Cat Cams 288/280 with Oil Bridge mod

[jager911]

I'm doing Beisan VANOS, Euro headers, CSL airbox, Cat Cams and dyno tune by HTE. Trying to order Cat Cams today with new followers as 10% sale ends today on ECS. This kit comes with an oil bridge that requires drilling the rocker arm shafts for additional lubrication. I've read the Cat Cam posts but no one mentioned this oil bridge. Looking for any feedback from anyone who's BTDT, this sounds easy for a machine shop to do. The car is used 90% on track and 10% back roads Sunday drive so want to optimize for track use.

Here's the link and what it states:

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-cat-cams-parts/cat-cams-camshaft-set-288-280-1275mm-1250mm-lift-e46-m3-with-rockers/1301805kit~cc/

The included rocker arm kit consist of:

• - 24x "CAT031" rocker arm, steel billet, coated
• - 1x oil connector bridge
• - rocker arms with 0.5mm oil jet hole towards the cam/follower contact area
• - rocker arm shafts need to be drilled at each rocker arm (in the groove already present)
• - rocker arm shafts need to be drilled at oil bridge connector (no need to make extra groove, connector has internal groove)
• - intake rocker arm shaft needs front plug to close
• - intake rocker arm shaft has no oil feed so an oil bridge is required to connect the intake/exhaust rocker arm shafts

*Please note that the factory cams ave a pressure regulator valve that needs to be removed and installed in the new cams*

Thanks in advance.

[Mr.wReckless]

For what it's worth,

I've yet to fit the CatCams I got through the previous forum group buy. Corona saw to that, as well as with the scare stories I didn't dare do the cam swap without changing the followers, which multiplied the cost. Factor in all the other maintenance stuff I'm gonna do whilst I'm in there the cost quickly rises.

So, last autumn I contacted CatCams and a gentleman there did mention this oil bridge as well as the follower shafts, they could supply shafts pre-drilled at extra cost, or, as you say, I could have my shafts drilled (stop sniggering at the back...) at a machine shop. For their warranty to be valid I had to fit new followers too. Being situated in the middle of nowhere I decided to order 24x followers, pre-drilled shafts and that oil bridge. Due to arrive in a month + and I'll aim to have this all fitted and tuned before the season starts at the end of winter. I imagine the oil bridge slides on just like the followers, and hopefully, with the pre-drilled shaft, it'll be obvious where it'll slot in between the followers.

Regards

[jager911]

For what it's worth,

I've yet to fit the CatCams I got through the previous forum group buy. Corona saw to that, as well as with the scare stories I didn't dare do the cam swap without changing the followers, which multiplied the cost. Factor in all the other maintenance stuff I'm gonna do whilst I'm in there the cost quickly rises.

So, last autumn I contacted CatCams and a gentleman there did mention this oil bridge as well as the follower shafts, they could supply shafts pre-drilled at extra cost, or, as you say, I could have my shafts drilled (stop sniggering at the back...) at a machine shop. For their warranty to be valid I had to fit new followers too. Being situated in the middle of nowhere I decided to order 24x followers, pre-drilled shafts and that oil bridge. Due to arrive in a month + and I'll aim to have this all fitted and tuned before the season starts at the end of winter. I imagine the oil bridge slides on just like the followers, and hopefully, with the pre-drilled shaft, it'll be obvious where it'll slot in between the followers.

Regards

My engine guy and Hassan from HTE both said to change the followers as they wear to match the cam. Not wanting to roll the dice and do this twice and I read about the bad batch from the GB, I'm going to change the followers and go with this oil bridge mod which seems like a great idea for high rpm track use. Drilling your shafts should be trivial (shut up, you in the peanut gallery) for a machine shop to do. I'm going to place that order today even though the followers more than doubles the part prices, I want to do this once with peace of mind.
Thanks for the validation.

[Casa de Mesa]

Here for the forthcoming peanut gallery.

And this is a mod I'm considering, so here for the educational aspects partially too.

[jet_dogg]

Here for the forthcoming peanut gallery.

And this is a mod I'm considering, so here for the educational aspects partially too.

Just get schricks dogg.

[CrisSilberGrau]

Just get schricks dogg.

Need more DOGE coin for that one families.

[jager911]

Just get schricks dogg.

