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Picking Cam 

*H.D. Solid 
Rocker Shaft

*H.D. Captive Ball
 Valve Adj.

Cam's & valves

Adjust Valves  
on 1200cc

Adjust Valves

    10/22/08*

OK now your ready to start you motor for the first time, valves have been adjusted according to factory specifications or if installing an after market cam, adjusted as per cam card, proper type and amount of oil added, timing set and the carb pre-adjusted as close as possible (better to rich then lean) Squirt a little gas down the carb throat and get it started as quickly as possible. Now that you confirm you have good oil pressure the most important thing to know about breaking in your new cam and lifters is NEVER / NEVER let engine RPM drop below 2500 rpm for the first 20 minutes.   
Break in oil should have the "MS" rating. Do not use oil that is rated "MM" or "ML" as they do not contain "anti-scuff" additives. Use a light weight oil (20w or 30w) Do not break in with synthetic oil or add any viscosity improvers. Do Not let the motor Idle for first 20 minutes of running. If you must make carb or other adjustments during the first 20 minutes break in period. Shut the engine off. 
Cam break in can be done on the street, at the drag strip or in the shop or but remember "Do NOT LET THE MOTOR IDLE"
Most cams use the .006" valve clearance setting but not all, many recommend .004" for intake and .006" for exhaust. So always follow the instructions that came with your new cam. Keep the cam card handy for future reference. Always set the valves with the engine dead cold and remember loose valves are bad but tight valves are ever worse. You will be resetting valves after break in and again in about  500 to 1000 miles. Check out this page on how to adjust your valves. -> setting valves. Valves stay in adjustment longer when captive ball adjusters are used as they all but eliminate wear between the adjuster and valve

If you are on a tight budget you might consider using a reground cam and lifters. My opinion is to save money some place else. When a cam is reground the base circle gets smaller and smaller and when valve lift is added it gets even smaller and when reground lifters are also used the lifter must come out of the lifter bores even more. We won't even get into the surface hardness of the cam and lifters. Most cam manufactures  recommend using only their brand of  lifters, but we have never had a problem when using a good quality lifter with aftermarket cams. With high lift cams it is wise to always use the large diameter lifters. Just in case we didn't make it clear above, please remember you should never let the Motor Idle during the 20min break in period.

Lift and Duration of the most Popular Cams being used in VW's -- *Information

Cam Gear Backlash should be between .000" to .002" or 0.00 mm / 0.05 mm
Cam Bearings, Std, & Special See #26 on --> *Click   Valve Train & Cam Gears - *ck     Oil Leaks from "Valve Covers" Find and Fix --> *info  
Push Rod Tubes "Replacement type"-> Order

Engle W120 Cam 294 Dur. & 437 Lift -->  "Quote"     $69.95     W100 Cam 276 Dur. x 420 Lift  --> "Quote"   $69.95
Engle Cam 274 Dur. & 462 Lift --> "Quote"  $69.95 

1.25 Ratio Rockers clam 10% more Horsepower -> Order

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