Hi Everyone,
Since my rebuild, the car doesn't seem to pull as hard as it used to. My compression ration went from factory to 10.2:1 and I added a 2500 stall. I spoke to my engine builder about the lack of low-end power and he suggested we advance the timing on the cam by 4*. I'm unfamiliar with how this effects the engine. Is this a good idea?

Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

Changing the cam timing changes when the valves open and close. Many performance cams already have 4* advance ground into them.

How old is the rebuild? What was done to the engine. A worn, stretched or too long of a timing chain can change the cam timing. If the block has had a number on line hones, the crank is closer to the camshaft and you would need a shorter chain to keep a lot of the slop out of the chain.

Advancing the cam because you're lacking power is a bandaid fix for an unknown problem. Without using a degree wheel to see what the current cam timing is, you don't know if it needs to be corrected or not.

Advancing the camshaft means that you are starting the opening and closing process sooner in the cycle. It generally improves low-speed torque and mid-range power while sacrificing top-end hp. Conversely, retarding the cam detracts from low- and mid-range power in order to help top-end power. Generally, moving a camshaft a couple of degrees will not make dramatic changes to the engine's power curve.

 

That combo is quite a change from stock. Have you had the chip tuned to match the new combo yet? If not, that would probably pay much bigger dividends than advancing the cam 4*

 

Thanks for the replies, guys!

The rebuild is only a month or so old. I had the engine bored .30 over, new flat top pistons, rods reconditioned, and the rotating assembly balanced. Other than that, I'm still using everything in my signature.

I had the chip tuned by TPIS a while back for the cam, heads, etc but that was before raising the compression and adding the stall converter. Do you think the chip needs adjusted?

Thanks again!