1986 318, roller or hydro

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discharger1332

discharger1332

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So I recently got a '86 b150 shorty van w 318 904 combo.
My question is this: Is there any way to tell if it has a roller cam with out removing the intake manifold?
 
I "would guess"

If you can determine pushrod length of flat tappet hydro vs roller, pull a pushrod

If not, "look down" there with a penlight
 
As 67dart273 said, you will find that the pushrods are much shorter than normal.Also with the valve cover removed the head casting number will end in 302.Though I can't confirm it is said that all 2 bbl 318's of that vintage are roller cams.
 
and I was told if said engine uses a serpitine belt from Ma mopar, it Is a roller. MT
 
no serpantine belt system, for the most part it looks like any other besides all the vacum lines and smog air pump stuff. have not pulled a valve cover yet but pretty sure they are 302 heads. each different casting has a code on the end of the head cast into it, if memory serves this code is 302. the engine also idle really quiet, no lifter noise at all.
 
Not as stock, the 318 of that year was really low Comp. MT
 
If I'm not mistaken, early roller cam engines still used the V belt system. I could be wrong.
Early roller cam engines did indeed also come with the standard from end. So this is what I base my thought and choice on. That is if I'm correct.

67dart273 has the simplest and accurate way to answer the question.
Take out a pushrods and measure it. A ruler or tape measure would do. Since the length difference is a good bit.
 
Some photos for you. This it out of a 85 Dodge Diplomat. Now in my 88 D350 Ram
 

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Some '85's were roller, some were not. I will say I'm 98% sure that 86 and up were rollers. Yes, they are V belts. I bought a '85 and got the 302 heads but flat tappet cam.
 
i can see down thru the holes below the push rods and the lifters look like hydro, also can not see the bar that connects the 2 lifters together. deff 302 heads tho.
 
If you have a set of old non roller cam heads you can compare the size of the push rod hole. The roller cam head has a larger hole. I think the 86 is a roller cam LA head for the 318 in trucks I know it is in an 87.
 
I picked up a 68 Coronet Wagon with a 1986 vintage 318 w/302 heads and a flat tappet cam.
 
'87 Diplomat 318 in my '65 Valiant and it is a flat tappet cam. I have a 90/91 318 short block and it is a roller cam engine. Ma Mopar never used link bars to keep the roller lifters from rotating. She used a "spider" that bolts in down in the cam valley that positions the lifters. I have always heard that 88 and newer were all hydraulic roller engines.

Bob
 
My roller 318 came from an 86 5th Ave, which I am still getting parts from.

Perhaps it was a mid year 1986 thing.
 
I don't know,The photos I posted have link bars on every 2 lifters. Can't say that all engines were like that. When it comes to Ma Mopar you never know the how or why they did the things they did. They knew that the LA was being phased out and the Magnum was taking it's place.So why did they make roller cam LA's ? Just experiment ? to see ?
 
We're talking about a five year plus production run.

That's longer than most body styles during the 60s 70s and 80s.
 
I heard at one time if the motor is painted black from the factory it is a newer roller motor, if blue, it is flat tappet. Not sure if it is true or not, but I do know all the roller motors that I have seen are black from the factory.
 
Not all 86's were rollers from the factory. Some Flat-tappet motors have the castings for roller though.

My 86 Ramcharger 318 was flat-tappet with castings for roller

Some trucks were still using flat-tappets in roller blocks until later in the coming year when they finally switched over. I don't know if it was bean-counter or supply decision.

Also, LA roller motors could have came in the old V-belt setup.
 
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