Re: Warm idle with hot cams

[Jay Mackro <jmackro@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 12:29 PM 10/23/98 -0400, Robert A Brady wrote:

>From: Robert_A_Brady@domain.elided (Robert A Brady)
>Subject: 10548 Cams in a Spica Car

>I also replaced the stock cams with the euro spec 10548's.  
>The car starts fine from cold, but then as it warms, 
>dies on idle.  Other than that, it runs 
>fine, but doesn't seem any faster than with the stock cams.

I'm no SPICA expert, but I would bet that your problems are
contained within the thermostatic actuator - adjustment screw
in the pump beneath the actuator - elsewhere in the pump.  I
would doubt that cam timing would produce different symptoms
based on whether the engine was warm or cold.

As for as hotter cams producing no discernable additional power
- - yea, that happens.  Reasons could be: 1) Hot cams, like the
10148's produce more top end power, often with the sacrifice
of low end torque.  Since street driving depends more on the
latter than the former, running competition cams for day-to-
day use can make the car feel more sluggish than it did with
the stock cams.  2) Perhaps your ignition, exhaust, compression,
or induction (back to that questionable SPICA unit) is limiting
power, and all the cams in the world wouldn't make a difference.
But, I'd bet that your engine is in good shape, and that a dyno 
would show more top end power - you're just not shifting at 7,500 
rpm from every traffic light (not that I'm suggesting that you 
should).

Jay Mackro 

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