Hi all, I started my engine teardown and the camshafts were worn badly even though the car had low miles. Could this be due to soft original camshafts? Any suggestions as to whether to turn the existing cams or replace with new? If replacing is recommended, what brand should be used? Also, should the rocker arms be replaced or just resurfaced? Thank you for any response.
Best,
Yianni
You're probably best speaking to Martin (stunned_monkey), he's got a lot of
experience with these engines and may even have the parts you need.
I think our version of the prv suffers from poor oil flow to the top, so cam wear is not uncommon unfortunately.
This depends, of course, on what you want out of your car and how far you want to go with it, but... if you need (or want) new camshafts, you may want to consider installing some more-aggressive ones. Coupled with a free-flow exhaust system and a little head work, a different cam profile can make your DeLorean behave a LOT differently (and all for the better, IMO)! It's a massive upgrade in performance and is relatively cost-effective too, especially if you're doing the work yourself.
Travis
tgraham Wrote:This depends, of course, on what you want out of your car and how far you want to go with it, but... if you need (or want) new camshafts, you may want to consider installing some more-aggressive ones. Coupled with a free-flow exhaust system and a little head work, a different cam profile can make your DeLorean behave a LOT differently (and all for the better, IMO)! It's a massive upgrade in performance and is relatively cost-effective too, especially if you're doing the work yourself.
Travis
I'll 2nd this, I have a Delorean.EU Stage II fitted, so cams etc and the engine suits the character of the car to a 'T' and importantly remains 100% drive-able which can't always be said.
Thanks for the replies. There's alot to consider. Wish me luck.
Yianni
Getting a so-called "stage 2" to work is not altogether simple because there's no proper way of adjusting the fuel and ignition map as you can with EFI. I've worked on an Ed Uding stage 2 whose owner complained bitterly about how tough it was to drive in traffic (and he was right too - the thing wanted to catapult forward at the slightest tickle of the throttle). That sort of upgrade requires more than just cams though.
If the cams are worn, I'd be a bit worried about the state of the cam bearings, and I'm surprised the rockers haven't been damaged. If one of them goes, you really know about it because it starts to rattle really bad and the schrapnel eats up the oil pump.
I have installed Alpine GTA Atmo cams into a DeLorean and it makes for a lovely induction roar and more torque when combined with an 013 ignition distributor and a slight tweaking of the primary fuel pressure. They're also proper OEM cams and not heel grinds which mean the rockers don't work any harder as can happen on the "stage 2" engines. It happened to me and I've read of it happening stateside to a Houston engine, though it is rare.
Are those cams readily available?