[RS Barn]

I am looking to buy a few sets of cams with worn or damaged teeth. I am going to experiment with repairing. I will pay $50.00 per cam intake or exhaust.

Please PM me with info.

Thanks

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[bob blackwell]

You are welcome to my exhaust camshaft. It has one tooth broken off about 1/8 of an inch at the tip. Tell me where to ship it and you can just pay me the actual shipping cost. Good luck, Bob Blackwell.

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[Anchorman]

Very nice offer, Bob. I'd suggest that, if it's accepted, a condition should be that we are kept apprised of what's done, and whether or not the repairing is successful. Many of us are afraid that something along these lines is in our future.

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[Guest]

Anchor, that is exactly what I told him. Pay only for the shipping and keep the Board informed of the progress. Good luck, Bob Blackwell.

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[RS Barn]

Will Do.

I an't believe I've only received one reply!

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[Anchorman]

I think this is a topic that most people want to stay away from. Do you have specific ideas about how to do the cam sprocket repair?

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[bob blackwell]

When I talked with the folks at Powerworks out in California they said that they cut off the damaged sprocket and weld on a new sprocket of the same deminsions. Thei price is $150, Bob Blackwell.

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[Anchorman]

Wow, Bob - it that's a reliable fix, that's certainly much better pricing than buying new cams. If I ever get to that point, though, I'd have to weigh into the equation the downtime and the cost of temporary transportation. But, it's good to know of the alternative.

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[insite94]

$4500 lighter from said engineering malady, I wish I still had my cams to donate. I sold them on e-bay along with the lifters in a package deal that afforded me lunch for 2 at Subway.





Best to you in your search...wishing your hopeful findings will help others. Please keep us posted on your outcomes.



Buzz

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[Anchorman]

OOOUUUCCCHHHHH!!!!! What an incentive to the rest of us to avoid the failure. You've probably posted the details on 968.net, but - to the extent you know, what was the failure mode? Chain? teeth? Variocam unit?

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[insite94]

Anchorman and others -



As always, a search can be done on 968.net for the whole thread, but long story short (and you know it won't be) <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/wink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> ...



I was doing my first oil change at home after putting 3K miles on my new-to-me baby and found 7 gear teeth on my magnetic drain plug. Mind you, the car is my daily drive and I had been driving it that way for who knows how long - very much in danger of grenading the motor. Were it not for the coincidence of a timely oil change, I'd have never known. Yes, I had a PPI with all checking out great, and there were lots of records that came with the car, except I didn't know to ask to inspect the tensioner pad and the mechanic (3rd party in another town) didn't utter a peep about it.



Anyway, following STRONG suggestion from the 968.net list, I had my own mechanic pull the valve cover for insepction.



Outcome: 4 missing cam teeth on exhaust cam and 5 missing teeth on intake. Fortunately, there were no more than 2 teeth in a row missing, which kept the chain from jumping the sprockets. The remiaing teeth were pretty worn too. Furthermore, the tensioner guide had been worn down 3-4 mm, but didn't break or crack. I was DANG lucky.



From the worn tensioner pad, it was clear it had never been serviced in 145K miles. From the list I learned that chains stretch and sprocket teeth wear from stretched chains, and stretched chains wear even harder on weakening teeth - a viscous circle.



So I did the only thing a prudent owner would do. Not wanting to risk reliability issues, I replaced the cams with new ($730+/- each) and opted for new lifters for the new cams, plus new tensioner pad and new chain. The variocam unit was fine and in excellent shape. At $900 for new, I opted to keep that used part.



Other "while you are in there' stuff included new water pump, timing belt, seals, belt tensioners, etc. even though the belts had been done a year previous.



More while you are in there: drop the oil pan to find the 2 teeth still missing. "Long as you're in there" with the front cross members detached, I had the motor mounts replaced too, along with all new fluids. Total bill was about $4500.



Lesson: ALWAYS check the variocam unit, chain, and tensioner pads during the PPI and replace the pads and chain every 45-50K miles thereafter, assuming all check out well initially. My best guess is that the cam teeth will last forever if you replace the tensioner and chain frequently. But if the teeth are already worn, they will wear out the pad and chain in a hurry. The regular inspections and replacements would run about $300 parts and labor, I guess...well worth the price when you consider the possible outcome of destroying the engine.



Buzz

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[Anchorman]

Very helpful, Buzz - thanks. FYI, I had my local OPC estimate the cost of replacing the Variocam chain and pads. IIRC, labor was about $1,000. Parts were nominal, although that changes if you tie this work in with other work such as timing belt etc. I've done two Variocam inspections so far, but maybe the investment in a magnetic drain plug would also be a helpful measure. Thanks again. It's at least pleasing to know that you didn't suffer the catastrophic failure.

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[insite94]

I would definitely recommend a magnetic drain plug. It came with the car from the PO, and I would never know its value were it not for this mishap.



Best,



Buzz

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[insite94]

Oh, here's the thread... Have you seen this one?



http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...&category=33614

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[RS Barn]

I sent a message to seller. It lists this as an 968/944S-2 intake cam They are not the same. The S-2 has 19 teeth and the 968 has 18. I will post what this is when I get reply

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[gbarrier]

Does anyone have website or info for Powerworks?

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[flash]

just a note on magnetic drain plugs - do NOT use these on engines with steel rods, or in oil sumps with any ferrous materials, or in engines with steel drain pans



magnetism is a funny thing, and prolonged contact will magnetize any ferrous material



the result is that filings end up sticking to the other ferrous materials in your engine, and getting into places you don't want them



don't ask me how i found this out - ARRRRGH!!!!

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[Anchorman]

Are you saying that, in your opinion, our engines are ones that should not have magnetic drain plugs?

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[flash]

tough call - pan is aluminum (as is much of the engine) - no conduction there - if you change your oil religiously, and keep your eye on the plug, it's probably safer than most - but, you can bet that if there are filings on the plug, there are magnetized filings elsewhere, so don't assume that they all are stuck to the plug - if you find them, get in there and fix the problem



i'm playing it safe and not using one - the damage those filings did just blew my mind - it was my tow rig, and not as frequently serviced - imagine being on our way to the race track, after 2 weeks of prepping the race car, only to find out that the old trusty tow rig takes a dump because you decided dropping the oil pan to fix a leak (where i would have seen the filings clinging to everything) could wait until you got back



sitting on the side of the road, while on the way to go play is not a fun time

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[bob blackwell]

I saw the ad for Powerworks in Panorama and in Excellence magazines a while back, but do not see it in either magazine now. If you do not find their contact information, contact Pete Fitzgerald at RS Barn. He has had some repaired succesfully too. Good luck, Bob Blackwell.

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