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Cam Swap from A to V

stayathomedad said:
Might be worth a bit of experimenting as far as timing goes.

Do you guys use any special type of lubrication on cam installs? I've heard using oil works just fine as well.
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I have seen people do quick and dirty cam swaps in other cars that way but to be safe use something made for the task like moly grease or assembly lube. There are no dedicated bearing inserts for the camshaft, just cut straight into the head casting. I have seen a few with rather bad scoring and they are easy to accidentally nick. So might as well use the right stuff and not risk it messing up those surfaces.
 
Indeed, I noticed that there aren't dedicated bearing inserts which is definitely one of the reasons I was curious about this. Good to know, thanks!
Do you guys typically use that same lube on the lobes and lifters or is there something different for them?
 
stayathomedad said:
Indeed, I noticed that there aren't dedicated bearing inserts which is definitely one of the reasons I was curious about this. Good to know, thanks!
Do you guys typically use that same lube on the lobes and lifters or is there something different for them?
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I just use the same lube for everything up there. It seems to work OK.
 
Bringing this thread back up.
I've read that a few guys shoot for lifter/lobe clearances of .015-.016. What I was wondering is since the tolerances are .012-.016 why not shoot for the tighter of the clearances?
 
To be honest, I think 0.015" is just a semi-random number I use. I'd rather a clearance was just a hair loose than tight, plus some other malarky. Anyway, I've always used the same lash so that my cam comparisons are apples-to-apples.
 
Makes sense actually. I mean, obviously anything within that range is acceptable so I guess it wouldn't really matter. Having said that I wonder if it would really matter if none of the clearances were the same as long as all of them fit within those tolerances? Would there be a reason to keep all the clearances the same really?
 
There are two things about the valve lash. One is checking and Volvo gives you a range say the above at 012-016 for example. Then if you are adjusting the spec is tighter. The 015 is a good mid spec adjustment. It's always worked well.
 
Probably just because the mentality is that if it's within the 0.012-0.016 checking spec, it's not worth the time to adjust. If you ARE going to bother with it, put it within the spec that the shims have tolerance for (0.05mm).
 
It's nice to replace all eight shims so the new cam has a new surface for the lobes to press against. But I've also just changed cams and run what ever shim was in there.
 
If my math is correct now it looks like I'll be able to re-use one shim. Most weren't even close though. I had clearances as small as .002 of an inch! That shim will be changing from a 4.25mm to a 3.90mm
 
First of all, why are you bothering with this camshaft swap? It's small for still small. Second, is the head shaved or a thinner headgasket installed?
Harlard said:
Stock for stock, doing 20+ cam changes, I have had to change lashes exactly never.
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Because you don't care, and you haven't done enough cam changes.
GeneralBurrito said:
I'll just subscribe to see if you have any big differences going from A to V. I'm going from a 530 with a B cam to a 531 with a V cam, just haven't had a place to do the swap.
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You'll lose low end power and efficiency by doing that swap, assuming nothing else is changing and you aren't using a thinner headgasket or shaving the head.
JE Jr said:
For reference:
240 B230E had 530+A-cam: 95kW@5250rpm 190Nm@3000rpm
740 B230E had 530+V-cam: 96kW@5500rpm 190Nm@3300rpm

I have a feeling the exhaust on 240 is more restrictive than 740 which can play a role, but not sure?
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Nice! Yes, they're basically the same performance but the V has a more modern profile that has less idle emissions, in my opinion.
stayathomedad said:
It's probably obvious that both cams with a 531 head will produce better numbers, however I truly hope it ends up being better then a difference of 1 for my application.
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Better assuming you're looking at higher rpm. The 531 is not the best for low rpm performance, and isn't necessarily a great idea until you get into camshafts with over 12mm of lift.
spock345 said:
You can also turn up the ignition advance and grab what feels like a bit more power. Just get a timing light and rotate the distributor or get sbabbs' EZK chip if you are on LH 2.4.
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Depending on what you do, you may not want to run more ignition advance than stock.
stayathomedad said:
Do you guys think advancing or retarding the cam and dizzy might be a good idea? I've read that advancing can give more top end while retarding can give more bottom end.
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Like mentioned above, advancing the camshaft brings the powerband down a little(sometimes with almost no difference experienced). Retarding the camshaft can bring the power band higher(sometimes with almost no difference experienced). Sometimes straight up is best, but you need to try it and choose for yourself. Different camshafts and different setups like different things. A dyno helps, too.
stayathomedad said:
Bringing this thread back up.
I've read that a few guys shoot for lifter/lobe clearances of .015-.016. What I was wondering is since the tolerances are .012-.016 why not shoot for the tighter of the clearances?
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Clearance depends on your goals, the engine and the camshaft. With a V cam, it's a pretty small cam so you can set it tight for more fun and not really have to worry about anything. Factory spec is .016-.018", but I've run as tight as .013" on the intakes and .014" on the exhausts(just to give them a little more seat time to bleed off heat). The tighter you make it, the "larger" the camshaft will be. If you have trouble passing emissions, you can run looser clearances(.020") to make the camshaft idle better. You won't have any trouble with a V cam at all, if it's running properly otherwise.
shoestring said:
Probably just because the mentality is that if it's within the 0.012-0.016 checking spec, it's not worth the time to adjust. If you ARE going to bother with it, put it within the spec that the shims have tolerance for (0.05mm).
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:nod:
dl242gt said:
It's nice to replace all eight shims so the new cam has a new surface for the lobes to press against. But I've also just changed cams and run what ever shim was in there.
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It's not necessary, but you can. The valve clearance may change by a hair once the new shim gets it's coating removed and everything settles.
 
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