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docwyte
docwyte UberDork
10/19/20 5:46 p.m.

Pull the oil filter out and check the pleats for metal?

FatMongo
FatMongo Reader
10/19/20 7:08 p.m.
bonylad said:

In reply to FatMongo :

The cam is jacked up the pictures may not correctly show it but when I get the new one I will compare it and it literally ate up a brand new follower in about 1000 miles I'm talking about wore solid grooves in it so the intake cam is not fine. Pics may not show it. You know your way Around the engine I'm trying to find a picture to compare but the lube there's more defined on a good cam versus mine they truly I think the pictures are not doing it justice it literally has grooves you can catch with your finger nail in them ate ate a brand new follower up in 1000 miles or less I'm talking about through the black coding into the metal and cut grooves

I'm more worried about the cam bearings underneath the cam girdle. Metal shavings and possible damages.  Although your optimism is encouraging I will hope for the best I will report back

Well,

For what its worth, there are no cam bearings per se. The head and girdle make up each half of the cam journal the cam rides in. So there isnt a 'bearing' you have to worry about. If the journals in the head or girdle are really worn - as in your finger nail catches on the grooves, you can take some sand paper, wd-40 or brake cleaner, and elbow grease and smooth out the journals. If your car has more than 100K miles, chances are there is some wear on the journals. These cams/this head will accomodate for a lot of wear. So as long as you can smooth it out, dont fret too much about it if you are intending on making this engine a daily driver and keeping costs down. If you are building a high RPM, high HP, high boost motor, then thats another story.

 

FatMongo
FatMongo Reader
10/19/20 7:18 p.m.

For what its worth, these images are from my engine that had an oil pump going out and ended up pumping metal throughout the engine - oil analysis showed 300+ ppm of metal in the oil (normal is 1 or 2 ppm). 

Because I had a spare junkyard engine with a better condition cylinder head, I replaced the head but re-used the cams. Had I not had the extra engine, I would've done my best to clean up this head and re-use it. As it is,I have the head set aside on my bench and when I get some spare time Im going to clean it up and re-assemble it to keep as a spare head. 

 

bonylad
bonylad Reader
10/20/20 7:04 a.m.

Apologies for my earlier run on sentence. I was posting from my phone using talk to text. I did not catch the run on sentence or the typos.........

And your right! I am more worried about damages from the bits I cant see.......or havent seen.  

Refer to this video.

About 19:50 in to the video after he removes the cam cap cover.  That's what I am worried about, and given the unknown history of this car (and some findings already posted), I think its warranted. I also feel the pics I posted about the cam arent showing the severity, once I get the new cam and compare side by side - I feel you will agree with me.  I hope?

I do appreciate your input FatMongo, and look forward to more of it as I go through this journey. Thanks to you, I feel I am at the least - not alone. 

 

 

Nitroracer (Forum Supporter)
Nitroracer (Forum Supporter) UltraDork
10/20/20 7:25 p.m.

I took a slightly different path to replacing the camshaft in my troubled FSI car.  I didn't want to touch the crazy cam bolt on the timing chain side so I documented and marked everything before removing both cams as a pair.  I did buy a cam locking tool and a bentley manual to get everything right and resold those after the car was gone.  I did find scoring on my original cam so I polished up the bores the best I could and got it smooth again.  Was it round and true?  Probably not, but I did the work by hand with light abrasives so I tried only to clean up the scores, not open up the cam bore by another size.  I still have the trashed cam on my desk at work as a trophy.

bonylad
bonylad Reader
10/21/20 10:56 a.m.
Nitroracer (Forum Supporter) said:

I took a slightly different path to replacing the camshaft in my troubled FSI car.  I didn't want to touch the crazy cam bolt on the timing chain side so I documented and marked everything before removing both cams as a pair.  I did buy a cam locking tool and a bentley manual to get everything right and resold those after the car was gone.  I did find scoring on my original cam so I polished up the bores the best I could and got it smooth again.  Was it round and true?  Probably not, but I did the work by hand with light abrasives so I tried only to clean up the scores, not open up the cam bore by another size.  I still have the trashed cam on my desk at work as a trophy.

Well. I did get the socket needed to remove the phaser on the exhaust side. I had considered doing something like that. The exhaust side is keyed and can go on only one way as well as the exhaust timing belt pulley side.  So assuming that and I retain TDC marks on the exhaust cam. Im fine.  The intake cam side near the phaser end of the engine has a notch as well.  Worst case I run a zip tie through the chain and gear and then match them once I replace the intake cam....be it counting links or whatever. I should be good.

bonylad
bonylad Reader
10/21/20 8:37 p.m.

So I'm was bored last night. Don't have the tensioner yet but figured I'd try to loosen the notorious phaser bolt.  Slapped my tool on and went to loosen the bolt.  Boys check your tools. The bolts that hold the little legs that lock the cam weren't tight?  They loosened up and bent in causing the exhaust cam to slip past the tool. Caused this little mark. Shouldn't be a issue as it's not large and not on a machines surface. Have to get grade 8 bolts and tighten it down and try again.  
 

Thoughts?

 


 

10001110101
10001110101 New Reader
10/21/20 9:04 p.m.

