[bri3d]

Pulled the clam and valve cover today to check everything out... and noticed that my #4 high intake lobe doesn't look so hot.

06, 25.5k miles, DDed/highway by previous owner and weekends/track from me. No external symptoms (codes, rough, etc.) yet but I'm glad I caught it early. No documented history of any oiling issues. Has a Moroso oil pan and never popped a cooler to the best of my knowledge.

Is there someone looking for a pattern in these failures or a spreadsheet I should add to?

I already have Eibach valve springs I was going to install as insurance against float issues, so I'm just a camshaft away from success. Spent a couple hours and got everything taken apart. Just need to do the last few valve springs and wait for new camshafts to show up! Not a big deal, but not what I would hope for on a car with 25k mostly gentle miles :facepalm

I think I'm going to go with MWR Stage 3 cams since they're supposedly stronger and I plan on slowly building up the car throughout my ownership. I should be okay sans a bit of power potential if I install them but wait until later (more mods) to re-tune, right?

On second thought, the 7:1 price difference is pretty crazy for a few HP. I think I'll stick to a new OE cam for now, and if it wipes again or when I continue my build, I'll reconsider only $100 poorer

 

[Jim-C]

You need new rockers too.

 

[bri3d]

You need new rockers too.

Yup - they're on order! After thinking about it I'm sticking with OE cams and rockers and I'll throw in the Eibach springs I already got a while ago since I'm in there.

You still recommend setting the intake lash extra loose, right?

 

[Motard]

I just replaced my head and internals to it. It is aways a slippery slope with modification. I did the Eibach spring set with the Ferrera valves and new OEM intake and exhaust cams.

Be certain you lock and unlock the VVT correctly. I would also check the screens and replace your lift bolts.

It is always "while I am in there" that gets you. I ended up replacing everything but rocker arms. I did not have a wiped cam I broke my intake cam and scoured my intake journal... peacb

 

[bri3d]

Yeah that's one other reason I think I'm sticking with OEM for now - with the MWR cams, I'd want a tune, then with tunes costing so much I'd want to do every mod upfront before getting the tune.

That means I'd be buying at least headers and intake if not just saying "screw it," buying a supercharger, and pulling the engine for a real build.

I put new lift bolts into my order since they're cheap, and I read both the TSB and the VVT thread on the Celica forum enough times that I think I get it.

Good call on the screens - I removed the screens and checked them while I pulled the rocker shafts today. They're perfectly clean, unsurprisingly.

 

[turbophil]

Adding fuel to your stock cam fire: the cam maps for the stock cams are NOTHING like what's needed for the stage 2/3 MWR/Piper cams. Nothing.

-Phil

 

[bri3d]

Update: all is well, I think!

Finished up this morning, but didn't get the clam on yet.

Warmed the car up and seems fine... no bad noises and idles and revs smoothly. Can't wait to get back from vacation on Sunday so I can bolt the clam back up and go for a drive :coolnana:

New OEM cams and rockers, plus installed the Eibach valve springs I already had lying around, and a new serpentine belt since my car was due anyway. Most of the time was spent waiting for parts (shims).

The chain tensioner / cover design and timing mark setup makes the timing side a breeze, and both camshafts have big hexagons that make tightening the sprockets easy.

The Toyotool / ValveMaster is SUPER awesome and made valve springs a breeze. Be sure to cover your oil drain passages in case you drop a keeper. I used a spark-plug air fitting to hold the valves. You need a decent compressor - a crappy Harbor Freight pancake wouldn't cut it.

 

[turbophil]

The cam timing is not as straight forward as it first looks... might check this out just to be sure...

Lotus Cam Timing

-Phil

 

[bri3d]

The cam timing is not as straight forward as it first looks... might check this out just to be sure...

Lotus Cam Timing

-Phil

Good pics, thanks.

I just followed the diagrams in the '05 factory (Matrix) manual and ended up in the same place. I noticed that the Matrix manual is much better than the Corolla manual in general.

I also started with my orange links aligned and didn't move the crank, which makes things pretty straightforward.

 

[<@¿@>]

What oil has been used...that has the biggest influence on the life of a cam. I will guess that you have been using Mobile 1 Turbo Diesel 5W40 oil.

 

[invictusmaneo]

Ok I've been watching this hoping for more information on why the Mobil 1 5w40 tdt oil may have been a culprit to no avail. I'm ignorant certainly but I thought the zddp and overall makeup of that oil was good for the 2zz and 2gr family?

 

[bri3d]

Ok I've been watching this hoping for more information on why the Mobil 1 5w40 tdt oil may have been a culprit to no avail. I'm ignorant certainly but I thought the zddp and overall makeup of that oil was good for the 2zz and 2gr family?

That seems to be the prevailing thought.

There are some sources like "540RAT" who claim that modern additives are better at promoting film strength than ZDDP and that Mobile1 5W40 TDT is a mediocre oil at best by their measures.

I personally think there must be a lot more to wiped cams than oil, since of the decently-sized number of 5W40 TDT users on this forum, some see it happen and plenty don't.

If you want to unlock that can of worms there are several threads here about possible wiped cam causes, from ZDDP to oil temps staying too low to valve float to lash settings to defective camshafts to mis-aimed sprayers to who knows what.

As for my wiped cam issue, it's all done. I got the car back together after my vacation, it runs great, is noticeably up on power, and might be a bit quieter (I still have enough little rattles to hunt that I can never quite be sure). I'm going to do an oil change in a few hundred miles once everything's worn in and then hit the track again.

Overall the replacement was a pretty easy job and I'd encourage everyone to check their cams if they haven't already. Mine were maybe a bit louder than they should have been and now that I know what things should be like, I was definitely down on power, but I had no codes, misfires, stalls, or other symptoms.