Hey last night my motor started making a noise that first sounded like a stuck lifter. I did trouble shooting this morning pulled my timing covers off and seen what seems to be the passenger side timing gear wobbling a little (had some front to back sway) what is the chance the front cam bearing going out?


Also I found my timing mark on the gears what do I align them up with on the left and the right engine side housing?


Thanks for any help.

Brian Felts

 

Pics of gears....I believe the pass side gear looks a tooth off!!

 

what model year do you have?

The correct engine position to check timing and belt tesion is TDC #1 cylinder as indicated by the timing marks on the crank rotor and the notches on the cam gears.

The cam brg may be shot or the cam itself...........they break.

 

Sorry its a 1984..........the car runs great!! The noise is the problem, remindes me of a stuck lifter on Small block chevys. I can see that the pass. gear has movement that the drivers side gear does not.

Brian

 

anybody have any ideas?????

 

A lot of potential help is on the road back from Sharktoberfest. You might want to bump again tomorrow if still unresoved.

 

This could be a broken camshaft.

 

Do you think it could be in the process of breaking? The cam is turning and the motor is running very well.

Where do I align the marks on the timing gears with the back covers on the right and left. Any tips on removing the cam housings??


Thanks
Brian

 

Brian, I just had this problem. Yes the car will run ok-till it finally snaps completely. Apparently these cams will develop a crack before they fracture, and the noise is possibly a warning. Do not start the car till the issue is diagnosed accurately. Pull the cam covers and spray brakekleen or equivalent along the cam and look for any cracks/breaks. It is a simple check and a fairly easy repair if it is broken.
Kevin

 

OK sounds good..........I will have a few hours mid week and I will dig farther in then. Right now I am painting a SC 300

Any tips on pulling the cam covers? I have never had mine apart yet!!

Thanks again
Brian

 

Brian,
I'm not very familiar with the 16v motors, but I think the cam breakage occurs near the distributor drive area. The cam will break, with the break at an angle, or jagged, so the cam sort of stays together and will turn. The tip is that the cam sprocket is wobbly or crooked. I believe there are Rennlist threads concerning this situation.

 

While it would be cool to have a distributor on both banks......this one is broked on the 1-4 side, which ain't usual, but can happen, especially if the bolt wasn't torqued properly.

 

Ken, That looks like my car , except I now have white plugs in the front bumper cover! White wheels too?Sounds very much like a broken cam, just unusual to be cars RHS - mostly its LHS . Mostly caused by failure to check tightness of bolt at belt changes. One theory from a wrench here is that very small clamping area on 16V cam wheels allow them to crush enough to loosen off, and once loose they work on the key and loosen some more and overload the shaft.
jp 83 Euro S AT 51k

 

[QUOTE=jpitman2;4702327]Ken, That looks like my car , except I now have white plugs in the front bumper cover!

G'day John, this is something I should be checking on my engine as well. Hey where did you find a set of white plugs for the front bumber. nice find.

Glenn
'81 928

 

Glenn, When I had it repainted last year, I replaced both bumper covers - front had been badly repaired, rear had Euro fogs in it, - so I asked the painter man specifically to paint all the plugs to match. With white wheels and an all white leather interior, I felt I had to play up the whiteness where possible.
jp 83 Euro S AT 51k