need a new cam

[v8ranger]

Well I started tearing into the motor yesterday. I needed to change the intake gasket, ( leaking on the back side) Oil pump, ( was making to much pressure ) something must be stuck in the pump because when cold, if you go over 3500rpm's it would peg the oil gauge past 100psi. One time It blew the seal out of the oil filter. So I finally figured I would start tearing it apart yesterday. Well, it looks like the cam and bearings are bad. The cam has a trail around it, that looks like the beginning of pits. So I need to change my cam. What do you all recommend for a good cam for my setup. What's in it now is a E-303. I like the cam, wish it had a little bit ruffer idle. What I am looking for is off idle to mid range. I don't need something into the 5 and 6000rpm range. What do you all think would be a good " affordable" cam for my setup??? Throw me some links of the cam so I can look at it and the prices.. Being on disability, my funds are limited, and it takes me a little bit to save some money.

[cgrey8]

Cam selection done right includes both what your intentions for the truck are as well as what the engine's current displacement and compression ratio are. However since you probably aren't interested in tearing the truck down to CC the heads and pistons, measure head gasket thickness, and deck clearance, we'll have to go off of rough assumptions. But anything you can tell us about what the compression ratio currently is and what heads you have will dictate what cam will work best.

Without knowing that, one thing I can say is rougher idle and a cam that DOES NOT go into the 5-6000RPM range is exactly contradictory to itself. High RPM/high performance cams are what gives the idle a lope. What you'll need to do is determine which is most important. The options are:

• Better off-idle torque and better fuel economy at the expense of lopey idle.
• Sacrifice fuel economy, some driveability at low RPMs, and fuel economy for the lopey idle AND high RPM power.

The E303 is one of the best general purpose cams out there. But being general purpose, it serves none of these goals well. It has a lope, but not strong. It doesn't cater to flow as well as other cams with higher lift will, and it doesn't have the off-idle torque that smaller duration cams will either. But when you don't know what you want or need, it's at least better than the stock cam to be sure. And of all the people that run an E303, very few people complain about them UNTIL they swap it for a more purpose-specific cam.

Other things to consider when selecting a cam are things like what kinds of springs and retainers you have. If you are running stock equipment on a stock head, then the lift of the E303 is about the best you can hope for. However if you already have aftermarket springs and/or heads, then you can do with higher lift. Higher lift, even on a stock head, is a benefit. The head may quit flowing more air at about .450" lift, but having a cam that will lift beyond that point guarantees that you have the valve open to the max-flow point and beyond for significant amounts of time. At low RPMs, this means nothing. But when you go with a conservative, smooth idle, fuel efficient cam that doesn't have much in the upper RPM range, having the higher lift will extend that cam into higher RPMs than it would've handled had it not had the higher lift. It means the difference between it continuing to pull strong to 5500RPMs vs petering out just before 5000RPMs.

Now if you are on a budget and just need a cam to throw back in there and don't really care what goes back in there. I've got an Explorer cam I can give you. I pulled it out of the engine I'm doing the 331 build to. I've already got the cam I want to run, a Crane Powermax 2020. So I won't be needing the Explorer cam. The carbed guys give them raves because of the high vacuum they sustain at low RPMs to make carb-tuning much easier. But I can't honestly rave about anything about it. The LSA is VERY wide, the lift isn't that high, and the .050" duration is one of the smallest duration cams out there all making it a solid emissions cam with decent torque and fuel economy. With a set of 1.7 RRs, you get a little bit more lift, little better duration, but even then, it's still a mediocre cam.

So, feed back what you can about the engine build. Heads/springs (presumably ported GT40 from your signature), Compression, gasket thickness, pistons, etc. so we can make a better recommendation.

[Dave]

How would the "B" cam work compared to the "E" or Explorer cam? Just going thru my suff and got both never used.
Dave

[cgrey8]

The B303 is a more aggressive cam for sure than the E303. It has a smaller LSA and larger duration. It also has some advance built-in just to help recoupe some torque. It does work best with 1.7s since it actually has lower lift than the E303. It'll lope for sure. But I would NOT consider a B303 unless I had a pretty high compression engine or I was planning to boost it. With a high CID and high compression engine (>10.25:1) then it would be OK. So it would work alright in a 347 or 351w with high compression. With anything less, and its likely to be a dog off-idle. Fuel economy is going to SUCK in a 302 with 9:1, performance will be alright, but won't kick-in until at least 2500, but probably closer to 3000 RPMs.

[Dave]

Well 8Ranger does have the 1.7 rockers and is running 6lbs boost. But like you said, he is wanted two things that go against each other, low torque and a lope.
Dave

[cgrey8]

The boost will help recoupe the low end torque. But heavy overlap at low RPM will cause a fair amount of blow-thru during the time when the intake and exhaust valves are open at the same time. The less duration, the more boost air will stay in the chambers.

Given the cast iron heads, 6PSI boost, and the intention, I'd say go with the TFS Stage 1 cam. That's going to be better than the E303...but only marginally. It may be cheaper.

