Thread: cam wear

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I just started to hear a valve clicking noise in my chev 327 using synthetic castrol.... spoke to a few guys and seems the cam is worn and I need to do a cam shaft and relevant parts replacement... one of my friends suggested that the new oils.. synthetics were no good for the old engins because there were insufficient additives that the older engine parts need and suggested I switch to shell RIMULA whch is a oil for deisel engines but he said it would be better than the new synthetics for my old engine.. kinda sounds far out.. but if im gonna spend the money on a cam job want to be sure im gonna do the right thing or i may have to do a major overhaul

put a roller cam in it then run any oil you want .shell oil was good but i hear now not that hot they taken out some of the good stuff .you need a oil hi in ZDDP with out that your pissing in the wind joe gibs or brad pen oil made for brake in
.then you want a very low detergent oil you will want to use in it when the cam is broke in with zddp in the oil for the life of the engine

Use the Valvoline ZR1 racing oil....20-50 weight and see what happens. It has the zinc additives you need and comes in conventional and synthetic. Try the conventional first...it's what I use in my modified flathead Ford. Works great!

I've always used Rotella T oil, never heard of Rimula until you posted that name. I did a little research and it looks like Rotella is marketed to us regular users and Rimula goes to fleets primarily. Even with Rotella I like to dump a can of something like Comp Cam lube in, just because. It is cheap insurance (lots cheaper than cams and lifters).

There has also been speculation that cams today aren't as wear resistant as they were years ago. I don't know why that would be the case, but something I have heard............who knows.

I did run Mobil One synthetic in the 302 in my 27 for a while. I noticed a little more hp feel and the temp went down 10 degrees or so. But when I tore that motor down a few years later the cam and lifters didn't look so hot. Rough edges on the lobes and the lifters were concaved a little. Not sure that was the cause, but maybe.

Don

the flat tappet cams are made out of cast iron,rollers out of steel.stp has zppd in it but dose not say how much.synthetic is slicker than reg oil the flat tappet lifter slides on the cam lobe where the roller rolls on the lobe thus not needing the extra sticky oil.

just if some of you do not know. not all roller cores are steel for HYD ROLLERS they can be a iron core as well

I have been in a lot of camshaft places----both flat tappet and rollers cams are made out of both cast or steel billet cores----some even get a narrow groove ground in them and them welded with hard facing stellite like blacksmiths used to put on plow shears---
ain't it nice to know that stellite is used for things from the walking speed of a mule team all the way up to the fastest internal combustion engines

yep crower has been doing stuff like that for many years as well as the older nascar when they used flat lifter cams. but cams like that are for the big rollers$$$$$$$ like you jerry .i just posted on what just the little guy may see in his life time in a mild to race shelf core that most grind cams on