So I'm thinking I'm going to be ordering a engnbldr cam here soon, but I also just bought all the stuff to flush my engine and switch to synthetic.

I read somewhere you should use a non-synthetic oil when breaking in a new cam, anyone verify this? Do I need to worry about the rockers, valves or springs? Engine has just shy of 200k on it.

While I have the valve cover off and oil pan dropped, is there anything else I should do? I'm planning on repainting the oil pan, the thing's pealin all over the place... Are they normally painted? If so, anything in particular, like high temp bbq paint?

 

Anyone?

 

so long as your valvetrain is compatible with the cam and in good shape there is no need to worry about them. there are a few break-in oils on the market with additives for protecting new parts. Royal Purple is one. there is also additives for break in but the biggest thing is to coat the lobes in a good moly based lube, your cam my come with it. check with the manufacturer to see if your rockers need resurfacing, and follow proper break-in instructions. (usually 20-30 mins at 2000 rpm, then 1000 miles of light driving) As for repainting your pan, I personally would go with high temp engine enamel as it tends to be more oil resistant. Good Luck and hope this helps

 

Thanks a lot!

 

If your engine has 200K+ on it, there is no theoretical reason to go synthetic. and if your engine leaks at all, it will end up being more expensive in the long run. As for breaking in the cam, plain old cheap 10W-30 (85triz is right about the coating of moly and break-in period) is the best thing for it. Once other wear items (such as cams, rockers, bearings and such) are broken in, it is best to wait 5,000 miles before switching to synthetic. What is your reasoning for doing the switch?

 

My reason is two fold, with each reason being enough. The first is efficiency. I understand synthetic helps an engine run more efficiently. The second is the longevity of the oil. I'm in college away from home with no where to really work on my truck, so being able to go a long time w/o an oil change is nice.
I don't leak or burn oil. I have a new head gasket and i'll be dropping the oil pan soon to paint it, so that will be resealed as well.

 

sounds like a good candidate then. synthetic does help efficiency in a drag coefficient of rotating parts, but is not actually noticeable in anything besides a racecar where every thousandth of a second count. most engines with 200K on them have microscopic scratches on the bearings and bearing surfaces. synthetic is prime for preventing these scratches but once the bearings have been worn in, synthetics will not repair or stop the degredation of these surfaces. when you look at oils, there is 3 main differences between all of them. Motor oils are a spherical molecular shape. Gear oils are more of a cylindrical roller molecular shape. Synthetics are the in between as they are a randomly shaped (and sometimes sized) ovoid. Hence why you can have synthetic motor oil and synthetic gear oil. The weight of an oil simply refers to it's viscosity. The point i'm trying to make here, is that the oil change longevity is going to be the only actual factor in your case. Unless of course, you decide to roll some new bearings in while you got that pan off

 

I've only done top end work, how much work we talking to roll in new bearings?

My engine has 195k on it

 

once you have got the pan off, you're right there. what kind of oil pressure do you have?

 

I'm not sure.. I don't trust the gauge in the truck and I havn't hooked my aftermarket up yet - i was waiting for the oil change

 

oooh. never wait to know your oil pressure. if you have anything above 15psi at idle i wouldn't worry about bearings. you should have 45psi+ @ 2000 rpm. I have got 77 consistently @ 2000 out of my 20R

 

Thanks, I'll see what I can do about getting that hooked up here soon...
Soon being in a week or two if I'm lucky.

 

nice. ive been into yota for quite a long time, just finally registered on here. tons of good stuff