Aftermarket Cams

[Viper]

I am confident this has been discussed by many. For 5 years I have had my Gladiator and the day finally came with the engine noise. Dealer states its in the right side top end. Dealers are out of stock for cams. I found a company called Melling Manufacturing that say the make all 4 cams. Anyone have any experience with aftermarket cams, parts?

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[whiteglad]

Melling has a good reputation for automotive parts. For example, their high volume oil pumps are popular. If I were installing a new cam on any engine, I would use a film of moly cam lube and then change oil and filter after a 20 minute run-in. I know roller cams aren't supposed to NEED break-in like that, but it can't hurt.

 

[Hootbro]

I found a company called Melling Manufacturing that say the make all 4 cams. Anyone have any experience with aftermarket cams, parts?

Melling is pretty well known name for timing and intake components. They may even be the OEM for MOPAR.

I used a Melling time set for a Chevy Cavalier and it was top notch quality.

 

[Viper]

Melling has a good reputation for automotive parts. For example, their high volume oil pumps are popular. If I were installing a new cam on any engine, I would use a film of moly cam lube and then change oil and filter after a 20 minute run-in. I know roller cams aren't supposed to NEED break-in like that, but it can't hurt.

Thank you,

 

[Viper]

Melling is pretty well known name for timing and intake components. They may even be the OEM for MOPAR.

I used a Melling time set for a Chevy Cavalier and it was top notch quality.

Thank you

 

[LouisvEarlleJT]

x3 for Melling - great products.

 

[rharr]

https://www.melling.com/2-13-2020-new-camshafts-for-3-6l-chrysler-dodge-jeep-ram-engines/

 

[JT1]

https://www.melling.com/2-13-2020-new-camshafts-for-3-6l-chrysler-dodge-jeep-ram-engines/

Those are JK wrangler cams. They won't work for the JL/JT.

 

[rharr]

Those are JK wrangler cams. They won't work for the JL/JT.

https://www.melling.com/4-4-25-new-camshaft-for-chrysler-3-6l-dohc-left-intake-mc1442/

 

[JT1]

https://www.melling.com/4-4-25-new-camshaft-for-chrysler-3-6l-dohc-left-intake-mc1442/

That's the one we need.

$275 on Jegs. Not bad!

 

[Charles 236]

My only concern would be that the cam is properly ground as far as being in time with the phaser and the tone wheel. I recently saw an issue with an aftermarket 3.6 right intake cam that was ground out of time. The tone wheel and the phaser were in time with each other, which prevented the PCM from setting a DTC for cam/crank timing misalignment. But the engine had very poor performance. When torn down, it was found to be 20 degrees out of time. I don't know what brand the cam was, but it was an aftermarket cam, according to the customer. He went with an aftermarket cam because of the backorder on Mopar cams, but couldn't figure out why the engine ran so poorly when it was in time.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

My only concern would be that the cam is properly ground as far as being in time with the phaser and the tone wheel. I recently saw an issue with an aftermarket 3.6 right intake cam that was ground out of time. The tone wheel and the phaser were in time with each other, which prevented the PCM from setting a DTC for cam/crank timing misalignment. But the engine had very poor performance. When torn down, it was found to be 20 degrees out of time. I don't know what brand the cam was, but it was an aftermarket cam, according to the customer. He went with an aftermarket cam because of the backorder on Mopar cams, but couldn't figure out why the engine ran so poorly when it was in time.

I'm not going to "diss" them, but will say - from experience - if you go that route, check, double check, triple check,, quadruple check, every little detail.
A lot of people used parts like timing covers, cam timing sprockets and so on from them and another company to find the distributor hole was out of "square" with the cover face, ripping up drive gears and in another case, the oil passages for the cam sprocket was in the wrong place, meaning no oil to the distributor drive gear, frying those gears.
Any time you jump into a replacement engine parts company for cams and critical machines and hardened parts - they may be just fine and work out great, but hundreds of people have sent parts to machine shops to have the 'errors corrected'.

I either use a competitor's timing sets, or, compare against factory original and recreate the correct passages and so on. I don't want burned up gears.

It's like anything else - some will love 'em, some won't, and some say - they are fine as long as you look at the details some will have had no problems at all.

At this stage in the thing - someone has to step forward with some parts and if this is it, at least step in with eyes open and check the lobe timing and so on.
I've just been burned and watched many dozens of others lose expensive parts from mis-machined replacements.

 

[Charles 236]

I have made it a habit to use OE parts. Working in the Jeep dealership makes it cost effective for me to stay with OE parts. I especially don't want to deal with aftermarket sensors. About 20 years ago, it was not uncommon to get a towed in vehicle that "won't start, had a DTC for the crank sensor, had the crank sensor replaced and still won't start ". I always found a new aftermarket crank sensor installed, and replacing it with the OE sensor always was the repair. I know that many times aftermarket crank sensors worked, or the aftermarket companies would not have sold them. But the OE sensor always worked, IF the diagnosis of "defective crank sensor " was correct.

 

[darkhorse13]

I'm not going to "diss" them, but will say - from experience - if you go that route, check, double check, triple check,, quadruple check, every little detail.
A lot of people used parts like timing covers, cam timing sprockets and so on from them and another company to find the distributor hole was out of "square" with the cover face, ripping up drive gears and in another case, the oil passages for the cam sprocket was in the wrong place, meaning no oil to the distributor drive gear, frying those gears.
Any time you jump into a replacement engine parts company for cams and critical machines and hardened parts - they may be just fine and work out great, but hundreds of people have sent parts to machine shops to have the 'errors corrected'.

I either use a competitor's timing sets, or, compare against factory original and recreate the correct passages and so on. I don't want burned up gears.

It's like anything else - some will love 'em, some won't, and some say - they are fine as long as you look at the details some will have had no problems at all.

At this stage in the thing - someone has to step forward with some parts and if this is it, at least step in with eyes open and check the lobe timing and so on.
I've just been burned and watched many dozens of others lose expensive parts from mis-machined replacements.

Well said and I am going to try this route to have the JTR fixed earlier than later. I am 1,400mi or 8mo out of warranty and don't feel like battling the dealership. It's getting fixed back to whole then sold.

 

[NC_Overland]

Get one with a nasty chop.

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