Re: [T3] engine diagnosis

["Keith Park" <topnotch@nycap.rr.com>]

<x-charset iso-8859-1>Good info... I used a COFAP cam many years ago when I built my first motor,
its the only thing that survived the synthetic oil.  Its still in there with
over 100K on it and no problems... question is, can I still buy with
confidence if I see a NOS cofap cam at a swap??  I even got the -2 gear i
needed already installed back then.

keith


----- Original Message -----
From: Jim Adney <jadney@vwtype3.org>
To: T3 List (E-mail) <type3@vwtype3.org>
Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2001 10:10 AM
Subject: Re: [T3] engine diagnosis


> On 30 Oct 2001, at 20:17, Keith Park wrote:
>
> > You may want to read Bergs writings on the cams. He goes through
painstaking
> > procedures for breaking in new cams these days and NOTHING will ruin a
cam
> > faster than the cheap non-German lifters... probably your entire problem
> > here.
>
> I actually got to talk with Gene a few years ago about this. Here's what
he
> had to say. Keep in mind that this was ~15 years ago and everything's
> changed since then:
>
> About cams: All the world's sources of VW cams can be divided into 2
> groups, Isky and various OEM makers around the world. Their cams all have
> the same metallurgy, so you can choose any cam you want without concern
> for where it comes from.
>
> About lifters: There are many VW lifter manufacturers around the world,
and
> there are almost as many kinds of metallurgy in the lifters they produce.
If
> you want a lifter that will work with your VW cam, however, there are only
2
> sources that you can buy from with confidence, either OE VW, from a dealer
> (or from Berg, his were OE VW at that time) or you can buy the 3 piece
> Brazilian lifters that come in the blue and white Eaton box. The latter
were
> somewhat lighter, but they carry a downside in that there is a little snap
ring
> inside them which can work loose and then work its way thru the filter
screen
> and destroy an oil pump. This doesn't happen often; I have an engine that
> went 100kmi with these with no problem.
>
> The lifters which I had bought came in a plain brown wrapper marked simply
> "Made in W. Germany." They were junk and Gene knew all about them. He
> told me that they were too soft and just how soft they were. I measured it
on
> a Rockwell tester we had at work and he was exactly right. The OE lifter
that
> I measured was harder, right where Gene said it would be.
>
> I've followed Gene's advice since then and never been burned again.
>
> Today's story is different, however. The new cams are no longer made with
> the same metallurgy and Berg has had a terrible time getting a quality
> product that they can sell with confidence. I don't think there's much
they
> can do about it since they just don't have enough buying power to dictate
to
> the manufacturer's what they should produce. I think it's all about the
fact
> that there are few aircooled VWs made in the world today, so VW doesn't
> have the clout it used to, but I've got to wonder what the BeetleMex
engines
> use.
>
> Myself, I stick to reusing good used stock VW cams and Berg lifters. If
you
> want a performance cam I don't know what you can do. I would at least ask
> the cam maker what he recommended for lifters and see if you can
> guarantee compatability if you buy both from him.
>
> -
> Jim Adney
> jadney@vwtype3.org
> Madison, WI 53711-3054
> USA
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
> List info at http://www.vwtype3.org/list or mailto:help@vwtype3.org
>
>

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