[v8ranger]

Its all stock on the inside and gaskets for what a 1990 Mustang 5.0HO would be.... I am also carbed not EFI. I dont race the truck, and dont ever intend to. Fuel economy is not a big deal to me. Its just a fun truck, not a daily driver. I like the E-303 but I would like something better than that as long as I have to change it. I dont have any clue as to what my comprestion ratio is. MY gas mileage sucks anyway, so I doubt it can get worst, lol.. I dont know what valve springs are on the heads. I bought them all ready done up. They where lightly ported, but the guy couldnt tell me what the springs where rated for. I figure I will replace them with something that will match the new cam I put in, what ever that may be. I got my engine all pulled out today.

[cgrey8]

If you are willing to replace springs when replacing a cam, then that's a good move. Since you know the E303 works with your combo, I'd say you are safe staying with it to avoid spring package replacement and possibly pushrod replacement. As I found with my Crane, base circles can change which requires you revisit the pushrods too. Asking around on other forums, that seems to be typical when going with a cam that has over .500" lift at the valve.

The main thing I don't like about the E303 is the ramp rate. You can get 220/220@.050" duration with much smaller off-the-seat durations than what the E303 has. The catch is faster ramp rates require a beefier spring. E303s are designed to work well with stock spring packages so the ramp rate is kept stock.

However if you are just wanting a change, consider the TFS Stage 1 cam. It's similar to the E303 in lift, performance, and .050" duration, however it has a faster ramp rate which gives it an edge over the E303. The faster ramp rate gives it a SMALLER off-the-seat duration than the E303 which helps low RPM grunt a tad. And because the lift is similar to the E303, you can use the same springs. What I don't know is what the TFS Stage 1 cam's base circle is. My GUESS is that it'll be the same as the E303 since it is similar in so many other areas. But that is something you'd want to expect might be different. The change wouldn't be astronomical, but it should be slightly noticeable. It's the most benign change from the E303 that I know of while still "upgrading".

[Dave]

Well, I was just sitting here sipping a cold one and thought you might have more problems than the cam. You did say the cam was showing pits and the bearings were shot and something might be lodged in the oil pump. Just doesn't sound good to me (after sipping a cold one). Any metal flakes at the bottom of the oil pan, how many miles on the motor? Hope for the best!
And don't tell a lot of us about money problems, you're included in a very large group. I retired and a month later everything tanked.
Dave

[cgrey8]

Get some pics and post them if you can. It'd be interesting to see what you are seeing. If you do end up going for a complete rebuild due to more damage than just in the cam area, then you will have the chance to measure head cc, choose "better" head gaskets, and possibly do machine work where necessary/desirable to improve things. Just because it is boosted, it shouldn't get bad fuel economy assuming every trip in it isn't a WOT experience...but as a play-truck, nobody could blame you for that.

Keep us informed and updated as to what your cam choice will be.

BTW, I just got to looking through my collection of cam specs and another excellent cam candidate for you to consider is a Comp XE274HR-12 although it may be too big for 1.7RRs. It is a big lift cam with performance duration, very fast ramp rate, and is a tried-n-true performer with NA and boosted applications. I think 87ranger uses that cam with his twin turbo 347 stroker. Being his engine is a larger CID, it can handle this cam with much more grace than a 302. For a daily driver, that would be a concern. But in a play-truck, high idle and minor driveability issues might be acceptable. It does have a better LSA than the E303.

[Dave]

Chris, right on about the boost not always killing your mileage. Think Malcolm is pushing close to 500 rwhp and gets over 20 mpg, grated, a lot sleaker body. Same here but body not as areodynamic.
Going to have a white Christmas down there?
Dave

[cgrey8]

Well it is really is unfair to compare our old pushrod engines to what new technology can do. Variable Valve Timing was a game-changer for engines that let smaller displacement engines run the gamut from fuel economy getters to max HP producers. Boost them and tune them, and you can get even more. We can never hope for the versatility out of our old Windsors that you can get with a VVT-capable mod engine. Add the new direct-injection technology and you can get even more performance and fuel economy on regular gasoline. Direct Injection lets the MFGs run 11:1 and higher without concern about preignition. Simply inject the fuel when you want it to burn and there's no way it can preignite allowing you to get the fuel economy, fuel control, emissions, and power of a high compression engine without the ping-side effect of high compression. Yep, our older engines are gradually getting left behind in history. There's only so much we can do with them.

[v8ranger]

The wear on the cam is more of a dark trail. I have seen this kind of wear on wheel bearings when they are going bad. I think what happen to the oil pump is something is stuck inside it not letting it regulate the pressure. Maybe even just a chunk of gasket material, who knows. I don't have the pan off yet. There is no metal shavings in the oil. The wear I see on the front cam bearing is more like dark spots. I am thinking that might be because of the high oil pressure. They are not down to the copper. I will try and get some pics, but im not sure that what I am seeing will show up in pictures.

[v8ranger]

[cgrey8]

I'm curious what others say about those pics. To me, that looks like normal wear patters. But since I'm NO expert at all, not even a little bit, my opinion isn't worth spit.