Break in for new cams and Cam follower??

[digger]

It comes down to risk, aftermarket cams or stiffer valve springs to risk is higher. the actual breakin is really not letting it initially idle continually so as soon as it starts drive it normally is fine. By the time it gets to temp you’re done anyway

[cobra]

I guess you can find this out on your engine, next time when it has new followers and cam.

With this thinking, then why the auto industry invented the word "break in"?

It's a complicated topic. Liability is a big reason.

Take a watch.

edit:
I've been doing more reading about this and it all surrounds these "flat tappet" cams. After some further digging I found this post which kinda explains it? "Flat tappet cams in conventional push-rod motors are lubed by sling-oil off the crankshaft. The crank must be spinning fast enough to sling that oil in volume to the cam. That is about 2,200~2,400 RPM. There are a number of factors at work here. But one is paramount. The lifters must be hard enough to live and they must be ground right so that they spin on the lobe. The number one failure is due to lifters "skidding" and not spinning. The old expression of a "flat cam" was not about a lobe being worn down so it would not open the valve, it was about the cam lobe taper being gone. So the cam presented a flat surface - no lifter spin. The absolute number one thing to do is to make sure that all the push-rods are spinning." from https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/th...eak-in.265695/

I don't think any of this applies to the S54. I still contend that coating everything in oil or assembly lube and running it normally will be perfectly fine.

[sapote]

1. I've been doing more reading about this and it all surrounds these "flat tappet" cams. After some further digging I found this post which kinda explains it? "Flat tappet cams in conventional push-rod motors are lubed by sling-oil off the crankshaft. The crank must be spinning fast enough to sling that oil in volume to the cam. That is about 2,200~2,400 RPM.
2. The lifters must be hard enough to live and they must be ground right so that they spin on the lobe.
.

1. So these old engines are idling at over 2K rpm to have enough oil lubrication on the tappets? All the VW bugs are idling at less than 800 rpm I believe.
2. all lifters are ground flat, and the same with cam lobes. The only way for the lifter to rotate in operation (for even wear surface) is to have the cam lobe offset slightly from the lifter center.

[cobra]

So these old engines are idling at over 2K rpm to have enough oil lubrication on the tappets? All the VW bugs are idling at less than 800 rpm I believe.

It doesn't make a ton of sense does it? None of the explanations really do. Think about at the factory... they start the engine, do a systems check, run it on a dyno through the gears, and off it goes.

[Tbonem3]

The good news is, unlike some thing's in life, there is no down side here to being "extra safe." All you'll lose is a little bit of time, maybe $60 on an oil/filter change if you really wanted to, by breaking things in.

[Pklauser]

The good news is, unlike some thing's in life, there is no down side here to being "extra safe." All you'll lose is a little bit of time, maybe $60 on an oil/filter change if you really wanted to, by breaking things in.

That's kinda my thought as well. If I was installing cams every day maybe I'd feel different, but for the one I do every 6 years...I'll just take the superstitious time.