In reply to bonylad :

I doubt that caused any structural problem. Those tools are notorious for not being the strongest.

bonylad
bonylad Reader
10/22/20 5:39 a.m.

In reply to 10001110101 :

Sorta my feelings. It's very minor. Figured I'd post up and ask. Thanks!

bonylad
bonylad Reader
10/22/20 5:35 p.m.

I'm hoping this car rewards me with good results.  I keep finding more things wrong. Flipped over the cam housing and a piece of plastic fell out!  Turns out the damn plastic rings that seat the phaser on the cam cover are Notoriously brittle. 
 

So I had to order more parts but at least it gives me an excuse to clean the cam cover and do more things the truck is nearly done so at least I have something to drive I've got to make the car right.

The little bastards.  
 


 

aaaaaaaannnnd. 
 

This is how I feel.......somebody is laughing. 
 


 

 

bonylad
bonylad Reader
10/22/20 6:18 p.m.

Then this E36 M3. No cam issues so far as phasing goes. What the.  
 

bonylad
bonylad Reader
10/24/20 1:06 p.m.

Well. Pulled the requisite parts to continue the job. 
 


 

Further. Comparisons of the cam. Pics were hard to see but it's obviously an issue. 
 


 


 

Pulled the cam girdle and was blessed to have no damages!  Thank you God!

So off they went for a clean. Also cleaned the cam chain over as well as the pump. Took it apart after and cleaned it and dried it up with some fresh assembly lube. 
 

Before. 
 


 

And after. 
 


 

Waiting on some parts and back she goes!

10001110101
10001110101 New Reader
10/24/20 2:32 p.m.

I'd be real interested to see the part number on that intake cam. That lobe was trashed. Looks like one of the early cams.

bonylad
bonylad Reader
10/24/20 2:39 p.m.

In reply to 10001110101 :

Iirc it's a first gen. One piece. New one is a revision J. 
 

Pics didn't show the damages till I could do a side by side. It's gonna be fun!

bonylad
bonylad Reader
10/25/20 8:25 a.m.

Any suggestions on removing this damn rtv?

10001110101
10001110101 New Reader
10/25/20 9:27 a.m.

Razor blades and patience. Be thorough with cleaning up after you are done. Maybe a little high power brake clean sprayed on a rag.

Error404
Error404 Reader
10/25/20 10:19 a.m.

Acetone or alcohol can help destickify the RTV. Otherwise, patience and a steady supply of coffee.

bonylad
bonylad Reader
11/2/20 3:59 p.m.

Made some progress. Waiting on parts!  Damned election boggin the postal system down. Smh. 
 


 


 

bonylad
bonylad Reader
11/3/20 6:55 a.m.

Hopefully this weekend I have all my parts. I do enjoy driving the truck, but it gets like 11 MPG (realllllly need to hook up overdrive). I also upgraded the charge pipe to a Tiguan pipe (no noise pipe) as well as removal on the resonator for the noise pipe. Redid the N75 lines with small hoses and better clamps. Funny thing I used the wastegate lines off a old Buick Encore turbo and they fit perfect!. Little tweaks here and there. I hope this car runs like I HOPE it will and at the least give me some peace of mind.

 

bonylad
bonylad Reader
11/8/20 7:52 a.m.

Going back. Still waiting on a part that's been about 100 miles away since the 2nd. Not sure what that's about. 

Progress?
 


 

bonylad
bonylad Reader
11/12/20 7:47 a.m.

Didn't take pics.  But she's all back. Figuring out a misfire on cylinder 3. May be a coil. Idk. Runs a E36 M3 ton better. Pulls harder for sure. I moved the coil to cylinder 2 and I will see what happens.

Car is tons of fun to drive. The car made all sorts of noises on startup till I realized I had a brake booster line disconnected. Fixed that. Engine made a rattling noise which went away. Figure it was the oil goin through the rebuilt adjuster where I had filled it with assembly lube. No noises or leaks so far. Will update. 

bonylad
bonylad Reader
11/12/20 10:32 a.m.

Pics of her all back. 
 

Now to start on the interior!

 


 

bonylad
bonylad Reader
11/25/20 7:22 a.m.

Car continues to run excellent. Some chain noise which is likely related to the re use of the old chain and it wearing into the new intake cam.  
 

Meanwhile. 
 

I proceeded to remove all the parts that need reupholstered. I can even believe allllll this had to come out to get the headliner. I have some black suede but I'm rethinking that. 
 


 

Stay tuned!
 

 

FatMongo
FatMongo Reader
12/2/20 8:43 p.m.

Thanks for the pics. 

I stupidly re-used an old cam when I rebuilt my engine this summer:

IMG_3149 by emanookian, on Flickr" />

IMG_3149 by emanookian, on Flickr" />

Guess who's getting a P2293 code and fuel issues under high load / highway speeds?

I didnt know better and figured 'what difference will a little bit of scoring on the lobe make???"

FatMongo
FatMongo Reader
12/2/20 8:47 p.m.

I raided the local junkyard and got this in anticipation of replacing the intake cam:

IMG_3722 by emanookian, on Flickr" />

IMG_3723 by emanookian, on Flickr" />

IMG_3724 by emanookian, on Flickr" />

But at this point, Im wondering wether its not just a better idea spending the $300 for a new cam.

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