TriSum

I'm having a F1 "Helix 2" cam installed. I have ~ 90K miles on my truck. Do I need to replace the lifters with the new cam ?

Also, any secrets to getting the cam gear off ??

Thanks,

David

Keyser Soze

I changed my cam out at 100,000 miles and i didnt change mine out, the cam looks like new, no wear and tear so my tech said everything should be ok..

Timinva

Inspect your cam when you remove it. If all the lobes look good you will be fine with the old followers. I use a shop press to remove and install the gear. Insure the cam and gear are lined up and it goes right on. Also use plenty of moly on the cam lobes as you slide it in. Tim

OT-OF-Here

Their cheap. Also is the insurance you get by going back in with new ones with your new cam.

TriSum

Where is the best place to get them if I decide / need to get them ?

Thanks,

David

Don M

Like Tim said, it really depends on how the cam that comes out looks.

It is much easier to just pull the old cam and poke the new one in, but changing the tappets would be a great insurance policy. Since I have changed a pile of cams and never had wear issues I dont change tappets. Actually when we were testing grinds on the dyno, the test truck had the same tappets running on 20 different cam profiles.

TriSum

Well, I'll have them check it out. I might just get them for insurance. This motor should last another 300K.

Where is the best place to get them ?

Thanks,

David

XLR8R

We don't replace tappets unless the lobes show wear, and the faces can be inspected with a 'scope... kind of a PITA to get the new ones in, but you can get them from Dodge for ~$30 each. No doubt a Cummins dealer is lower...

mopardamo

Hello,

Just learning here but why does it seem typical to reuse lifters in diesels? This is a no no in the performance gasser world. I can only guess that the much lower rpm of the oil burners and the much lower spring pressures allows for this? Anyone have the low down on this?

Damon

XLR8R

There are several reasons, Damon - here's a few:

the CTD's mushroom tappets generate much less sliding wear, the lubrication system is superior, both spring pressure & RPMs are lower, lobe profiles are typically far less aggressive, and diesel-spec oil has a significantly higher TBN than gasser oil... which is why good diesel oil is an excellent choice to fill up a flat-tappet gasser with (I'm sure you know about the plethora of wear issues/failures accompanying spark-ignition cam swaps over recent years).