TeamSwift

SO, after working out with Mike that Id be a test vehicle, I was sent a cam gear to try out.

So, after a fast install, about 30 mins including a new belt, I started her up.

Notice a nice snap in throttle, and over rpm idle. Seems to make my lil 1.0 happy.

An improvment in low rpm torque has been made too. Overall a vast improvement over stock. WOuld I buy another one? YES

Overall rating: 2 thumbs and my pups paws up! Nice product, and good bang for the buck. Highly impressed with the part.

The vehicle settings are:
1.0 3 cyl
MSD ignition- 6al ignition box, Blaster 2 coil, 8.5 mm wires
Mikuni independant carbs-open air aspirated
Performance camshaft ( installed after cam gear)
Advanced timing cam gear

be sure to order one of these from mike while you gather parts to do your periodic maintenance to replace your water pump, timing belt, valve job/ head swap.

if there is one thing you can do to improve the way your 3 banger runs, this will be the best bang for your buck!

it improves low end torque, puts a little zing in the throttle response, and in my case, improved my idle. while i was getting my head ready to go i opened up the intake and exhaust ports to match the gaskets and manifolds and polished the exhaust ports. i also opened up the runners in the cast steel exhaust manifold for good measure. i selected a standard aftermarket (edelbrock, $15 ebay deal) air cleaner for a 5 1/8" 4 barrel carb and bolted it right on (fit like a champ!) and used 2" pipe after the stock catalytic converter for the exhaust.

the total cost of all the bits (head rebuild gasket set, timing belt, new head bolts, ngk iridium plugs, 2" pipe for the exhaust, and the custom air cleaner) was around $130. i don't know what mike will ask for the modified gear, but it will be worth it's weight in gold and give your 3 cylinder a great kick in the butt!

thumbs up on this worthwhile part and a big thanks to suprfly for making it available.

i'm still getting all of the benefits from the cam gear that i reported on earlier. my mileage has improved, my power at highway speeds is much better, and the induction and exhaust note even sounds better - you can tell a happy motor when it's song is this sweet!

personally, i'd never consider changing a timing belt without swapping to one of suprfly's cam gears. best low cost improvement i've ever made!

I've also been trying out one of F1y's advanced cam gears (6*) on my mostly stock T3 engine (at 7.5 psi) and it has worked out nicely. Idle jumped up only a little bit to 850, so I've left it alone since it was already set at 750.

As for performance during normal driving (80 highway/20 in-town), it makes some extra power after the 3k RPM mark which helps lots when driving on hilly roads in 5th and helps a bit when passing as well.

I'm pretty sure the performance change is more than I've noticed since I've got a fairly heavy MDF subwoofer enclosure in back, diluting the effects.

No noticable effect on my gas mileage, it hasn't gone down or up, plus I'm fairly erratic when it comes to in-town driving so it's tough to say. Either I'm flooring it all the time to try to get out of traffic or just cruising along with no one around.

Install was fairly simple... if only I had an air compressor and the tools to go with it. An air-gun would've eliminated the need for me to take off the valve cover to keep the cam from turning while loosening the cam gear bolt. I couldn't find an easy way to stop the cam from turning by holding the cam gear or pegging it with a screwdriver. Had to take off the valve cover so that I could access the proper holes on the cam to peg it steady.

After writing a book about F1y's cam gear upgrade I'd like to say...

I like it because:

- it's easy to install (took less than an hour)
- pretty much fool-proof if you know how to change a timing belt
- you'll get extra (useful) power from an otherwise stock engine

I'd like to try it with an improved cam sometime in the future. Preferably before I crank up the boost.


Chris

Well, I just joined this forum a few weeks ago, and all I can say is WOW. You guys are all awesome!!! I had no idea that there was this much interest in modding the ol' 3 banger! But enough Sprint chatter...

I bought an 8 deg advance gear from Suprf1y just this week. It was really easy to install, and took all of about 40 mins. What a difference!! I noticed it right away. The car has a lot more pep when revving it good and hard past about 3k all the way to redline. Also beefs up the bottom end a bit....I can chirp the tires in the shift from 1st to 2nd without much effort now. Makes the car feel like it has some get up and go now instead of mashing the pedal and hearing a lot of noise without any real pickup.

Oh, so you know what it was installed in, I have a 91 Sprint, 5 speed, with a custom cold air intake and ignition timing advanced to 12 degrees. (I'm going to advance it a little further now that I've broken down and started running the 'good' gas around here which is only 92 octane)

I can't say that I've *totally* tested the performance of the gear, because I haven't had a chance to sneak out of the city and see how far I can bury the speedo. I will also determine whether I have a noticeable improvment in mileage after a few weeks...I drive 50km a day to work, with speeds varying from 60-70km/hr, so it takes a while to go through a tank of fuel!! I'll update in a few weeks....

Alec

*UPDATE* 07/26/04


Well, it's been 10 days, and I've managed to run through a tank of gas. Gas mileage doesn't seem to have been affected. I still get around 600-650km out of a tank. The power gain is still awesome though!!! I can't believe how much more fun this thing is to drive now!! If you don't have one of these on your car, GET ONE!! You won't regret it. There is no other mod you could possibly do for this cheap and see this much of an improvement. Now, if only someone would make an underdrive for the serpentine type belt sprints w/o an A/C pulley........

