New cam breakin tips...

[JhallettEX]

Well I just installed my new HotCam and I am gettin ready to fire it up for the first time. It says not to use a synthetic oil during the breakin, but I thaught that once you switched to synthetic you could not switch back. What do you guys think? Please also give me any additional tips you may have. Thanks again.

[oynot400]

I am in the process of installing my new cam also. Cam break-in was the first question I had for my engine builder. According to White Bros, do not let the cam idle below 2000 rpm for the first 20 -30 minutes. I don't have the sheet in front of me, that is what my engine guy told me.
He said that my cam came with a graphite grease already on it. He also recommended to grease the heck out of it and the rockers with a Moly assembly lube. He did not say anything about using a non-synthetic oil.
I am not sure on engine oil for switching back and forth between synthetic and regular motor oil. But for trany fluid is not recommended, it will turn the oil into cottage cheese! :eek: Or at least that was true on the Terra-Gators I use to work on.

Jhallet I beleive the theory of no synthetic on break-in goes more toward new pistons and rings,,not so much cams..I'm not 100% positive on this. I do remember Gabe saying it was ok to go from synthetic to regular conventional oil and back,,but I have heard in automobiles it's a NO NO. I think you'll be OK with the synthetic since you only replaced the cam. I'm sure some of the other more knowledgeable motor heads will give you some better insight..:D Make sure to get back out here and let us know what difference's you've noticed afterward over the XR400 cam..

[Ex'r Marlin]

Originally posted by JhallettEX
Well I just installed my new HotCam and I am gettin ready to fire it up for the first time. It says not to use a synthetic oil during the breakin, but I thaught that once you switched to synthetic you could not switch back. :huh I do not understand why it is recommended to "not" use synthetic oil during breakin. What is there to break in on a cam??:confused: I would think you would want all the advantages of a synthetic oil all over the cam.... Even during what would be called a "break in".

I understand why you would not want to use a synthetic when you get a new atv, engine, piston and rings due to them needing to seat good. I am very confussed why a cam needs a "break in".

Note: I also do not see a harm going from a synthetic back to a non-sythetic oil. I remember when the synthetic oils started to get popular that there were some "rumors" that you could not mix regular oil with synthetic, or that you can not switch from synthetic back to regular oil. I think that was all rumors though. Now they even have blends..... So you make the call.

Good luck with your new cam Josh!!!! I hope to have mine installed early July.

[Tommy 17]

i used synthetic b4 i switched my cams... then i went back to reg non sythetic and now i run semi synthetic??? i know lots of people that did this...

[VegasEx'r]

I installed mine last night. I used conventional oil. What I have heard is that the synthetic oil is too "slippery" for a new cam, and that somehow increases the chance of damaging a new cam (I guess that a little more friction when a cam first gets hot helps it last longer, but that's just a guess). One other reason I used conventional oil is because you should lube a new cam, and you don't want that stuff in your engine for long, so after 20-30 minutes of ride time on it, you should change the oil.

I also don't think there is a problem switching from synthetic to conventional.

my .02

[J25]

is the hp4 from the dealer synthetic? im just wonderin because im gonna be gettin a cam so i was wonderin if i had to change to a different oil... if so what kind???

so jhallet how do u like the cam... u have stage 2 right>?

[Wired]

jhallet what did you pay for that cam? i have the stage 2 cam sitting here and im now waiting for my 416 to arrive.

[Ex'r Marlin]

Originally posted by QuadMan00
is the hp4 from the dealer synthetic? im just wonderin because im gonna be gettin a cam so i was wonderin if i had to change to a different oil... if so what kind??? I understand the Honda HP4 oil is a semi synthetic, which means that it is a blend.

As for what oil to use when you put your cam in, I would first check what the manufacture states to use. I know JHallett says that Hot Cams states not to use a synthetic during break in, and VegasEX'r may be right that the lube they use in the cam may not be wise to keep in your engine after break in. This sounds like a question for Hot Cams to answer.

I guess to be on the safe side, why not use conventional oil for a few minutes to an hour, then change back to synthetic?

[Ketch]

I have my stage 2 in and i broke mine in with honda Gn4 and plan on going back to mobil 1 when done with jetting problem. How it
performs from what it has done so far it hits hard in the mid on up. But it's to early to tell. Also didn't put back the decompressor assembly noway to make it work any way.:cool:

The lube thing:

The reason the cam mfg requires the std motor oil for breakin is the same as with the rings and cyl wall. Yes the cam needs to wear in or mate with the rocker faces etc. syn oil would just make this take much much longer.

Hot Cams specificly states "not to use assembly lubes" I am not used to this as I have used a moly assembly paste on every auto engine I did.

hits hard in the mid on up. But it's to early to tell. Also didn't put back the decompressor assembly noway to make it work any way

First the hotcam doesnt have the machining done to it to accept the decompressor, and this doent seem to show any problems so far.

I have the stage1 and though I am happy with it (as stated in another post its just too small on the lift, tho the advertised specs were what I was lookin for) mostly because it had no noticeable loss of bottom end grunt, and still added a good amount of mid and top, not as much top as I would think the stage2 should do.

Did your stage two cause much bottom end loss?

[VegasEx'r]

Originally posted by 440EX4me
The lube thing:

Hot Cams specificly states "not to use assembly lubes" I am not used to this as I have used a moly assembly paste on every auto engine I did.

Me too. I used Bel Ray assembly lube for this installation, as well as when I put in my XR cam. I never had any problems w/ clutch slippage (w/ the XR). I think there may be a difference between assy. lube you buy for automobiles & for motorcycles. Just a guess though...

[86atc250r]

There's so much folklore out there with oils...

As far as synthetics go - yes, you can go back and forth as often as you like between conventionals and synthetic - heck you can mix in one quart of full synthetic and one quart of conventional if you have some strange desire to do so.....