you know you have a spun cam bearing if.....
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you know you have a spun cam bearing if.....
thats right....does there have to be metal shavings or debris in the oil or is it possible that doesnt happen? Any squeel i ever hear freightens me, I have no shavings and nothing in the oil at all....couldn't the squeel I hear come from a bad bearing in a water pump or something from it? obviously, it could be the belt...but i am just wondering, if you spin a bearing do you have to get metal shavings and what not?
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You will usually see lower oil pressure if you lose a cam bearing. Squeels can come from a lot of different things like PS pump, water pump, tensioner pulley, a slipping belt ect...
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Well i just spun a rod bearing last month ..
What happens is the car will start with a slight knock and steadily get louder and will lose power along with "some" oil pressure maybe. The car will not want to run hardly and or stay running at idle. If you do run it to long while the bearing has spun. It will eat your crank and possibly warp it and cause the rods/ pistons to go wherever and most likely take out your block.
So if you do ever hear any of those symptoms stop and tow it. Right then and there!!!
What happens is the car will start with a slight knock and steadily get louder and will lose power along with "some" oil pressure maybe. The car will not want to run hardly and or stay running at idle. If you do run it to long while the bearing has spun. It will eat your crank and possibly warp it and cause the rods/ pistons to go wherever and most likely take out your block.
So if you do ever hear any of those symptoms stop and tow it. Right then and there!!!
#5
thats right....does there have to be metal shavings or debris in the oil or is it possible that doesnt happen? Any squeel i ever hear freightens me, I have no shavings and nothing in the oil at all....couldn't the squeel I hear come from a bad bearing in a water pump or something from it? obviously, it could be the belt...but i am just wondering, if you spin a bearing do you have to get metal shavings and what not?
Good luck, I think you would now it if you spun a bearing! My 0.02
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#8
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well I spun a bearing and I lost a little oil pressure when it happened. took the motor apart, and havent had the cam bearing out yet but I found metal shavings and all I think it was a rod bearing that spun in mine because they wher starting to look like crap but could it have been a cam bearing?
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I have only seen one cam bearing seize up and spin (that I can remember anyway) in over 13 years in the automotive machinist field. As mentioned rod bearing will usually knock but even then it is sometimes hard to hear and ususally by the time it becomes obvious serious damage has been done (i.e. crank journal shot beyond grinding). A Main bearing will however drop your oil pressure to near nothing in short order and can also squeal early on. So my guess would be if the squeal you are hearing does not go away when you remove the belt, it is most likely a main bearing. If you have no drop in oil pressure though, and little to no shaving in the oil it could also be something coming loose somewhere (something like a cam bolt backing out and rubbing the front cover, cam retainging plate botl rubbing the sprocket, etc).
Last edited by BOWTIE; 01-12-2008 at 11:40 PM. Reason: sp
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Just trying to work out an answer for this as it seems to have segued into rod or main bearing....If a cambearing DOES let go, is there a tell tale sign at all?
Driving on the freeway at 100-110kmh and a lifter started tapping away and didnt go away until switch off. Once restarted after 10 minutes (I had to do some quick food shopping, lol)the tapping had gone away. Just wondering if its possible a cam bearing issue or something more simple? Do the standard oil pumps fail. I know the lifters do so considering doing lifters and a high volume oil pump but hoping its nothing more sinister...
Short of pulling the cam out the check the journal is there a way to check??
Driving on the freeway at 100-110kmh and a lifter started tapping away and didnt go away until switch off. Once restarted after 10 minutes (I had to do some quick food shopping, lol)the tapping had gone away. Just wondering if its possible a cam bearing issue or something more simple? Do the standard oil pumps fail. I know the lifters do so considering doing lifters and a high volume oil pump but hoping its nothing more sinister...
Short of pulling the cam out the check the journal is there a way to check??
#12
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Just trying to work out an answer for this as it seems to have segued into rod or main bearing....If a cambearing DOES let go, is there a tell tale sign at all?
Driving on the freeway at 100-110kmh and a lifter started tapping away and didnt go away until switch off. Once restarted after 10 minutes (I had to do some quick food shopping, lol)the tapping had gone away. Just wondering if its possible a cam bearing issue or something more simple? Do the standard oil pumps fail. I know the lifters do so considering doing lifters and a high volume oil pump but hoping its nothing more sinister...
Short of pulling the cam out the check the journal is there a way to check??
Driving on the freeway at 100-110kmh and a lifter started tapping away and didnt go away until switch off. Once restarted after 10 minutes (I had to do some quick food shopping, lol)the tapping had gone away. Just wondering if its possible a cam bearing issue or something more simple? Do the standard oil pumps fail. I know the lifters do so considering doing lifters and a high volume oil pump but hoping its nothing more sinister...
Short of pulling the cam out the check the journal is there a way to check??
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Originally Posted by UNLEASHED383
Just trying to work out an answer for this as it seems to have segued into rod or main bearing....If a cambearing DOES let go, is there a tell tale sign at all?
Driving on the freeway at 100-110kmh and a lifter started tapping away and didnt go away until switch off. Once restarted after 10 minutes (I had to do some quick food shopping, lol)the tapping had gone away. Just wondering if its possible a cam bearing issue or something more simple? Do the standard oil pumps fail. I know the lifters do so considering doing lifters and a high volume oil pump but hoping its nothing more sinister...
Short of pulling the cam out the check the journal is there a way to check??
Driving on the freeway at 100-110kmh and a lifter started tapping away and didnt go away until switch off. Once restarted after 10 minutes (I had to do some quick food shopping, lol)the tapping had gone away. Just wondering if its possible a cam bearing issue or something more simple? Do the standard oil pumps fail. I know the lifters do so considering doing lifters and a high volume oil pump but hoping its nothing more sinister...
Short of pulling the cam out the check the journal is there a way to check??
#15
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I would have to agree with Darth. Pull the valve covers. If valvetrain is all stable and solid, then look into it further, but I’d bet you’ll see your issue under the covers. Cam bearings tend to squeal and cause immediate loss of oil pressure. Mains will usually be silent, but oil pressure is gone as well. Rod bearings knock and oil pressure goes lower as you rev it due to inertia causing oil to be pulled out of rod bigend as the motor runs. If it’s a bearing going away, your oil filter media will show you. Cut the filter with the correct tool to check that.
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I would have to agree with Darth. Pull the valve covers. If valvetrain is all stable and solid, then look into it further, but I’d bet you’ll see your issue under the covers. Cam bearings tend to squeal and cause immediate loss of oil pressure. Mains will usually be silent, but oil pressure is gone as well. Rod bearings knock and oil pressure goes lower as you rev it due to inertia causing oil to be pulled out of rod bigend as the motor runs. If it’s a bearing going away, your oil filter media will show you. Cut the filter with the correct tool to check that.
Might have to invest in a oil filter cutter i reckon. Going to replace the cam anyway with something better and get new ls7 lifters and trays. May aswell do the Mellings high volume pump while I'm at it and a waterpump...Engines 212000km old whatever that is in miles.Itll be interesting to see the cam journals, but didnt want to crack the engine and find a surpise like a spun cam bearing..🙂
How regular is this happening in an LS1 or is it very rare/ impossible??
Thanks mate, Here's hoping??🙂