Polishing Aluminum Cam covers

[Glyn Ruck]

Our local club members seem to indicate that it would tend to be a belt & bracers approach for 3.4's & 3.8's. I know of only one that has done this & then only as a precautionary measure ~ not because of trouble. There are plenty of engines running just fine without it. It's not something I'm looking to do anytime soon unless I can be persuaded otherwise.

[cass3958]

Rob/Nigel

Did you actually experience the cam bucket sleeve hitting the cam or are/were your installations precautionary? I read that the 4.2 engine is more prone to the issue than the 3.8.

I have a knock or tick on the left side of the engine over the exhaust cam. All my valve clearances are correct as these were set up by the Engine shop I used to machine the head. They had loads of shims they could swap in and out rather than me having to buy a handful and hope for the best. So the only other thing causing this noise I suspect is a Bucket moving.
When I took the cam covers off I could not see any evidence of the cam lobes hitting the buckets so as Glyn has suggested it might just be a belt and braces job.
All my plates are in place but as you know from one of my previous entries I am still in the throws of completing all the other little jobs I found in the engine bay whilst I have room to move around so have not started the engine yet to see if the noise has gone away. As soon as I start the engine I will let you know.

[NigelW]

Yes I have had two of the guides let go, i was in Poland on a rally and it was over 100 deg f and I was stuck in traffic with the engine getting very hot. I had a clattering noise from the inlet side of the head, I got it back to the motel which was within a mile and took off the cam cover and found the guides raised half way to the cam with mark's on them. I knocked them back in while it was hot and fortunately they stayed there till I got it home 1000 miles later. It was very worrying having to do that kind of mileage especially using the German Autobahn's.

[Orlando St.R]

Thanks very much for the synposes, chaps. Nigel, that sounds an experience I can imagine you not wanting to repeat!

Rob, just in case the stakedown plates don't solve it, this thread might be interesting, especially the penultimate post, where he solves his ticking with new tappets: http://forum.etypeuk.com/viewtopic.php?t=2887

[cass3958]

Thanks Orlando for the link. Interesting reading. I will not know if I have cured my tick until I get the engine running again over the weekend but I will check all my clearances before I put it back together.

[Glyn Ruck]

Thanks very much for the synposes, chaps. Nigel, that sounds an experience I can imagine you not wanting to repeat!

Rob, just in case the stakedown plates don't solve it, this thread might be interesting, especially the penultimate post, where he solves his ticking with new tappets: http://forum.etypeuk.com/viewtopic.php?t=2887

Just a word of warning regarding smearing cam buckets with EP oil as suggested on that thread. NEVER mix even small portions of EP Gear Oil with engine oil. The reaction of Sulphur Phosphorus from gear oil with Calcium from engine oil will cause the engine oil to foam badly (i.e. ~ entrain air) with agitation.

Air is not a good lubricant.

[Orlando St.R]

Thanks for the advice, Glyn.

[NigelW]

Interesting stuff Glyn, never knew that - learn something new everyday.