? About dickmeyer mpg cam

[TominMO]

Newest results after cam install...adjusted disty and carb multiple times not sure what else to do with it but 44 mpg is the best i can get, i was getting better than that with stock is there something more i can do? If i go up on jet in carb im sure mpg goes down not what im wanting. On the verge of going back to the stock cam. Also idle is weird, idles good but sounds very odd. Also i am getting random car just dying, never had that before. Wish i knew where this mpg gain was, feeling very frustrated.

Uglyed and the Steve

Possibly your timing belt is off one notch? I always triple-check that when putting one on. Make sure to rotate it at least one complete turn (I would suggest two or more turns) to make sure everything stays lined up properly.

[UglyEd]

I am starting to wonder rhat myself the disty is rotated all the way towards firewall this is where it runs the best and it acts like it needs to go more ao yes timing might be in question thanks

[TominMO]

I am starting to wonder rhat myself the disty is rotated all the way towards firewall this is where it runs the best and it acts like it needs to go more ao yes timing might be in question thanks

Agree. The disty being that far back most likely means you are attempting to compensate for the cam gear being off. Towards the firewall means it is advanced as fully as possible, so when you check the gear, it will probably be one tooth too clockwise (retarded).

I think I have that right. hmmmmmm

When installing the belt, you want it tense on the right (forward) side, and all the slack on the tensioner/firewall side. Release the tensioner bolt so it tensions the belt; rotate the cam gear 360 degrees a few times by turning the crank bolt; then if it checks out, tighten the tensioner bolt.

To get the belt on with all the tension on the forward side, you might have to rotate the gear 1/2 tooth clockwise to get the belt on, then rotate it back 1/2 turn counter-clockwise to tense the belt back up. You probably know all this, but it might help someone else too.

And it doesn't hurt to check a few times that the crank gear hasn't moved when you weren't looking! Very helpful to de-grease the alignment notch on the crank gear, and the little arrow on the block, and paint them white. Brake cleaner works well for this.

[UglyEd]

sounds like i will be checking all this out thanks guys

[TominMO]

Re-reading post #33, I'm pretty sure I have that backwards. If you have the disty fully advanced to make it run at all, then probably the cam is also advanced one or even two teeth. And bear in mind that if the crank gear is off a tooth, one tooth on it = two teeth on the cam gear. I suspect that is what you will find, since you say it runs best fully advanced and would probably run better even more advanced.

Once you have screwed it up a couple of times, you get totally anal about checking it repeatedly before buttoning it back up. :-)

[UglyEd]

Thanks again for info gonna tear into it this weekend see what we can find....does anyone know why the spacers r put under each hla? seems to me if u grind on the cam putting spacers in is putting it back to where it was...or am i wrong on this? Just wondering thanks guys

Uglyed and the Steve

[fezzy]

Hmmm

Take a few lessons me thinks to understand the basics..

http://www.enginebasics.com/Engine%20Basics%20Root%20Folder/Camshaft%20Timing.html

[UglyEd]

Well couldnt take it anymore stayed up late last night and wifes uncle (old school dirt track racer and engine builder) and i tore into the Steve, checked timing before we removed anything and was spot on so we advanced the cam then retarded the cam nothing seemed to help ended up putting original cam back in got it in time and put back together runs like it should. Wifes uncle inspected both cams and put the micrometer to them he checked his numbers against the spec sheet that came with the cam and was identical really dont know what was up with this cam but The Steve hated it so if anyone wants this thing i will cut my losses and u can have it for shipping. Thanks again to everyone that helped with info on this appreciate it.

Uglyed and the Steve

[TominMO]

Well couldnt take it anymore stayed up late last night and wifes uncle (old school dirt track racer and engine builder) and i tore into the Steve, checked timing before we removed anything and was spot on so we advanced the cam then retarded the cam nothing seemed to help ended up putting original cam back in got it in time and put back together runs like it should. Wifes uncle inspected both cams and put the micrometer to them he checked his numbers against the spec sheet that came with the cam and was identical really dont know what was up with this cam but The Steve hated it so if anyone wants this thing i will cut my losses and u can have it for shipping. Thanks again to everyone that helped with info on this appreciate it.

Uglyed and the Steve

Wow, I didn't expect that result! Sorry to hear it.

[UglyEd]

Wow, I didn't expect that result! Sorry to hear it.

Me neither i thought probly out of time a tooth or so but nooo nothing seemed to help really dont understand it, it looks great nothing visibly wrong with it. Only conclusion we could come up with is the grind on this thing just isnt right for the b3 or we r missing a peice of the puzzle as to how this thing gets installed but it seems pretty straight forward as to install idk, very dissapointed, eas really hoping to be in the mid 50's for mpg guess i will have to settle for 46 to 48 which aint too shabby was just tryin to make a mpg monster, oh and rub my coworkers face in it, he has a prius, i still get better than he does at a fraction of the cost for the vehicle.

[Team Lightning]

Didn't you have one of those cams Tom? What happened to it?

[jawja jim]

Me neither i thought probly out of time a tooth or so but nooo nothing seemed to help really dont understand it, it looks great nothing visibly wrong with it. Only conclusion we could come up with is the grind on this thing just isnt right for the b3 or we r missing a peice of the puzzle as to how this thing gets installed but it seems pretty straight forward as to install idk, very dissapointed, eas really hoping to be in the mid 50's for mpg guess i will have to settle for 46 to 48 which aint too shabby was just tryin to make a mpg monster, oh and rub my coworkers face in it, he has a prius, i still get better than he does at a fraction of the cost for the vehicle.

I told a "Prius" co-worker that my purchase price in 92($7800) and all the gas it had used( this was in 2012, when it had 155K) was less than the purchase price of the Prius. lol

[TominMO]

Didn't you have one of those cams Tom? What happened to it?

Still have it, installed in my spare Aspire head. If I ever get a carby Festy, I will try it out. IDK whether my cam's grind is the same as Ed's. I still find it hard to believe Matt didn't get this right.

[Team Lightning]

Has anyone's actually worked?

[TominMO]

Had another thought today on the issues involving the Dickmeyer cam.

My car's issue was using it in an EFI setting, and the ECU apparently fighting the cam, then throwing a lean-fuel code and going into the rich limp-home mode.

In a Festy carby, I wonder if the famously inefficient carb intake manifold (too many turns) might be an issue. With the Dickmeyer FE cam drawing less air in due to its lobe profile, this might cause a lean condition because the lower suction can't do a good job pulling fuel from the carb thru the crappy manifold; so larger main jets would need to be used, which makes the whole effort pointless. A more efficient intake manifold might well solve the problem.

--One possibility would be adapting the lower half of an EFI intake with a custom upper that would let a carb be mounted.
--A simpler way would be to source the gen1 323 carb intake from Japan or Canada, if you can find one. It is inherently more efficient.
--Third method would be an efficient one-off manifold like one for a 4-cylinder motorcycle. Maybe instead of using a Weber or Escort carb, motorcycle carbs could be used. Possibly the m/c carbs could be mated to a cut-off intake mani, with internal sleeves to extend the mani and provide a good mounting interface for the m/c carb rubber mounting tubes.
--Possibly a stock carby manifold can be cut off a couple inches from the head flange, and then be used to make a better custom manifold. Perhaps the carb flange could be used too.

Just some thoughts on how to proceed.