FWIW, Hassan from HTE has Cat Cams in his M3 with about 15k miles on them, good enough for me. The GB had some quality control issues with a bad batch and people re-using lifters which is a wear item, BAD idea, then complaining about cam wear. For the amount of labor and risk involved, I'm biting the bullet and getting lifters. The link above on ECS was $2700 for Cat Cams with lifters and additional oil bridge. For Schrick, it would be about $1650 for just the cams and another ($90x24=$2160) for lifters for total of close to $4k. Cat Cams are made in Germany.

[jet_dogg]

FWIW, Hassan from HTE has Cat Cams in his M3 with about 15k miles on them, good enough for me. The GB had some quality control issues with a bad batch and people re-using lifters which is a wear item, BAD idea, then complaining about cam wear. For the amount of labor and risk involved, I'm biting the bullet and getting lifters. The link above on ECS was $2700 for Cat Cams with lifters and additional oil bridge. For Schrick, it would be about $1650 for just the cams and another ($90x24=$2160) for lifters for total of close to $4k. Cat Cams are made in Germany.

Oh I know, I was telling casa to get schricks to avoid all that.

[jager911]

Oh I know, I was telling casa to get schricks to avoid all that.

I see Schrick in your signature. Did you re-use the stock lifters? It seems hit or miss that people have re-used them without issues but my engine builder says MUST buy new lifters or else he will not install new cams, Schrick or Cat Cams, doesn't matter. The oil bridge mod is optional to flow some oil beneficial at high rpm and I'm raising my rev limit to 8200.

[jet_dogg]

I've got the cams and dlc followers going in the car.

[Mr.wReckless]

Here's my stash that arrived today.


Nuts that this stuff costs so much, but I guess that's how it is with material cost increasing across the board now and I imagine the followers must be rather labour intensive to manufacture as well as having a costly finalising procedure. You can spot the oil bridge oiling hole there between cylinder 5 and 6, roughly where the knife blade sits.

Regards

[jet_dogg]

Material cost increase is a small percentage. Cams have always been expensive and you have 24 followers, 24 of anything is going to be expensive.

[Syfon]

*Please note that the factory cams ave a pressure regulator valve that needs to be removed and installed in the new cams*

This part is important.

Not all OE E46 M3 cams are the same.

I've only been able to find inconsistent information on this subject but here goes;

• Early M3 cams were hollow in nature with said pressure regulator valve installed from factory
• Later M3 cams had a blanking plate where the pressure regulator valve would be (this is how my OE cams are)
• Some people have found their late production (i.e. 2005 & 2006) M3's to have hollow cams with said pressure valves fitted from factory
• The pressure regulator valve in question is P/N 11311402197. It is the same part fitted to S50B32 cams & S62B50 cams.

Cat Cams are hollow just like early model E46 M3 cams. Very near the front, there is a threaded section where the pressure valves screw into. I applied some red loctite prior to installing.

[CrisSilberGrau]

Im at this point now where I've gotten a set of 280s with followers and the oil bridge. I cant find information on detailed specifics of how to drill the rocker arm shafts. I've tried to get a hold of CatCams via phone on their website, IG DM, but nothing so far. If anyone has some detailed information/documents please share.

EDIT: Are the holes for the rocker arms and the oil bridge just on one side, or do they go straight through? I think judging from the exh cam shaft its just one side but I have no idea.

[Mr.wReckless]

Im at this point now where I've gotten a set of 280s with followers and the oil bridge. I cant find information on detailed specifics of how to drill the rocker arm shafts. I've tried to get a hold of CatCams via phone on their website, IG DM, but nothing so far. If anyone has some detailed information/documents please share.

EDIT: Are the holes for the rocker arms and the oil bridge just on one side, or do they go straight through? I think judging from the exh cam shaft its just one side but I have no idea.

Holiday season so I doubt you'd get any reply there now until mid-august perhaps, maybe start of august depending on what holiday rotation they do..

Not an expert on the other questions, but from memory when I fitted my CatCam stuff I seem to recall the followers had an oil gallery all around the inner face of the eye? So in theory I doubt it would make any difference as oil would flow out of the shaft pin hole and into the follower gallery regardless of whether it would be 1 or 2 holes? Same would go for the oil bridge too, but I seem to recall the hole in the shaft for that was bigger. I bought new shafts predrilled to not have to worry about this..

Regards