nasonjs Posted August 12, 2009 Report Posted August 12, 2009 I have just installed a new camshaft in my Galaxy. The previous camshaft had worn on number 2 cylinder I have run the engine for around 2 hours and and removed the rocker cover to check and found that the camshaft has some abrasion marks. on all the lobes. I had removed the head and had it reconditioned, I then reinstalled the head and all components and ran the engine for about an hour on semi synthetic 5W-30 and added engine flush for ten minutes before removing the oil and adding new oil and filter and running the engine for another hour. Most of the wear appears opposite the lobes on the back of the cam. I would have thought that the lobes of the cam would have worn first as that is where the load is. When you take the oil filler cap off, the oil seems to be moving around under the rocker cover and the oil light does not stay on so it appears the oil pressure is adequate and there is oil in the top of the torx bits so oil is getting around in there. Any one any ideas on why I should have wear after such a short time? Could it be down to oil selection? I believe the manufactureres specification is 10W-40 and thats what I'm using now. Would the (Wurth) engine flush cause this problem after 10 minutes? How can I tell whether I am getting adequate oil to these areas and where are the oil ways? Is it likely to be cam hardness? Any other suggestions. Many thanks Quote
big_kev Posted August 12, 2009 Report Posted August 12, 2009 Could it be down to oil selection? I believe the manufactureres specification is 10W-40 and thats what I'm using now. Doubt it, however it would have been safer using mineral oil at first. Engine flush is likely to damage your engine. Quote
seatkid Posted August 12, 2009 Report Posted August 12, 2009 (edited) If its a PD (Unit injector) engine - you MUST use PD oil to vw 505.01 or better. PD oil has high shear additive to stop camshaft wear that is inevitable with other oils. This is due to the (poor) design of the PD top end and why VW speccd this special oil. You shouldnt have used engine flush - thats probably led to camlobe scoring. Unfortunately, once the case hardening on the camlobe is damaged, it often means rapid wear and destruction follows. The VW spec is important, the viscosity rating is not. Edited August 12, 2009 by seatkid Quote
sepulchrave Posted August 12, 2009 Report Posted August 12, 2009 If it is only your base circles which are showing this 'wear' characteristic then there is almost certainly nothing to worry about, I assume that you replaced the followers at the same time as the cam because old followers will do this until the faces wear to suit each other. When a new cam and followers are to be run in you should use a mineral oil and run the engine at 2000 rpm for about half an hour, then change the oil for your normal synthetic fill. Do not allow the engine to idle during the cam break-in period. The fact that you have no obvious signs of spalling means there is no serious damage and all should be well. Quote
nasonjs Posted August 21, 2009 Author Report Posted August 21, 2009 Thankyou very much for your help. It has given me a bit more confidence. I have now completed around 500 miles and all is still well. I will take the rocker cover off again at 1000 miles and have another look. Many Thanks Quote
sepulchrave Posted August 21, 2009 Report Posted August 21, 2009 I wouldn't worry at all if I were you, I've seen lots of damaged valvetrains and if the cam starts to 'pick up' then the top end is toast within minutes! 500 miles might as well be 50,000 miles, nothing bad is going to happen now, save your time and money for the regular service intervals. :16: Quote
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