What is a mechanical flat tappet camshaft?
Mechanical Flat Tappet Camshafts The original race engine lifter, solid (also referred to as mechanical) flat tappet camshafts feature a more aggressive street performance or racing profile and are capable of higher engine rpm than hydraulic flat tappet camshafts.
How does a flat tappet lifter work?
Flat tappet lifters are actually not flat. They have a slight crown on the face of the lifter. The cam lobe is machined with a slight taper, which causes the lifter to ride the taper allowing the lifter to spin as it rides the lobe.
Can you use rollers on a flat tappet cam?
It is possible to run hydraulic flat-tappet lifters on a solid flat-tappet cam, and hydraulic roller lifters on a mechanical roller cam. The rules in some racing classes restrict competitors to running hydraulic valve lifters. Cheaters have been known to run hydraulic lifters on a mechanical (solid) cam profile.
What is a mechanical camshaft?
The camshaft in an engine is responsible for the timing, lift, and the duration the valves stay open and closed. To accomplish this, it works through the intermediate components of the valve lifter (or tappet), pushrod, and rocker arm (in a cam-in-block engine).
Why do you have to break in flat tappet cam?
Breaking in an engine with a flat tappet camshaft is critical to its performance and long life. This mates the lifters to the cam lobes. Most camshafts will come with specific break-in procedures. The following procedure could apply to any engine with a flat tappet cam.
How long does it take to break in a flat tappet cam?
The most critical time in the life of a flat tappet camshaft is the first 20 minutes of break in, during which time the bottoms of the tappets mate-in with the cam lobes. This is true for both hydraulic and mechanical flat tappet camshafts.
Why use a flat tappet cam?
The flat-tappet cam lobe is more pointed at peak lift, while the roller cam nose tends to be rounded; this means the roller is holding the valve open at higher lift for a longer period of time, which results in a greater fuel/air charge. The lobe shape also opens the valve much faster.
What kind of oil do you use on a flat tappet cam?
AMO 10W-40 and ARO 20W-50 Synthetic Premium Protection oils are recommended for flat-tappet and late-model high-performance motors.
Can you use synthetic oil with flat tappet cam?
How can you tell the difference between mechanical and hydraulic lifters?
differences in lifter designs For this discussion, a solid lifter is as its name implies: one piece of metal. It can be considered just a means to transfer camshaft lobe action to the pushrod. In contrast, a hydraulic lifter is hollow and has an internal piston and spring, and it allows oil to enter and exit.
How long does it take to break-in a flat tappet cam?
What rpm do you break-in a camshaft at?
Perhaps the most important step in the break-in process is to bring the engine immediately up to a minimum of 2,500 rpm or more. This is vital because most V8 pushrod engine camshafts are not pressure-lubed.
Can you break-in a flat tappet cam with synthetic oil?
Synthetic oils are so slippery that there is less force to turn the lifter. So, theoretically, synthetic oil could cause problems for flat-tappet cams. The real-world warning comes from cam manufacturers.
Is synthetic oil OK for flat tappet cams?
Do flat tappets need zinc?
A flat tappet cam will need zinc additives while a roller cam will not. This differentiation between the two comes down to the way both cams are designed.
Is diesel oil good for flat tappet cam?
Contrary to the current internet buzz that diesel oil is the oil to use in a gasoline flat tappet cam engine, the correct oil to use on a continuous basis in your classic car’s flat tappet cam engine is an oil designed for gasoline engines that contains the correct level of ZDDP anti-wear protection.
Can you run solid lifters with a hydraulic cam?
It is possible to run solid flat tappets on a hydraulic flat-tappet cam and even mechanical roller lifters on a hydraulic-roller cam.
What oil should I use with a flat tappet cam?
What is the best oil to use for a flat tappet cam?
Originally developed in the ’30s, ZDDP is an anti-wear/anti-oxidant additive. It also offers up excellent anti-scuffing properties as well, making it a perfect protectant for engines running flat-tappet cams. It was a standard ingredient in motor oil all the way through the ’90s.
Is synthetic oil OK for flat tappet cam?
How to break in a flat tappet camshaft?
Proper flat tappet camshaft break-in starts with the cam installation and includes the following steps: 1 Before installing the camshaft and lifters, wash them thoroughly in clean mineral spirits to remove the rust… 2 DO NOT “pump-up” hydraulic lifters before use. This can cause the lifters to hold a valve open during engine… More
How hard is it to achieve loft on a tappet Cam?
In practice, it’s possible to hit a flat tappet cam hard to achieve loft—particularly in the case of a solid. It’s also possible to achieve loft with a hydraulic, but here, some of the short travel (small preload) hydraulic race lifters are the key.
Can you put lifters on a flat tappet Cam?
Never use old flat tappet lifters on a new cam. On flat tappet cams, the lobes and lifter bottoms mate together. if the lifters are removed from the engine, they must go back on the same lobe from which they were removed. Crane Cams recommends the use of high quality lifters to prevent premature cam or lifter wear.
How does a flat tappet work?
While operating, any flat tappet is allowed to rotate in the bore as it moves up and down. To get there, the cam lobe is tapered slightly. Ditto with the camshaft contact face of the lifter (it’s slightly crowned and not exactly “flat”).