What happens when camshaft fails?
A vehicle with a damaged camshaft may suffer from reduced engine performance due to cylinder misfire. Your vehicle may hesitate and lose power, jerk or shake aggressively, consume more fuel than usual, and produce more emissions.
What can cause camshaft failure?
Mailbag: 8 Causes of Camshaft Failure and How To Prevent Them
- Lobe wear. Lobe wear is often caused by improper lubrication during installation.
- Improper Break-In.
- Old Lifters with a New Cam.
- Incorrect Valve Spring Pressure.
- Mechanical Interference.
- Excessive End Play.
- Broken Dowel Pins or Keys.
- Broken Cam.
What are the problems resulting from camshaft lobe wear?
001 of an inch of wear on the lobes can negatively impact your valve timing by as much as 3 degrees? This wear leads to loss of horsepower and fuel economy, among other problems. And that’s not even considering the impact of more extensive damage caused by mechanical interference or other serious issues.
What causes cam and lifters to go bad?
Camshaft and Lifter Failure Causes Lubrication of cam and/or lifters is inadequate before first startup. New engine is turned over excessively before being initially started. New engine sat too long before starting it for the first time. Engine is not at a sufficient rpm during camshaft break-in.
What to do about twin cam engine problems?
Harley Cooling is an effective way to help your twin cam engine. The oil cooler features a controlled fan that provides a continuous flow of cooling air, thus helping your engines cool down and reduce the wearing of the plastic shoes. This is recommended since it directly tackles the problem head-on.
What should I do if I have a camshaft failure?
For extra protection, an anti-wear additive should be added, such as Crane Super Lube. Do not use synthetic oil during the break-in period. It is not recommended to use any type of oil restrictors to the lifter galley, or use windage trays, baffles,or plug any oil return holes in the valley.
Can you change the lifters on a flat tappet Cam?
Always use new lifters on a new flat tappet cam. If you are removing a good used flat tappet cam and lifters and are planning to use them again in the same (or another) engine, you must keep the lifters in order as to what lobe of the cam they were on. The lifter breaks-in to the specific lobe it is mated with and it can’t be changed.
What should the end play be on a camshaft?
Some engines use a thrust plate to control the forward and backward movement of the camshaft in the block. The recommended amount of end play on these types of engines is between .003- to .008-inches. Many factors can cause end play to change.