Mack Posted April 12, 2016 Share Posted April 12, 2016 Hello, I am in the middle of a headgasket on an xterra (suprise!) and I figured I may as well throw a set of cams in it too "as long as I am in there". I have found conlicting ino on the net about what needs to be done. Can I use regrinds? the MSA site sells regrinds but only offers "Warranty on camshaft requires use of new rocker arms, proper springs, proper lifters " what the shit does that mean? why would I need new rocker arms when it doesnt even touch the lobe directly? I called them and they of course were no help. They just recommended replacing the entire valvetrain because "previous wear on old components could cause premature wear on the cams" Right. JWT wants $560 for a set of billet cams. that's a bit steep. What are you guys running on yours? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLOZ UP Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 (edited) I have Schneider stage IIs on my VG33 (Where MSA sources theirs, IIRC), with Schneider's springs. I rebuilt the lifters myself (did not resurface). Stock, cleaned up rocker arms. 1-2k miles with no issues that I know of. I debated resurfacing the lifters (light sanding) but every machine shop I spoke to said: "Don't do that, the surface is hardened, it'll soften it up. Any wear pattern isn't going to matter with a new lobe surface." Which sounded reasonable to me. Edited April 13, 2016 by BLOZ UP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffer949 Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 My frontier's heads are off right now also!!! You didn't say what year but if it has a knock sensor I would go ahead and replace it with new one. They are known for going out and you have to remove the whole intake to replace it. As far as cams go I'm not sure but would there be a need to retune the ECU? and do you think there would be a decrease in fuel consumption during highway cruising? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mack Posted April 13, 2016 Author Share Posted April 13, 2016 thanks BLOZ UP! I was kind of worried for a second there, but then I figured teh z stores disclaimer is probably a blanket statement left over from the L series, which are a lot more finnickey about cams from my experience. I am probably going to get this regrind. 131H because it will allow me to retain my stock springs and it won't be too wild, as this is still in a truck. no need to build a high rpm monster, haha! I think a retune would make it run optimal, but without it, being a MAF system, it will still put out more HP because the MAF is measuring air coming into the engine and giving it the required fuel. My xterra is a 2001 and I am going to lightly port/port match the heads as well. I got my ideas from this article. pathfinder build They supposedly picked up 4mpg on the highway, even while towing!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLOZ UP Posted April 15, 2016 Share Posted April 15, 2016 My frontier's heads are off right now also!!! You didn't say what year but if it has a knock sensor I would go ahead and replace it with new one. They are known for going out and you have to remove the whole intake to replace it. As far as cams go I'm not sure but would there be a need to retune the ECU? and do you think there would be a decrease in fuel consumption during highway cruising? So, you should get an ECU retune to get the maximum benefits. The stock MAF system is assuming a combustion configuration. While it will pick up any flow changes for fueling, you won't be getting the best AFRs. As for MPG... you could see an increase if you are cruising in the powerband where you pick up efficiency. The more radical the cams the less likely though, as the RPMs climb fuel efficiency just goes out the window regardless. thanks BLOZ UP! I was kind of worried for a second there, but then I figured teh z stores disclaimer is probably a blanket statement left over from the L series, which are a lot more finnickey about cams from my experience. I am probably going to get this regrind. 131H because it will allow me to retain my stock springs and it won't be too wild, as this is still in a truck. no need to build a high rpm monster, haha! I think a retune would make it run optimal, but without it, being a MAF system, it will still put out more HP because the MAF is measuring air coming into the engine and giving it the required fuel. My xterra is a 2001 and I am going to lightly port/port match the heads as well. I got my ideas from this article. pathfinder build They supposedly picked up 4mpg on the highway, even while towing!!!! I mean, if you're getting cams I would go as wild as you can. It's a pain to switch them, IMO. But, up to you! I also ported and polished my exhaust ports, combustion chamber, and ported the intake as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffer949 Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 Hey Mack, Did you ever get your cams reground and installed? After a few major delays getting my heads rebuilt and MAJOR miscommunication from Motorsport on my cams I ordered. My engine is finally going back together this weekend. I went with MSA's stage one cams which are just under the 131H grind you went with on lift. Just curious how you are liking them and if you noticed any power increase and/or fuel mileage increase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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