race that engine a LOT says that you MUST pull engine down to clean all the trash out from the lobe, not doing so simply tears the motor up far worse. Oil and filter change won't touch it and he emphasizes that point.

Put a magnetic drain plug in there and see what you get.

You better have new cam followers coming too, using old ones over there are the fastest way I know of to ruin the new cam, it MUST have new followers and they are matched part for lobe after that. Simply mixing them up to swap them will kill lobes faster than spit. Ignore any numbers, the followers are the same.

The  valves MUST have clearance when the lifter is fully collapsed or the valve gets held open by the lifter to then wipe oil off the lobe and cam dies in short order. How many of these motors got turned into junk after a valve job, valves sit higher in head when done and that clearance check not done. Flat lobes in one hour of running.

The later emission cars can easily cook the oil in the oil supply passages in the head to cam too, if no oil coming to cam then no oil at lobe, lobe dies. So the oil passages have to be cleaned too. I've seen like deposit solid as a rock in that oil passage before.

Offline Wittsend

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Re: Camshaft questions on 2.3
« Reply #4 on: November 12, 2014, 03:04:03 PM »
Frankly I'd send the cam back, go to the wrecking yard and get a Ranger/Mustang roller cam.  We have self serve yards where I'm at and monthly they have 50% off sales.  I paid about $35 for the roller cam/rockers and the lifters combined (I'd advise marking the location removed even if they are rollers).  Unless you then do something really drastic you will probably never have to worry about wiping a cam again.

  If your not incline to doing the self serve wrecking yard "thing" I recall roller cam/rockers going for about $100 on Ebay.

Offline waldo786

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Re: Camshaft questions on 2.3
« Reply #5 on: November 21, 2014, 04:37:25 PM »
I second Wittsend.  I got a ranger roller cam for about $100.  I got new followers from somewhere - might have been rock auto or esslinger racing as I bought some other stuff from them also.  I had my head rebuilt with all those parts, although I have yet to install it.  I'm very excited though as I've heard good things about them.

Offline 65ShelbyClone

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Re: Camshaft questions on 2.3
« Reply #6 on: November 21, 2014, 07:18:00 PM »
First of all, don't put old followers on the new cam.

There isn't much of a break-in with this kind of valvetrain AFAIK. Break-in lube on the cam is a good idea simply to assure lubrication upon startup.

I sniped a Ranger roller cam off 'that auction site' for less that it would have cost me for a trip to the same wrecking yard Wittsend goes to. I think it was $45 shipped.  8)
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Offline fomocolover

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Re: Camshaft questions on 2.3
« Reply #7 on: November 30, 2014, 09:52:16 PM »
Thanks to everyone who put there 2 cents worth in, went with a used roller setup from a ranger and all is well now...

Offline Wittsend

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Re: Camshaft questions on 2.3
« Reply #8 on: November 30, 2014, 10:25:17 PM »
COOL! I feel it is a wise move.
 Funny how we (I) call it the "Ranger Roller" cam.  Mine came out of a Mustang. LOL