Camshaft Wear

The Gorilla · 27-09-2012, 11:57 AM

Hi,

The Cam wear I believe is an inherent design
fault related to the way the S54 Head retains,
or in this case does not,
Oil in and around the Cam Bridges and
Cam Journals.

Most Cam Wear is caused by the lack of
Oil retained in the Cam Bridges and Journals
upon engine first start up after standing for
a period just like Crank bearings etc.

The damage is done in the first few seconds
from cold start.

I do not think the S54 suffers from any form
of oil feed or pressure issue to the camshafts
as I believe the issue is caused by lack of
oil retention, when the engine is switched
off and cools down.

Go drive a S54 really hard, get it nice and hot
then let it idle for about a minute or so to
disspearse heat sink and switch off.

Leave for a few hours to stand and cool down,
then take the oil filler cap off and look inside the
cam cover.

See how dry the Inlet Cam is around its Journals
and around the Cam bridges etc.
You would expect to see far more oil retained.

When changing out some S54 Cams a while back
it was surprising how little oil there was in
and around the the Inlet cam bridges and what
little oil was left in the Journals when the Cams
were removed.

10-60 synth oil does give a good coating to the
Cam lobes, Journals and bridges, but the lack of
oil retention is not what I would expect to
see on a high performance head.

The Cosworth 16v heads or the BMW S14 Heads retain
quite a lot of oil in and around the cam bridges and
journals, even if the engine has stood for a while.

If you run your finger over a Cam lobe there is
oil deposited on your finger, not so on the S54
Cams in the same circumstances.

Merc 16v and bmw S14 both Twin Cam heads with slant towards
the Exhaust cam meaning the Inlet Cam, sits higher.

So same design as the S54, Merc is shim under
with buckets but for the sake of this discussion
does not make any difference.

I run the Merc 16v engine of 15-50 syth oil and the
cams and cam bridges etc are always well covered
in oil when cold, no matter how hard and hot the engine
has got previously.

I do not believe this issue is mileage related but more
to do with the amount of times the engine is stop / started
from where a running engine has cooled down and is
then started.

Just my thoughts.

Regards,

The Gorilla.

27-09-2012, 11:57 AM	#1
The Gorilla S5, Sport Off, DSC M-track Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 740 Casino cash: $14401	Camshaft Wear Hi, The Cam wear I believe is an inherent design fault related to the way the S54 Head retains, or in this case does not, Oil in and around the Cam Bridges and Cam Journals. Most Cam Wear is caused by the lack of Oil retained in the Cam Bridges and Journals upon engine first start up after standing for a period just like Crank bearings etc. The damage is done in the first few seconds from cold start. I do not think the S54 suffers from any form of oil feed or pressure issue to the camshafts as I believe the issue is caused by lack of oil retention, when the engine is switched off and cools down. Go drive a S54 really hard, get it nice and hot then let it idle for about a minute or so to disspearse heat sink and switch off. Leave for a few hours to stand and cool down, then take the oil filler cap off and look inside the cam cover. See how dry the Inlet Cam is around its Journals and around the Cam bridges etc. You would expect to see far more oil retained. When changing out some S54 Cams a while back it was surprising how little oil there was in and around the the Inlet cam bridges and what little oil was left in the Journals when the Cams were removed. 10-60 synth oil does give a good coating to the Cam lobes, Journals and bridges, but the lack of oil retention is not what I would expect to see on a high performance head. The Cosworth 16v heads or the BMW S14 Heads retain quite a lot of oil in and around the cam bridges and journals, even if the engine has stood for a while. If you run your finger over a Cam lobe there is oil deposited on your finger, not so on the S54 Cams in the same circumstances. Merc 16v and bmw S14 both Twin Cam heads with slant towards the Exhaust cam meaning the Inlet Cam, sits higher. So same design as the S54, Merc is shim under with buckets but for the sake of this discussion does not make any difference. I run the Merc 16v engine of 15-50 syth oil and the cams and cam bridges etc are always well covered in oil when cold, no matter how hard and hot the engine has got previously. I do not believe this issue is mileage related but more to do with the amount of times the engine is stop / started from where a running engine has cooled down and is then started. Just my thoughts. Regards, The Gorilla.