can i run a roller cam in a g head?

[5sp. mini]

i do beleave i have read it before but can,t i run a roller cam and rockers in a g head i have a good slider but the rocker could be better. and do i need lifter to the roller or will the slider lifter work. and 1 more thing can i clean my lifter with gas. thanks

[turbovanman²]

You can run a roller cam in any head as they don't need the squirters, just make sure to use roller rockers and you can use the original lifters if you want, or PT's,

Yes, you can use gas but unless they are plugged up, don't bother.

[5sp. mini]

they are differant than my 360 lifters .what do i look for. they all move up and down the little button.

[turbovanman²]

they are differant than my 360 lifters .what do i look for. they all move up and down the little button.

If they came out of a running engine, they should be solid. If its been sitting awhile, no way to tell except to install them and see what happens.

[5sp. mini]

i will start with the slider as this is a cheap as i can build. then if there a ticking noise then look to a roller as i,m not look to race the car just drive it daily. my head guy said drop it off by monday and he will check it out presser check resurface and valve stem seals.

[turbovanman²]

Sounds like a plan.

[John B]

Please forgive me for asking an old question again, but I keep forgetting the answer. If you use a square tooth cam on a round tooth gear, do you retard it 4 degrees or advance it 4 degrees?

[Keito]

I use a round tooth cam with square tooth gear and advanced the cam 4 degrees.
I would assume you need to retard the cam with the opposite setup.
Are you running a slider cam on a round tooth setup?

[John B]

I use a round tooth cam with square tooth gear and advanced the cam 4 degrees.
I would assume you need to retard the cam with the opposite setup.
Are you running a slider cam on a round tooth setup?

No, I have an '88 roller turbo cam I'd like to try again. Thanks for the info. MAYBE I can remember it this time. I'll write "retard 4 degrees" on the cardboard cam holder tube!

[puppet]

Please forgive me for asking an old question again, but I keep forgetting the answer. If you use a square tooth cam on a round tooth gear, do you retard it 4 degrees or advance it 4 degrees?

Depends ... the two round tooth sprockets used in production are 4* apart. (557/690) AFAIK, the only square tooth sprocket used in production matches the 557 as the keyway relates to the engine timing marks. I forget that square tooth # off the top of my head.

[John B]

Depends on the cam ... the "typical" sprocket(s) used (both round and square) have nothing to do with it. Keyways are broached in the exact same place relative to engine timing marks. This myth should die already.

dang! Now what? Leave the adj cam gear where it's at now (don't advance or retard)?

[puppet]

dang! Now what? Leave the adj cam gear where it's at now (don't advance or retard)?

I edited my post John ... cause somebody might misunderstand what I meant.

As to your question ... ADV/RET to what the engine likes. All you're doing is changing valve event timings. ADV takes time away from higher rpm cylinder filling by closing the intake valve some degrees sooner. RET gives the cylinder more time to take in the charge during higher rpm .. intake valve closing a few degrees later.

Downside to this is that the exhaust events are tied to the intake timing. Ideally, we'd want the exhaust to open a little sooner for a higher hp app. So, given that we're talking about stock cams .. you have to check performance changes to see what's best for a given combination.

[John B]

So, depending on who's right, I'll either be installed straight up, off four degrees one way or the other, or off eight degrees one way or the other. Should be fun. I just like a reasonable starting point, and then I play with the advance little by little from there. Thanks for the info, though I still don't know where to set it to start with.

[puppet]

So, depending on who's right, I'll either be installed straight up, off four degrees one way or the other, or off eight degrees one way or the other. Should be fun. I just like a reasonable starting point, and then I play with the advance little by little from there. Thanks for the info, though I still don't know where to set it to start with.

If you don't know which cam you have exactly .. you'll have to do some detective work with degree wheel and dial indicator.

[John B]

It's a turbo roller from an '88 T2.

[turbovanman²]

It's a turbo roller from an '88 T2.

Trouble is, is it really? If someone changed the head or engine, you just don't know without actually checking it. It will have a turbo stamped on the drivers side end.

I would install it straight up and simply play, advancing helps bottom end power and the turbo spools early and better, vice versa for retarding it, so unless you want to know exactly where straight up is, just mess around, takes minutes to change it,

[shelbymonster]

if i read correctly , theres is 2 round tooth sprokets , 88 and 89+ , 88 is the same keyways than 87 an earlier so its an exact replacement to the square tooth ?

[shelbymonster]

you could use you vaccuum gauge , put the cam straight up and see what vaccuum you got or as turbovanman says, its what i would try

[John B]

First, let me apologize for sending this thread off in a different direction. I can easily crank the adjustable sprocket back and forth and find the best spot. I just wanted to get it straight in my head about the square gear vs round gear 4 degrees difference thing. It's obvious that there are different opinions on this issue, so it's not really worth more discussion. Thanks to all of you for your thoughts on it.

Simon: the cam is a verified '88 turbo cam, the 236 degree one. I have five camshafts I can't decide among: Taft S1, FWD F2, '91 turbo, '88 turbo. I haven't as yet tried the S60 you sent me. I hate to wear the new off of it, it's so pretty! Oh, yes, I almost forgot: I also have one of the 'legendary' '88 TBI camshafts that is supposedly the best stock cam choice. I really can't see how it would be an improvement. It's just more duration with the same lift. Give me more lift with the same duration and I'll be a happy camper! The problem is the ramp acceleration rates with short duration/high lift. Anyway, so far the F2 has probably felt the best but I have never had the tuning right so that's not definitive. I have an AEM wideband I'll install after I get the engine back together this time.

[5sp. mini]

there no harm the more i read the more it all comes back, if it was the old days i would go pick a roller up and use it but i done have the turbo stuff i did. i like the roller for idle and noise but i wll run the slider for now.but i still going new style intake and out side map and all that good stuff.