Front Cam Bearing okay??
Front Cam Bearing okay?? Here is a few pics of my front cam bearing. Doing a cam swap with motor in the car. Would you go through the trouble of changing out the front bearing because of that chip out of it??? Or call it good and slap the cam in.
TECH Regular
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 471
Likes: 14
From: Tucker, GA
That bearing is wiped out. You've worn off most of the bearing surface and you're almost down to the base-metal. The surface is supposed to be gray - the base metal is what is the bronze color. I wouldn't run it, but that's me.
TECH Resident
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 926
Likes: 18
From: Central Texas
What do the journals look like on the old cam? looks like a overhaul in your future to me. bearing material mostly gone. It is up to you, fix it now or wait for a catastrophic failure. FWIW
On The Tree
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 179
Likes: 0
From: Utica, IL
I agree with the other guys. Looks like it's toast. I would try to get a good of a look as you can at the other ones too. I killed the #3 cam bearing in mine when I did my cam swap and my motor only had 60k. The front bearing still looked good so I did not even look at the other ones.
Forgot to mention the whole inside of my motor is that bronze color from burned oil. I will wipe down the cam bearing tonight and see what the real color is. Hopefully no bronze showing then.
Just checked, its silver colored below the bronze. My oil just stained them. Worried about that small chip out of the backside of the bearing but i think i will just throw in the new billet cam with some lucas assembly lube and hope i can maybe get 20k more miles out of it.
350 while you're in there run a piece of fine wire through the oil holes in the two oil galley plugs above the cam bearing to make sure they're open. They squirt oil on the timing set.
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Verdad Gallardo Used brake cleaner and mineral spirits on bearing, it still looks copper. Take a look at my cam journals in this pic..the front one is copper colored and the rest look good. I should at least change that front cam bearing with the engine in the car i suppose. Clevite SH290S.
Thanks. Thats my stock cam i just ripped out. I got a new billet LE cam going in!!! Hopefully i can rent a bearing install tool to at least change out that front bearing. So you think it looks horrible!? Car only has 99k.
TECH Regular
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 471
Likes: 14
From: Tucker, GA
The rest of your bearing surface has, in my opinion, worn out.
YMMV.
The scratches that are now grey happened when i pulled the old cam out. The oil pump drive gear scratched it up. I tried to be careful but **** happens. All my internals are that color. Every cam bearing i see with my inspection light are all stained perfectly, all surface area. I cant find one pic on the internet where all bearing are worn to a copper color 100% its got to be staining. Im going to buy a bore gauge today and check fot wear.
TECH Resident
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 926
Likes: 18
From: Central Texas
The scratches that are now grey happened when i pulled the old cam out. The oil pump drive gear scratched it up. I tried to be careful but **** happens. All my internals are that color. Every cam bearing i see with my inspection light are all stained perfectly, all surface area. I cant find one pic on the internet where all bearing are worn to a copper color 100% its got to be staining. Im going to buy a bore gauge today and check fot wear.
My i.d. measurement is 47.47. Min spec is 47.4523. Max spec is 47.4777. Looks like im good. I ran mobil one synthetic the past 25k miles. Must be from the previous owner.