50ETR

Ok, boys and girls I was doing my cam install this Saturday when we pulled out the old cam and saw the nastyness.
The car has 45k on the clock and I bought it with only 4500 miles on it. To say the least the first cam bearing look awful. Lots of copper color showing and little shavings lightly chalked on the old cam.

I wish I had my digital camera at the time I would show you how bad the first one was. Well I wanted to know if it was just my front bearing otherwise I would have to remove the engine to get all of them done. $$$$$ No good for me
So I call my mechanic up (1st Performance in Mesa,AZ) and he says he will come up to my house and bring his borascope with him to look inside at the other bearings. He arrrives at 9pm and shows me looking through the scope and they are all slightly discolored (i.e. copper color showing)....

So of course I am shitting myself because the cost to have the motor removed and re-installed with the new bearings isn't cheap. So the car is being towed to the shop to have a closer look at it and he wants to remove my oil filter to see if there are shavings or metal bits in the filter.
But pretty much the engine is coming out for new bearings so I will be out my car for a while.

Here is my question to all of you:
I never but once have had the low oil light come and always got the oil changed every 3k miles using always Mobil 1 Full Synthetic. How could this have happened with so few miles on it? Has anyone had a similar problem?

Now that my engine is being town apart anyway I thought maybe some better internals would be a good suggestion. What would you suggest? Remember I am on a very limited budget with this because I am student in college and I don't have a whole lot of cash. I might be able to spring a grand to throw at it but most like a little less. Suggestions on some forged parts... I plan to spray the motor down the road (only 100 shot) which would be good to protect it from the spray hurtin the internals. Sorry about the million questions but I don't know much about the internals.

horist

I think I remember reading a post a while back that our cam bearings will look copper colored even brand new...

50ETR

Supposedly if the copper color is showing that means that the coating has been worn away which isn't good. Not to mention that also there were shavings from it all over the front bearing.

TaTommyWS6

I'm far from an expert, but I did swap my own cam, and mine looked like it had copper in it too.
Can't tell you about the shaving though....

I think it may be normal. Don't freak out. Hopefully someone more knowledgable will chime in.

Tommy

NicD

iTrader: (7)

As far as normal or good, not really. As far as common as it seems on these motors, yes.

TaTommyWS6

This is also one reason I don't like many aftermarket timing gear/chain sets. They are MUCH tighter than stock, which most definitely will wear on the that front bearing. Our stock timing chains feel very loose, but they are supposed to be that way...

Tommy

horist

here's the post I was thinking of

https://ls1tech.com/threads/showflat...rue#Post487912

50ETR

So Nic are you saying that most of these guys including yourself had some copper showing on all of the bearings? Because mine had quite a bit of copper showing on all of them and the shavings from the coating on the front bearing.
What about your suggestions for some internal parts to upgrade?

DONAIMIAN

iTrader: (18)

Fo with a set of eagle roda and it dosent really matter what pistons you buy as long as its from a reputable company. I knowwhere you can get a set of eagle forged I beam rods for 279 and a set of H beam rods for 479. PM me and I will send you a link.

CAT3

iTrader: (9)

Mine looked like new after 27k, one friend of mine Drew778 his looked good also after 20k+, and one other friend, well his looked like you describe, copper on the bottoms, and more than just the front bearing. I advised him to maintain his oil level, and changes and watch the pressure, and look at the oil after changes. What else can be done?

50ETR

What pistons? Does anybody know the size of all these parts that are needed. I looked up the Eagle H-Rods which would cost close to 500 dollars are 6.100" How about the pistons to go along with it?

NicD

iTrader: (7)

I had a bit of copper showing but didn't care. Now shavings might have me a bit more worried.

Camaroholic

iTrader: (1)

Here's what worn out cam bearings can do if you go ahead and swap in a cam anyway. Needless to say, I lost the motor in my 94Z that way. I noticed it, but decided to go ahead and chance it. Car was fun... for about 2 hours.

-Andrew (wishin' I'd spent a few bux on cam bearings)

2001CamaroGuy

iTrader: (6)

I don't agree.....



the stock chain is loose because it is weak and stretches easy.....I (and many others) feel running the stock chain is a big no no....

stock chain



aftermarket chains are tight, but not so much that they load up the bearings (not like over tight belts do on the front crank bearing), they just keep the gears from having slack.....

StevieZ

iTrader: (3)

I also disagree. Even the tightest timing chain will still have play and not be "pulling" the cam down to cause abnormal wear on the lower 1/2 of the bearings.

DaleMX

iTrader: (4)

I would think that all the valve springs applying pressure to the cam would be more of a factor than the timing chain.

TaTommyWS6

I helped my friend put on his double gears and chain and it was VERY tight. Maybe this particular one was a poor fit, but I did not feel ANY slack in it... How could that not effect the front bearing?


I'm just trying to understand this...

Tommy

2001CamaroGuy

iTrader: (6)

its cool....


while the chain is "tight", its not the kind of TIGHT that causes over load on the bearings.....your thinking of the problems people have with over tightening belts on manual adjust systems....they pull the belt so tight that is actually over loads and pulls the crank sideways thus burning up a side of the bearing and for it to be that tight, it would either need some kind of manual tensioner or if it were just that short (tight), you couldn't even install it.....



the stock chains start out life being tight (if its good quality) but quickly stretch and becomes loose....

2000RATA

The spring pressures are what makes the cam bearing wear. And the copper color is pretty normal. If they are truely worn excessivly you will see a lose in oil pressure. Don't get overly excited. And if you are letting a mechanic look at this he probably doesn't know what a "bad" bearing looks like. An engine builder will. Not just a mechanic. There is a difference in my opinion.

66ImpalaLT1

I had no copper color when I swapped cams around 20k miles.

Eric