Sorry, but I've never been a fan of tracking these cars. My opinion is they aren't really designed for it and to deal with the possible issues arising from track usage can be expensive.

Could be for your tracking activity you may have to address deteriorating chain rail guides -- if the plastic bits shedding continues -- and then "while you are there" possibly the hydraulic chain tensioners maybe even sloppy/loose chains and maybe even more depending upon what is found after the engine is opened up.

If it has to be opened up of course. That it needs this level of attention is not clear. if you stop tracking and find the plastic bits keep on coming then almost certainly at some point this will need to be addressed and sooner rather than later.

If you continue to track I would hazard a guess -- doesn't take much of a crystal ball -- you will need to something and sooner. You certainly do not want the engine to lose a chain rail and have the chain run on bare aluminum. This fills the oil with alum. metal flake assuming the chain doesn't tear the alum. rail loose. This would almost certainly be fatal to the engine.

Even if the rail stays put with the guide rail plastic cover gone the chain could get loose enough to jump a tooth or three. And this too would almost certainly be fatal to the engine.

If you want to play you have to be at least prepared to pay.

 

These engines actually seem to do pretty well on the track as long as you take the right precautions. Using a high temp race oil, X51 baffle, and making sure all of your maintenance items such as AOS, WP and IMS are taken car of seem to be the keys. Oh ya, and no money shifts.

 

If they do so well on the track then why is your's shedding cam pad material?

Leave it alone unless you want to pull the engine, and replace the cam chain pads.

Post a picture of the plastic bits? Is it black or brown?

 

^ Yup. Worthless w/o pichers.



This picher does not help at all:


OP, enjoy the fact that ^ he has made more mistakes than you have. Several more.

 

Ummm, your logic implies that since they have issues while driving on the street then we can assume they don't do well on the street either?

Despite what my wife says, I can follow directions pretty well. Pulling the engine doesn't look like that tough of a job. Splitting the case does seem to increase the complexity though so I would like to avoid that initially unless it's recommended. Even if it means pulling the engine a second time to go back in and do it again later on.

Sorry amigos, no pics. Although Schnelly's made me laugh pretty hard. There was one brown and 4 black "bits" 1-2mm in size that were impervious to the pressures of a fingernail or the "lure" of a magnet. I can always drop the sump again if there is a specific variation in the bits that we are looking for otherwise my description will have to do.

 

How did you check the cam deviation?

 

Durametric

 

OK, sounds like I'm just being paranoid and that it's nothing to worry about until the Cam Deviations start moving.