snapped cam shaft

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fastbus
Posts: 73
Joined: Mon Nov 06, 2006 12:52 pm

snapped cam shaft

Post by fastbus »

High all. Has anyone had a cam snap at the flange where it bolts to the cam gear?
Tried starting my WBX turbo the other day and it fired up but within a minute it cut out.
My initial thought was to try to start it back up but there was actually an uncomfortable internal sound .
It has turned out that the cam has snapped at the flange where it bolts to the cam gear.
Has anyone experienced this?
Can I strip down and remove the one case half where the case nuts are, to allow access to the cam to replace a new shaft?
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sideshow
Posts: 3428
Joined: Mon Oct 27, 2003 11:00 am

Re: snapped cam shaft

Post by sideshow »

I helped diagnose a broken camshaft in a parking lot once, it didn't have a bad noise but was very obvious cranking over wasn't correct. The valve train didn't move and it sounded like super low compression.

It is possible to r&r a camshaft and leave a head on, I've done in once to see if decamming would help drive ability, fuel mileage, and to check the cam/lifter.
Yeah some may call it overkill, but you can't have too much overkill.
fastbus
Posts: 73
Joined: Mon Nov 06, 2006 12:52 pm

Re: snapped cam shaft

Post by fastbus »

sideshow wrote:I helped diagnose a broken camshaft in a parking lot once, it didn't have a bad noise but was very obvious cranking over wasn't correct. The valve train didn't move and it sounded like super low compression.

It is possible to r&r a camshaft and leave a head on, I've done in once to see if decamming would help drive ability, fuel mileage, and to check the cam/lifter.
Cool. I thought it looked possible.
:wink:
fastbus
Posts: 73
Joined: Mon Nov 06, 2006 12:52 pm

Re: snapped cam shaft

Post by fastbus »

Turns out there was a rouge 13mm nut in the cam gear chamber :(
There is some slight wear on the transfer gear on the crank due to the gears not meeting properly
I'm running straight cut cam gears so any opinions on the the transfer cog?
AMBROSIA
Posts: 248
Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2005 5:37 am

Re: snapped cam shaft

Post by AMBROSIA »

This is what a rogue distributor drive shaft shim did soon after the engine fire up on one of my builds...
Image
Image

Any damage to the drive wheel can't be good long term.
fastbus
Posts: 73
Joined: Mon Nov 06, 2006 12:52 pm

Re: snapped cam shaft

Post by fastbus »

Yours looks far worse on the cam gear but the same out come with the cam.
I will change both gears now for safety sake.
fastbus
Posts: 73
Joined: Mon Nov 06, 2006 12:52 pm

Re: snapped cam shaft

Post by fastbus »

I have stripped the rest of the engine down now so I can remove the cam transfer gear off the crank.
Case is ready to be sent off for vapour blasting.
New TCS 20 cam has arrived from the States (In only 2 Days!) and New Scat cam gear has arrived from RJ Volksperformance.
Hopefully the case will go back together sometime this week.
Just need to clean and re-lap the valve on the heads due to some carbon build up and then I can build up the top end.
I will put some pics up sometime this week ;)
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