Some concerns after putting m3 cams in my m50

[phreshkid]

So I've gone ahead and tried to drive both with the vanos solenoid plugged into the engine harness and without and to be honest? I didn't feel much of a difference. I can't say my tests were entirely conclusive since it's really wet outside and I was losing traction in the first three gears rather easily but I still didn't feel a difference. This sucks . What would be the next step to further verify my hypothesis other than waiting to drive it when it's dry?

[phreshkid]

I'll go ahead and try that as soon as this meeting is over. I'm in a big important meeting with a bunch of California community college hotshots. I'd rather be tinkering around on the car than this. Budget talk is so nuts.

[JGood]

Well I'm actually running an obd1 swapped m52. I have the s50 cams all ready to go in but I haven't pulled the trigger yet. I just feel like an m20 has more torque than me. I have thr top end power but the low end power doesn't kick in until about 4500-5000k RPM


Edit: if I unplug the vanos solenoid, what noticeable difference would I be looking for? Is it possible that the vanos solenoid itself went bad?

Vanos engages and moves the cam from just off idle until about 5200 RPM, to increase power in that RPM range. So what you're looking for is exactly what you're describing, a lack of low end power. If you unplug the vanos and feel no difference at all, then it's probably safe to assume that there is something wrong. If you unplug it and feel a decent power loss, then it hints that vanos is working. This isn't a complete and thorough test, but it's a cheap/easy start.

Yes, your solenoid could have went bad, but instead of throwing parts at it, I'd troubleshoot the system to see what is actually wrong.

[phreshkid]

Well I'm actually running an obd1 swapped m52. I have the s50 cams all ready to go in but I haven't pulled the trigger yet. I just feel like an m20 has more torque than me. I have thr top end power but the low end power doesn't kick in until about 4500-5000k RPM


Edit: if I unplug the vanos solenoid, what noticeable difference would I be looking for? Is it possible that the vanos solenoid itself went bad?

[JGood]

Unplug the vanos solenoid and see if you feel a difference.

You have an m50 with s50 cams? What tune? Who installed the cams? Did they use the proper tools and time the cams right?

[phreshkid]

So I know this is a rather old thread but I do have a question:

Does the vanos have to make noise in order for it to go bad?
I feel like I don't have enough torque down low but once I get up to about 4500 rpms, it starts to pull.

This doesn't seem normal to me.

[JGood]

ugh. update:

The low end power feels good. The top end power feels good. It pulls harder and harder to redline, feels like a Honda engine. Wish it was a bit flatter, but whatever.

My main problem is 4-4.5k. If I'm at 4k, and gradually go to full throttle by 4.5k, it will surge and stumble a bit as I'm depressing the pedal. Only once or twice, and when it gets to full throttle, it goes away. It's kinda hard to explain.

[87e30]

Damn, that's weird. The first machine shop I went to did it as if it was a normal procedure. I think it was like $60, which included a resurface of the other side as well, and the whole thing came back looking like a new part.

So you still don't have enough clearance? If you want, I can take my spare flywheel and have it machined and send it to ya. PM me if you're interested.

Thanks, but I don't want to take it all back apart again. I think I have just barely enough clearance. It hasn't been a problem thus far, but I haven't driven the car much as I'm still working out the problems.

Machining the flywheel is definitely the better route though. Wish my shop would have done it! Good price too.

[JGood]

Yeah, you won't be able to accurately compare times. The driving wasn't consistent enough. The only thing the video's are good for is seeing how it pulls hard to 7k with the cams, where before it struggled after 6k.

[Wh33lhop]

Certainly looks allot quicker to me.

First video looks like 0-100 is about 14 sec +/- a second seems you launch around 5 sec mark and hit 100 around the 19 sec mark. 0-60 around 6 sec..

Second video looks like 0-100 is about 11.5 sec. Launch 4.5 sec reaching 100 by 16 sec mark. 0-60 around 4.5 sec!

I think those gains are worth it!! You can see the power gain for sure!!

It definitely looks a lot quicker, but not 1.5 seconds quicker to 60mph. It's rather hard to gauge where he starts taking off since it's not a hard launch.

[Mako18]

Certainly looks allot quicker to me.

First video looks like 0-100 is about 14 sec +/- a second seems you launch around 5 sec mark and hit 100 around the 19 sec mark. 0-60 around 6 sec..

Second video looks like 0-100 is about 11.5 sec. Launch 4.5 sec reaching 100 by 16 sec mark. 0-60 around 4.5 sec!

I think those gains are worth it!! You can see the power gain for sure!!

[M-technik-3]

Looks good glad it's perky for you. You moved the hp to the upper end that is all and increased the lift of the cams. The lose of lower end comes from the profiles of the cams minus the displacement increase that the 3.0L has.

[JGood]

I couldn't find a machine shop that would do this for me. :(

So I did shave down the oil pan. But I swear it's nearly impossible to gain enough clearance...

Damn, that's weird. The first machine shop I went to did it as if it was a normal procedure. I think it was like $60, which included a resurface of the other side as well, and the whole thing came back looking like a new part.

So you still don't have enough clearance? If you want, I can take my spare flywheel and have it machined and send it to ya. PM me if you're interested.

[Wh33lhop]

I couldn't find a machine shop that would do this for me. :(

So I did shave down the oil pan. But I swear it's nearly impossible to gain enough clearance...

Whaaat? There were like 3 or 4 machine shops that I was recommended in town, and my town is TINY.

Shaving and balancing was $100 out the door for me, but I didn't resurface since I was reusing my clutch.

[87e30]

Yes, it needs shaved about 6mm on the block side to clear the oil pan (as opposed to grinding down the oil pan, which IMO isn't a great idea, especially in comparison to shredding extra weight from the flywheel). Only cost me a few bucks more then the normal resurface at the machine shop.

I couldn't find a machine shop that would do this for me. :(

So I did shave down the oil pan. But I swear it's nearly impossible to gain enough clearance...