Cammed with no power

[gectek]

yes thats all well and good, but you need to use something more than break in lube. you should use either light weight 10-30 rotella or delo, or some type of special additive that the better cam companies sell that is an oil additive that says it is specially formulated with the extra additives to break in a cam. no regular cam lube will do that. if you did not do that, you could be in deep doo doo very soon...

[2.8RS]

The cam had lube put on it and was turned over many times when I was adjusting the rockers and trying to get the dizzy in the right spot. The lifters were also soaked for a few hours in oil before install.

[TurboGTU]

Thise guys are right, Sounds like your cam is off synch or you have bad preload on the lifters.

The procidurer to brake a cam in on thise motors is to use brake in lube, prime the system by cranking it over without the fuel or spark connected untill you get oil pressure. Kinda hard to get crank oil splash on the cam when thise motors don't allow it. If you don't prime the system, you'll kill the cam quick.

I'm off of Baum so not to far from where you were. The brakes are fine now and no more popping. The cam is lightly used from the guy that I bought it from who was doing an NA build with nitrous I believe. The problem was in the valve adjustment but I am going to go back and check the cam timing.

used cams are very risky if the lifters aren't replaced or the used ones matched to the original lobes. Some may not think the break in period is all that crucial, but having ruined a brand new cam due to initial break in interruptions I'm here to tell you it is crucial. Rollers and aluminum heads all the way, I'm not looking back.

[2.8RS]

I'm off of Baum so not to far from where you were. The brakes are fine now and no more popping. The cam is lightly used from the guy that I bought it from who was doing an NA build with nitrous I believe. The problem was in the valve adjustment but I am going to go back and check the cam timing.

I just readjusted the rockers. One turn past zero lash instead of 1.5 like the first time. The car isn't as rumbly as it was before. I'm still going to look at the cam timing this weekend. The car will continue to pull to the redline too but it seems that the middle RPMs are a little weak.

You live in my old stomping ground, I lived just off of Tram Road not far down from the Fair Grounds, Tram road was a nice long quiet road that I've seen 3 figures on the speedo on a few times.

Whenever possible the best way to set valve lash is with the engine running when you can. You probably shouldn't have increased your LSA over stock with a naturally aspirated engine, usually causes a peak power loss. It is also possible you got the wrong cam in the right box. Popping through the intake after a cam install for me turned out to be an exhaust rocker nut backing off.

Whatever the final verdict, poor braking ability is the sign of to much duration be it in the cam lobe or the cam install position. I have to keep my idle up with a 216/213 grind or else from time to time I get a hard brake pedal.

[2.8RS]

I just readjusted the rockers. One turn past zero lash instead of 1.5 like the first time. The car isn't as rumbly as it was before. I'm still going to look at the cam timing this weekend. The car will continue to pull to the redline too but it seems that the middle RPMs are a little weak.

[ForcedFirebird]

Just got back from running errands and the car runs and drives much better. Now the car will pull a lot harder in the upper RPMs than before. The bottom end feels about like stock power but now it has much more of a top end its crazy.

Any changes you made?

[2.8RS]

Just got back from running errands and the car runs and drives much better. Now the car will pull a lot harder in the upper RPMs than before. The bottom end feels about like stock power but now it has much more of a top end its crazy.

[ForcedFirebird]

Which one would be the best as there are a few if I am not mistaken. I have been hearing that the Holley AFPRs go bad real fast.

I've also heard they are good? They are hit and miss like any others, I used an ebay in-line AFPR with no problems.

[2.8RS]

Which one would be the best as there are a few if I am not mistaken. I have been hearing that the Holley AFPRs go bad real fast.

[ForcedFirebird]

The TPI AFPR is a bolt-in.

[2.8RS]

I didn't have a lot of spare time this morning but I went and readjusted the rockers and didn't look at the cam. It seems that the rockers were the problem as the car runs much better and has some more power. I thought that is should have made a little more. The dizzy is right but I will go back and check if I am lean and look at the cam timing tomorrow possibly. I'll go ahead and get an AFPR too.

[ForcedFirebird]

Some more input:

The heads are mildly ported, nothing more than a gasket match and shark finning the port dividers. The cam is used with about 50miles on it.

The tune should run the car fine with a bump in fuel pressure, this particular cam is inteded to run on a stock tune - and has been done many times in the 4th gen fbods (obd1.5) - sure it's not optimal, but it does work.

2.8, I would start at your cam timing - seemed as though you were having doubts about the alignment in your IM's, and just might be the culprit - but first start by bumping up your fuel pressure, as stated, lean conditions can cause all kinds of problems. When I first installed a AFPR in my car, the same lack of down-shifting (or upshifting at WOT) would occur if I was on the lean side, but never had any problems with vacuum or brakes. I would also double check the dizzy install (again).

[2.8RS]

I haven't tuned it yet but I am going to do an ECM swap pretty soon so that I can, no power if just not in the top end but in the bottom too. I did use break in fluid on all of the new parts, STP oil treatment was recommended to me.