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General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Cam inspection after 1200kms
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Message started by Moarpower on 08/25/23 at 06:27:53

Title: Cam inspection after 1200kms
Post by Moarpower on 08/25/23 at 06:27:53

So I've put just over 1200kms on my early model savage.
I pulled the cap to have a look at wear and it was not exactly perfect.

There was however, plenty of oil circulation which is good.

This was a USED dr650 cam. It had some pitting when I bought it. It was welded and ground by a cam specialist but it seem the weld may not of held up, or this is just new wear.
No real wear on the rockers and a little on the journal surfaces of the head. The head is abused ls400 unit from a 2004 model.

I'm going to be on the lookout for another cam I guess. There were some very minor lines on the journal surfaces but the wear on the cam journals on the head and cap are always a worry. There were some wear lines on the left side of journal surfaces mut not that I could feel.

Maybe some of the excess wear is just from the cam and head not being from the same bike. I'll open it up again in 1000kms and see where it's at. Hope I don't need to replace the head again so any tips on how to keep this in check are appreciated.

Title: Re: Cam inspection after 1200kms
Post by Moarpower on 08/25/23 at 06:29:24

Other cam surfaces seem fine. The journals on the left seemed a little more worn than the rest tho

Title: Re: Cam inspection after 1200kms
Post by Moarpower on 08/25/23 at 06:30:13

Another pic.

Title: Re: Cam inspection after 1200kms
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 08/25/23 at 11:10:59

I want to see what some of these Real, No Kidding mechanics say. To me, the surface looks a bit rough, but I'm not seeing lines going around the face, like if it was under lubricate and wearing in an aggressive manner.
If the edges of those pits were standing proud and sharp, I'd expect you to be looking at heavy marking on your lifters.

I had a drain plug that had a magnet in it. I also have been known to autopsy an oil filter occasionally.

Yeah,, getting in without poisoning the well is a trick.

Title: Re: Cam inspection after 1200kms
Post by DragBikeMike on 08/25/23 at 15:44:23

That looks like a weld failure to me but I'm not a materials engineer or a metallurgist. I personally do not care for welded cams. The few times I have tried them they ended up like yours. Only 750 miles and it's in the toilet already. I suspect you can keep running it for a while. Who knows, maybe it was just a weld inclusion and it won't get any worse. Is it on the nose of the lobe.

I don't recall seeing any oil holes in your photos. Did you drill the oiling holes in the lobes? I know I have previously stated that the oil holes don't seem to make any difference but I have since learned they do. I tried to correct as many of my old posts as I could, but I'm sure a few slipped through the cracks. I think the oil holes in the lobes provide the oil for your left-hand main bearing.

Is there some reason why you don't just go to a Suzuki dealer and order the correct cam, and then drill the oil holes in the lobes.

Title: Re: Cam inspection after 1200kms
Post by Moarpower on 08/25/23 at 16:53:52

Thanks, Mike. Yes, I drilled the holes and made the one through the cam slightly bigger to match the size of the stock cam hole. Yes, the wear is right at near the peak of the lobe.

The rockers look good . The only other sign of wear was the left side head journals and that's the real worry for me as heads are not cheap! Again it may be due the head and cam being from totally different bikes.

I will keep riding for now but will check on it with every oil change and at the same time keep my eyes open for a new cam. They are really hard to find actually.

I would like to just buy a new stock cam but the price is really high and Im currently a student working part time, trying to change careers at the age of 37 lol. So everything with my bike is done as cost-efficiently as possible. THe cost of a new cam is between 450 to 600 Aud depending on the dealers around here.

I am always on the lookout for a whole engine too but they just don't come up here in Australia,

Title: Re: Cam inspection after 1200kms
Post by Dave on 08/26/23 at 03:56:11

Is shipping from the US to Australia difficult and/or expensive?

I can understand shipping a complete engine is not realistic - but shipping small parts would hopefully be reasonable.

Title: Re: Cam inspection after 1200kms
Post by Moarpower on 08/26/23 at 04:13:31

It depends on the seller. Some parts are very affordable. Usually shipping a cam from the USA via eBay is over 100 USD