Chaps, just did another 20mins on my X1 engine and after taking the clutch off I flipped the engine around to have a good look at the cam chest. To my amazement I found some flipping huge gauges at the top of cams, and scratches in the cam bushes and at the end of the pinion shaft. My gut feeling is to get the rest of the engine and the lower end stripped and checked, but I wanted to run this past you lot first.

Pictures say more than a thousand words.......

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Illegitimi non carborundum

If It dosen't look right It usually Isn't right.
Best to though.

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Norrie.

In the middle picture, the zig zag nature of the scratches suggests that the cam has either been fitted too tight in the bush and has been rotated to and fro in order to get it "Home" or it has been forced home and then rotated to and fro to get it back out again. Either way, it looks like something has "picked up" during installation, as opposed to running.
Just my 2 pence worth.

BTW, it's gouging.

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I started out with nothing and still got most of it left.

I was actually worried more about the gouging at the top or 'roof' of the cam chest, where the lifters are. I was thinking that maybe some of the aluminium got into the oil system and then into the crank bearings?

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Illegitimi non carborundum

I am certainly no expert, but IIRC from looking at my cams, the only thing that could put the gouges in by the lifter are the gears and the only way they could do this are if the bearing shoulder to gear distance is too short - this is assuming that the problem started here but of course it could have been caused by debris coming from the rocker cover. What cams are in it? Are they in the correct position?

As for the swarf, to get into the bearings it will have had to have been through the pump to get on the high pressure side of the system, and in doing so, should have gone through the filter. But of course someone could have assembled it with bits of swarf in the oilways.

I was thinking the marks on the bearing faces could have been through a lack of lubrication, but would have expected to see some discolouring due to heat.

I would pull the whole motor apart (including the oil pump) and make sure you know what the extent of the damage is and on assembly understand why the gear is touching the casting.

And in any case, talk it through with , he will have seen this before...

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08 Specialized Langster

Good news!

Just got the cams out and fitted them back into the cam chest to see if really was the cams that could have caused those gouges. I'm glad to report that the back of the cams is MILES away from the housing. So whatever has caused those gouges must be a legacy thing. No idea how it happened, but maybe the previous owner had some monkey spanner on the damn thing. So that saves me having to send the bottom end off to be inspected by Tubbs. More money to be spent on online porn!

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Illegitimi non carborundum