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To T Cam or Not to T Cam... ?

mj4276

mj4276

New member
Joined
May 5, 2018
Location
Calyfro?a
Hi, I recently picked up a T cam at the junkyard, but upon closer inspections it seems to have some flaws.

Some of the lobes have a bit of pitting near the point(apex?):
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There are these odd concentric ovals at the points of some of the lobes:
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And the whole thing is sort of a straw yellow color (couldn't be overheated could it?). Although the bearing surfaces are less scored than on the stock M cam:
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What do you think? Is it safe to put in the T cam? Should I stick with my old M for now? Any advice is appreciated
 
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Maaaaaaybe a T cam, if you have an automatic and, aren't trying for a bigger HP peak. It's a real tractor cam, early, low spool, nothing much on the top end (that the AW70 doesn't like anyhow).
 
Sorry to clarify, I'd like to put the T cam in if I can, but I'm worried that it might be too worn out and damage my motor. Should I be concerned about the straw color, slight pitting, and weird ovals on the lobe tips?

(on a side note, my car is an NA b230F with an m46)
 
mj4276 said:
Sorry to clarify, I'd like to put the T cam in if I can, but I'm worried that it might be too worn out and damage my motor. Should I be concerned about the straw color, slight pitting, and weird ovals on the lobe tips?

(on a side note, my car is an NA b230F with an m46)
Click to expand...

You'll need to fix the pictures for an answer to that question.
 
The t cam ought to be one of the easiest cams to aquire for next to no $$$. If you're worried about the condition of yours, I would just find another one to run. You'll also need shims.
 
Since you have an M46 you would be well served to get a cam that gives you more mid range and top end so you can enjoy your driving much more.

If you want to go conservative. At the very least get a Volvo A or B cam as suggested above. An enem V15 is the first level of an aftermarket street performance cam but is still a very mild cam by performance standards. It's like the n/a version of the IPD turbo cam. The cam is ground to work with an n/a engine instead of turbo.

No don't use that T cam if you have any doubts. It's a lot of effort to put in a cam and you don't want to take a chance.
 
ovlov760 said:
The t cam ought to be one of the easiest cams to aquire for next to no $$$. If you're worried about the condition of yours, I would just find another one to run. You'll also need shims.
Click to expand...

Why would you need shims if the base circle is the same as the original cam? (they are)
 
I've got a handful of extra shims, and I already have the cam out of the car for some other work, but if T and M aren't that different anyways, I think I'll play it safe and stick with the M for now.

On the same note, where would one look for an A or B cam? I don't suppose there's any chance of finding one in a SoCal junkyard... Ebay?
 
I'd stick with the M-cam for now.
The T-cam just isn't worth the upgrade, even if it was in great condition.
Both cams are very boring (low lift, little duration) and only good for towing a trailer.

Try to find an H, K, D or V-cam if you have a manual gearbox.
Or at least an A, B, VX or VX3 (recommended upgrade for automatics).

I can really recommend the K-cam. That's what i run in my 240 (B230F, manual gearbox) and it pulls great from 1000 all the way up to around 5500 rpm. Instead of running out of breath at 3000 rpm it starts pulling stronger and stronger the higher you rev.

Here's a list of OEM and aftermarket cams and the engines they came in: https://turbobricks.com/resources.php?content=camspec
 
The good thing about using an A or B cam is that they were used in turbo engines by Volvo overseas and work well. Buy the B cam from Jack and you are ready for a turbo.
 
Thanks for all the advice everybody. I just put the car back together with the M cam and she purrs (maybe underwhelmingly) like new. I appreciate the offer Jack, but I had to get the car back on the road to daily. The next time I dig into the engine like this though I'll definitely do some cam shopping.
 
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