So i have tasked myself with a rebuild on a 2.0 type 4. It’s going in the bus and the number 1 priority is reliability. Followed closely by budget. I don’t expect a performance motor but i think i can do better then some of the off the shelf recons out there. What Camshaft do you recommend? I am reading different reviews regarding different manufacturers Scat, Eurorace etc.
Don’t think its in A1 condition. Not seeing any real lobe flattening but not sure. Not easy to swap either once motor is built & back in van. I will post a couple of pics.
Used , yes. Worn , slightly. Broken in properly , obviously. Rather than have the worry of potentially failing at breaking in a new cam, spend the money elsewhere.
That^ cam is well past it’s best and shows the typical Type 4 wear pattern from the overlapping followers. I’d replace it, I definitely wouldn’t fit new followers on it. Measure the base circle diameter and the lobe height to get the cam lift – are they all the same? Web cams are best and relatively expensive, all the others are much of a muchness. Whatever cam you choose use followers from the same manufacturer. I use a Scat C25 in a 2.0l, it makes power from just off idle to 4500 or thereabouts.
New followers with new cam... we went stock Webcam , hardness matching and all that... don't forget 20min run in at scary noise level revs....face of gears need machining back as new cam will most likely be bolt on and they clash with oil pump Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk
Thanks for the advice chaps. I may go with a Scat c25 as mentioned. The original cam/followers are hydraulic. I recon i am going back to manual as advised by Jim@Stateside for better oil pressure, less rattling at startup. Jim is doing me some machining and has mentioned supplying a Cam & followers, not sure which one he had in mind though. I have read up on the break in procedure for the Cam, sounds brutal but essential for Cam life. Makes you wonder whether they did it at the factory back in the day.
Some cams you might want to consider. Web 73 https://vwparts.aircooled.net/Web-Cam-Type-4-Camshaft-73-Grind-00-472-p/00-472.htm Web 86 https://vwparts.aircooled.net/Web-Cam-Type-4-Camshaft-86-Grind-00-152-p/00-152.htm Web 73/86 http://vwparts.aircooled.net/Web-Cam-Type-4-Camshaft-73-86-Grind-p/web-cam-73-86-split-duration.htm Standard spec. Web 142 https://vwparts.aircooled.net/Web-Cam-Type-4-Camshaft-142-Grind-00-142-p/00-142.htm And a Scat C25 https://vwparts.aircooled.net/SCAT-C25-Type-4-Camshaft-1-3-1-Rockers-20086-p/20086.htm Have a look at what aircoooled.net says about them. Personally, I wouldn’t fit a standard spec cam, all of the ones above are still very mild but would give a worthwhile performance improvement without compromising longevity or reliability and if you’re going to replace the cam, and you should IMO, you might as well fit a better than standard one, it won’t cost any more. Let us know what Jim recommends.
Thanks for the recommendations. I was hoping to get away with standard valve springs, is that feasible? Won’t be pushing above 5k rpm.
Interesting webcam recommendations on aircooled.net. Mine is an auto bus for which they advise the 73/86. Its a bit of a mine field. Is there a UK supplier for Webcams?
Jim at Stateside will have, or be able to get, a Web cam– but not at the prices you see on aircooled.net. It’s not really a mine field, you just need to decide what you want the engine to do, the cam more or less determines where the power is developed in the rev range and for an automatic it needs to be low down. A split duration Web 73/86 looks to be ideal but I’ve never used one and there will be several other cam grinds from other manufacturers that do virtually the same thing. For valve springs, it not just how high you want to rev the engine but also the distance between the spring coils. With a higher than standard lift cam the spring has to have fewer coils so it doesn’t get coil bound at full lift, if it did the valve couldn’t open and something would break or bend. You’d need to measure coil clearance as you build the engine, if you can get away with standard springs it minimises the load on the valve train but it also reduces the rev limit before valve bounce because there is more inertia in the valve as lift increases. A standard spring might be okay for say 5000 revs with a standard cam but only 4500 with a high lift cam (numbers just for illustration purposes, not actual). You mention that Jim is doing some machine work, if it’s for larger cylinders and more capacity that could influence your choice of cam.
I have heard Jim has two types of customers . ones he can be bothered with and ones he can’t really be bothered with . A friend is using him for all machine work (sleeved and fitted type one lifters in his type 4 block , align bore etc . ) and supplied all parts on his 2.4 turbo build and this was his feeling ... Expensive was an understatement
I have to agree and unfortunately the ones he can be bothered with have to pay for the ones he can’t be bother with. And don’t look at his website and expect to pay what you see, it hasn’t been updated for years, if at all.
I know what you are saying but its a case of supply and demand. Jim has the knowledge, the tooling and the best parts available. Which are hard to find outside the States. I think his pricing reflects that. Who else in the UK would you trust to do quality machining?
I’ve bought parts from Jim but have never had anything machined. I’m not the UK, if I have to, I go to an excellent machine shop in Lyon, Atelier Gonin Moteurs. He’s not cheap either and I avoid any machining if I possibly can. Dan Simpson maybe http://www.dansimpsonvwengines.com/ a few others here https://www.volkszone.com/VZi/showthread.php?t=966490
Whilst I personally think a lot of VW specialists are overrated ... I could do a better job of the machining myself ....He only has old school Bridgeports etc .....
VW aircooled specialists like you say probably are overated. Problem is they are few and far between. Back in the Eighties we had a choice of five good machining shops within a 2 mile radius of Sheffield centre. Thats been reduced to 1 and he is retiring and shutting next year. Demand is not there anymore in the throw away society we have today.