BTW, I see CJDavE needed to remove his valve cover from lack of air tools. No need. To loosen the cam gear bolt (and to tighten it again, too) this is what I did:
1. Put the car in gear
2. Apply the E-brake
3. Slip the timing belt back on if you took it off already
4. Loosen/tighten the bolt

Alec

Alright, you've got me sold on it. All I need to know is where do I get my hands on one of these babies, and how much does it cost? Also, is this gonna fit on my old 1986 engine?

http://www.teamswift.net/viewtopic.php?t=9066

I'd love to sell you one, but I don't rceomend them for the pre 89 cars. Your factory valve timing is pretty much where it should be.

Suprf1y - this is also one of the things I'm considering for my '93 SOHC 8v - or to be more precise an adjustable cam gear. Does my engine respond the same way as the 3 banger to advancing the cam timing?

Thanks for the info. It's nice to know things like this in advance.

So, you guys are advancing your gear 6-8 degrees?

I assume this is with the stock cam?

I'd like to answer your questions, but this is the review section.
Move the Q's to the 1.0/SOHC section, or manufacturers section.
Thanks.

Hi All, Just installed Mikes 10 Degree cam sprocket on a 90 metro this weekend. Engine is basicly stock. It is without a doubt worth every penny. The car has a lot more power and pep. It brought the idle up approx 75 - 100rpm. The midrange power is really noticable. Mileage on the highway has actually increased a small amount. 1 - 2 mpg. City seems to be about the same as before. With some pedal to spare.
I changed water pump & timing belt at same time. So the slight rise in temp could be from the timing advanced more than before or it could also be the water pump. Prior to the conversion it was actually running on the cool side & I had installed cardboard in the front of the condensor to get the temp up to 190. No cardboard now & it stays at 190 & it is a lot more fun to drive.
The main thing I noticed is the ability to "lug" the engine, and no more detonation. NONE. (Found out by accident doing a 2nd gear start.) At about 10 mph I can shift into 4th gear and slowly climb up to 55 without any spark knock at all. That is really awesome! And everyone knows how easy these 3 cyls will ping when loaded down. This valve train likes the 10 degree advance over the stock gear.
I can't tell you what my timing is now. I set it by "ear" & gradually bump it up a little at a time. From past experiance, I'd guess it's at 12- 14 now. Vacuum shows a strong 20. And it increases with each degree of advance. And I'll gradually keep going till detonation starts,then back it back down about 2 degrees from there. If you want to feel a little safer about merging with traffic, or just like the additional power, Mikes gear is the way to go.See bigger porformance gains than a regular tuneup and spend less money. If you change this cam sprocket,plugs,wires,cap & rotor, you'll be REALLY surprised. Is it a 3cyl or 4?
It was a real easy mod to do. With Mikes instructions it went smooth. The reworked gear is highly professional. The timing belt & water pump need periodic replacing anyway.
His sprockets are cheaper than some of the xmas ornaments my wife has hanging from the tree. Hmmm..think she would mind some cams gears hanging off the tree? Thanks Mike...really good stuff.

I'm glad it worked out, and you're happy with it. Most people find it hard to believe that it makes that much difference, until they try it.
Thanks Vance.

I finally installed my +10 gear from 3tech, and the only regret I have is not doing so sooner! The difference is much more then I expected, and it idles so much nicer now. It made a very noticeable difference all the way from idle to the limiter, and even changed my exhaust not considerably. I have yet to even reset the timing on the ignition side of things, I'll do that sooner rather then later though, then advance until it pings and back it down a bit.... I normally run 94 octane so I expect to be able to advance it a fair bit.

finally my cam gear is on my 3cyl.................huge improvement over stock indeed. the car had nitro and i didn´t knew until the advanced cam +10.
I agree with everything that was said before about this product.
the car rides much faster and fun , also with a race car sound in the engine........

just wish to thank to Mike for don´t let the 3cyl be a forgotten world and for his highly professional work.
i´m pleased indeed with the +10 advanced cam gear.
god bless you Mike

I've had my +10 cam gear installed for about three months now and I still smile that I can leave it in gear longer and still feel the motor pull. It definately helps when mergin up a steep on ramp. Best $20 I've spent on this car.

I want to get one of the preformance cams from 3tech but what duration/lift would i need to go from my TBI to a carb, right now I clueless on what the stock lift/duration is on a geo metro or what I need it get, open for sugestions

that's pretty vague .. are you looking for mild or wild ? an oem carb conversion or bigger pony carb or even a side-draft conversion ?

first off i have to say is WOW! very cheap mod for the 1.0! and it works i noticed an imediate improvement of idle smoothness and the car now pulls much better through the power range. before i used to have a lag right off the line (being a autobox) but now i notice the powers there all the way to redline! thanks mike and two ! awsome product and i highly recomend it to anyone wanting a cheap power mod.

-rob

oh yea i got a 1.0 and i got a 10 degree advance

Hi,

I have a 1.3L 4 cyl SOHC swift(called the esteem in India). It's a carburetor version and I use it for rallying in a particular class.
They do not allow any major modification to the engine or anything because it's stock class. However, do you think that there's anything I can do to improve its performance?

Thanks
Vinay

just a word from an old cheater : check your class rules , if it don't say that you can't do it . then it's OK . a lot of classes ban ajustable cam gears , but a stock ,redrilled gear should pass inspection.

Thanks Larry

Can I send the rule document over to you?

Would that help you?

Thanks
Vinay

I don't ussually recomend the advanced timing sprockets for the 4cyl. 1.3 SOHC.
If its a 1.3 8V, use the head from the 1.6 8V, and have the cam reground to the 1.6 profile.

i'd be glad to look it over! just remember , when the tech inspectors ask , just look real dumb and say " ME CHEAT ! NO WAY!"