E303 cam questions!

[Jeff Sch]

I'm thinking about going with an e303 cam in my 5.0. What other changes should I make along with the cam?

Thanks,
Jeff

 

[section525]

Springs, roller rockers, push rods, litters, intake spacer, and tune.

 

[Dan Whitaker]

Unless you have Torque Monster headers that cam is a waste of money.

Most likely you will need a tune for the cam as well.

 

[Cobraguy]

Keep in mind, that cam is not emissions legal in an Explorer. But I'm sure that doesn't matter in ND...

Another thing...the E303 is designed in such a way that the hp and torque curve are moved up on the rpm scale. I have run this cam in a 5.0 Mustang with AFR heads and was very pleased with it's performance. But to put it in an Explorer wouldn't make sense. The GT40P head was designed to increase torque in the lower rpm range for use in the Explorer. (the regular GT40 head would actually be better in this case) You are going against that design by changing to the E303. This cam will work, but no where near as good as a cam designed for use with these heads. If this were me, I would choose another cam. If top end performance is what you are after, then I would go with a different set of heads. That is the only way you will get the true benefit of that camshaft. Headers and exhaust is a given.

I know there are E303 cams in use with stock 5.0 Explorers. All I can say is if they changed heads to match the cam, they would be shocked at the power they would realize.

 

[chriswells78]

You should also do spring, push rods, lifter guides (swap to the ford racing spider style) and if your motor is higher mileage, you should do lifters too.

I like my cam, how it sounds and the power it makes. Yes, it lacks a little at the 800-2000 RPM range but over 2 grand it pulls like a son of a gun. Passing someone is a breeze. When you gun it and the tranny downshifts, it jerks your passengers pretty good. I find it decent for mileage too. Low end is OK, I can break 31x10.5x15's loose on dry pavement with stock gears just by mashing the gas. I had to N drop it from 3k to chirp them stock (but I was AWD then too.)

 

[410Fortune]

lifter guides (swap to the ford racing spider style)

Please explain!

I have a E303 cam in my 96 sploder, I did the 1.6 roller rockers and springs
I am about to go back in there and replace my pushrods and lifters, while I am in there I am interested in the lifter guides you mention

 

[chriswells78]

lifter guides (swap to the ford racing spider style)

Please explain!

I have a E303 cam in my 96 sploder, I did the 1.6 roller rockers and springs
I am about to go back in there and replace my pushrods and lifters, while I am in there I am interested in the lifter guides you mention

My PI motor came with nylon lifter guides. I was just going to replace them with the stock style from Ford until jtsmith pointed out to me that the E cam having higher lift would increase the amount of travel in the lifters, thus putting more friction to the lifter guide during each stroke. This made me unsure of how well the nylon would hold the extra heat/friction over time so for the price, ($50 at Jegs for FRPP, $38 for stock replacement from my local Ford dealer) it's worth the extra piece of mind.

 

[Cobraguy]

I haven't heard of any issues using the nylon guides. However, I have a question that I've never tried out. On GM LSx engines, you do not have to pull the intake to swap cams. You remove the push rods and rotate the cam one complete revolution. The lifter guides will hold the lifters up off the cam so you can remover the cam. I have been told you can do the same thing with the nylon Ford guides...that they will hold the lifters up so you don't have to remove the intake. Has anyone tried this method? Every cam swap I've done either didn't have the nylon guides or needed an intake swap too.

 

[pufferfish]

i find it hard to believe that small amount of additional lift will cause premature wear. i wouldn't sweat it. now, if the nylon is known for failing, then switch to mustang (or early explorer) metal dog-bone lifter retainers. those are widely used and trusted.

as for swapping the cam without pulling the intake. i have tried it by fabricating threaded rod with spherical magnets on the end to hold the lifter up. it did work once. the next time, the threaded rod got bumped and it dropped the lifter. it ended up in the oil pan. not fun to remove! i won't risk it again. intake is far easier than an oil pan while the engine is in the vehicle.

 

[Cobraguy]

Was that with nylon lifter guides on one of these 5.0.s?

 

[pufferfish]

no, i did it with the mustang dog-bones, but the point is that once the cam is out, there's no stopping the lifter from dropping to the pan.

 

[Cobraguy]

I agree...once they drop, it's a mess. But my understanding was the nylon guides will hold the lifter up for you like the GM LSx engines. I need to confirm that.

 

[pufferfish]

the next time i'm at the j/y, i will take a look. last time i was there i saw some exploders with intakes off with these strange casted monstrosities covering the lifters. i assume those are hiding nylon inserts?

 

[chriswells78]

I'll check later, I still have my stock lifters and guides. I'll see if they hold when I get home. I think they do.

 

[Cobraguy]

the next time i'm at the j/y, i will take a look. last time i was there i saw some exploders with intakes off with these strange casted monstrosities covering the lifters. i assume those are hiding nylon inserts?

I would say those ARE the nylon guides.

 

[410Fortune]

I dont think my 96 has nylong guides, they are metal dogbones?

Now I am really cornfused!!

in two weeks I will be doing this again, removing my valve covers and rockers, going in to install new lifters and pushrods. Currently I have some lifter noise, I believe this happened after the engine donor truck was wrecked and the engine was started in order to move the truck.
I saved some $$$ at the time of the cam by re-using my 96K mile lifters and pushrods... now two years later I am going back in!! I had some issues with my FMS roller tip rockers walking on me a bit, when torqued to the factory spec, the pedastle mount rockers would still walk side to side, I plan to modify the pedasle trays a bit to keep them straight....but I still have a question on what guides I should use?

On my 96 5.0L GT-40, I did not see any nylon guides, only metal....so I am guessing the P heads got the nylon guides?

 

[chriswells78]

Yeah, my P motor had the nylon in it. I don't remember what the 96 motor had in it. I sold it to my neighbor. I wasn't there when he took it apart but I know he used the FRPP guides when he rebuilt it for his fox body.

 

[pufferfish]

as far as i've seen all the P-head engines had the big blocks covering the lifters and the non-P's had dog bones (mine included).

 

[chriswells78]

as far as i've seen all the P-head engines had the big blocks covering the lifters and the non-P's had dog bones (mine included).

That big block is a nylon lifter guide. At first glance, they look like cast metal but they are indeed nylon.

 

[chriswells78]

OK, I just checked them, they hold but only if the lifter is pushed completely up into the guide. If they are even half way out of the guide, they fall. If you can find a way to get them all up into the guide, you could probably do it.