SuzukiSavage.com - Worn camshaft

Mega

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Worn camshaft
12/31/10 at 19:16:58

I opened up the engine today to investigate a loud tapping noise coming from the head. When I removed the valve cover I noticed the rocker arm was severly worn where it contacts the cam. The surface s now concave. Tomorrow I intend to buy a better set of calipers to measure the cam lobes, but the exhaust looks like it has some slight flattening and I'm afraid I may need a new one.

Anyone have suggestions what could cause this?

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MotoBuddha Serious Thumper Offline Let's roll! Posts: 1416 Charlotte, NC	Re: Worn camshaft Reply #1 - 12/31/10 at 19:24:47 What sort of milage on your bike?
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justin_o_guy2 Serious Thumper Offline What happened? Posts: 55279 East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.	Re: Worn camshaft Reply #2 - 12/31/10 at 22:42:11 Coulda just been a bad casting. I had a lobe go away on a cam in a 460 Ford. A friend slapped a cam & set O lifters in it. Took him 8 hours from the time he diagnosed the Dead Miss to washing hands. & that includes the time to go buy the cam set.
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verslagen1 YaBB Moderator ModSquad Offline Where there's a will, I want to be in it. Posts: 28884 L.A. California Gender:	Re: Worn camshaft Reply #3 - 12/31/10 at 22:55:58 Year, mileage, and last time the head cover was off. Most often, it's caused by oil starvation. The cam lobes sit in a bath tub that's filled with oil. If debree or excessive RTV fills the oil path, the head will be starved of oil.
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Oldfeller--FSO Serious Thumper ModSquad Offline Hobby is now "concentrated neuropany" Posts: 12670 Fayetteville, NC Gender:	Re: Worn camshaft Reply #4 - 01/01/11 at 01:48:15 To answer your question we need to know the mileage. Oil starvation is the only low mileage answer. Very high mileage answer is fairly obvious -- lotsa lotsa miles. Slolution is over $100 of new parts or else this ... http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1268653293
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Mega YaBB Newbies Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 10	Re: Worn camshaft Reply #5 - 01/01/11 at 07:16:10 It's at work, and I'll check the mileage later today. I'm going to say 16k. Definitely in the teens. This is the first I've opened it since I picked it up. I have no service history.
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justin_o_guy2 Serious Thumper Offline What happened? Posts: 55279 East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.	Re: Worn camshaft Reply #6 - 01/01/11 at 08:14:43 WAY too young of an engine for that kind of failure. Somethings up.
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Mega YaBB Newbies Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 10	Re: Worn camshaft Reply #7 - 01/01/11 at 09:07:16 Yeah, that kind of uneven wear makes me think now of a possible sticking valve. Something happened or is happening.
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Mega YaBB Newbies Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 10	Re: Worn camshaft Reply #8 - 01/01/11 at 11:03:26 I checked the mileage for sure and it's less than 15k. The exhaust lobe is .01 within tolerance. So it's usable but not for long. I still haven't removed the time chain since I do not have a 36mm wrench. Sears doesn't either. I'm definitely going to pull the head off now and check for a sticky or damaged valve.
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justin_o_guy2 Serious Thumper Offline What happened? Posts: 55279 East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.	Re: Worn camshaft Reply #9 - 01/01/11 at 11:21:31 You can get a set of 1/2" drive, deep impact sockets from Harbor Freight for cheap thatll do the job nicely. I did.
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T Mack 1 - FSO

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Re: Worn camshaft
Reply #10 - 01/01/11 at 12:15:38

Probably oil starvation.

You really, really need to have the engine set at least at 1000 RPM. I had an oil pressure gauge on mine and at 1000 rpm, the oil pressure reading with a warm engine, down at the test port (sort of hidden behind the exhaust pipe down by the filter (facing front)), is only about 2 psig. (pounds per sqr inch). That's not very much oil at idle. I had experimented once and if I recall correctly, around 900 RPM it's only around 1 psig.

Yea, I know it sounds neater if the rpm are lower (thump thump thump) but.........

Here's a picture with the bike not fully warmed up.

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Engineers design things, Technicians make them work.
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MotoBuddha Serious Thumper Offline Let's roll! Posts: 1416 Charlotte, NC	Re: Worn camshaft Reply #11 - 01/02/11 at 05:36:42 T Mack 1 - FSO wrote on 01/01/11 at 12:15:38: ...down at the test port (sort of hidden behind the exhaust pipe down by the filter (facing front)... Could you show a photo of this?
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ralfyguy Serious Thumper Offline Posts: 932	Re: Worn camshaft Reply #12 - 01/02/11 at 06:04:59 It's that plug in the clutch cover you took off and wondered about the casting imperfection. It's that hex head screw plug.
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MotoBuddha Serious Thumper Offline Let's roll! Posts: 1416 Charlotte, NC	Re: Worn camshaft Reply #13 - 01/02/11 at 06:20:54 Do you mean this?
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ralfyguy Serious Thumper Offline Posts: 932	Re: Worn camshaft Reply #14 - 01/02/11 at 06:35:45 If this is the mirrored image from the clutch cover, then yes.
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