TracTuff K Series Cam Tower Mod

The K Series oiling system is under constant strain, and, unfortunately, it is one of this engine’s weaknesses. As a result, wear in the cam towers can become a real problem! Once you understand the flow of oil… it’s easy to understand why you may have seen accelerated wear in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th journals; you will come to appreciate this mod’s value. The number one intake cam journal is spoiled by being the only journal fed from the VTC system, all the remaining journals are fed pressurized oil through the lower portion of the number two cam tower. Now, let me states that for the type of use Honda expected from this engine, this was definitely adequate! Problem is… we’re not exactly doing what Honda intended, are we? The oil entering #2 cam tower exits through a size restricted hole and not only does this lubricate the #2 journal… but is also expected to fill the hollow camshafts (intake and exhaust), where the oil travels through and lubricates each subsequent journal along the way. Much like a sprinkler system with too many heads on one circuit… the volume and pressure found at the end is generally reduced. The reduction in lubrication causes the camshafts to start wearing into the soft aluminum towers; mainly the caps. We don’t see these problems all the time but they definitely exist! Its important to understand that it is impossible to tell whether or not your top end is falling victim to this issue or not without tearing it apart occasionally. Just Google “k series cam tower wear” and see for yourself the various degrees of wear that people have shared. There are a number of contributing factors but one that I am intimately familiar with comes from increased spring pressure after upgrading valve springs. Mix that with a hot cam, higher rpm, and you have increased the stress the oil is meant to deal with and if the supply of oil is not great… the towers pay the price for the oils inability to keep up! I recommend using a high quality oil at regular oil change intervals as well as frequent inspection of the cam towers to help avoid this type of failure but ultimately, I offer this service as preventive measure, giving owners the peace of mind knowing they did what they could to improve the situation. NOTE: Oil pressure port fitting is no longer black anodized and the stainless oil line now has a black cover. The mod REQUIRES your parts; the lower portion of YOUR good number five cam tower and both 3 lobe VTEC rocker shafts to be sent in. The BSPT Sensor Port Adapter that is included in this kit does NOT come with a female BSPT port to accommodate the OEM sender (shown below) unless you select it as an option.