Right grease for cams?

[atchbo]

Hi Folks,

Would it be 'really bad' to use red wheel bearing grease on cam bearings, or is that totally stupid?

I'll see if I can find the right grease (lithium, I believe) but I have the red stuff around.

Atchbo

[Bribird]

nooooo, dont do that. use Moly paste. Or if you are dead set on not using the moly,....then use engine oil.

[Steve]

You don't really want to use anything with moly inside the engine.

If you are looking for assembly lube when putting the engine together, just use motor oil.

The only cams that get any kind of grease would be the cam followers that operate the ignition points.

.

[Dave8338]

Agreed. Engine oil is all that is needed. A heavy weight 50W works best to "hang" on things until it is all together and being fed by the pump.

[Bribird]

DOH! Ya... dont use the moly on the cam journals... I focused on the bearing part of what you said. Moly is only used during the assembly of solid bearings(when they are new) to aid in the intial start up break-in. I agree with the other guys...just use motor oil on your cam journals.

sorry for the mislead

[Nessism]

You guys are freaking out for no reason. Suzuki calls for using moly paste on various engine parts during assembly - including on the cams I believe. That said, engine oil should be fine as well since the engine is already run-in. No worry, just don't slather the stuff on.

[bwringer]

Just to interject another opinion into this pig-pile, I use this really cool sticky blood-red assembly lube goop from Permatex.

You can find it in most auto parts stores. I don't think it contains any moly, although yes, the manual does say to use a moly-based assembly lube (not grease, not moly paste. Assembly lube.). Unless you're going nuts and dumping it everywhere, the small amount of moly won't hurt anything.

I still like the red goop better. 'Cause it's red, I guess.

Engine oil is perfectly fine, too, especially in an engine that's already been run. If you don't have The Right Stuff, then just use engine oil, the thickest you have.

[Don-lo]

I've always used Bel-ray assembly lube. Something heavy like motor-honey would be good too. It's just there to provide some cushion until the oil arrives. Since the cam journals are the bearings (unlike KZs), it's a good idea. For a full motor rebuild (empty oil galleries and oil pump), it's an even better idea.

[chef1366]

I use cam lube. It has moly in it.