Camshaft came loose!!!!!

[Shoman594]

When I bought the '96 I got a good deal on it due to the car was making a knocking noise from the rear cam bank... This did not sound like a cam failure it was something different but i was not sure what. It was only noticeable at 2000 rpm's. When we started from Michigan it ok but about 10 minutes from home she started to misfire and lose power. As soon as i pulled in to my house we shut her down. By this time the noise was a LOUD knocking noise. I was thinking wow what could that be!

Next day i tore the motor apart to see what was up. Here is what i found.

Links.

http://www.shocago.com/images/ryan/1996 SHO 015.jpg
http://www.shocago.com/images/ryan/1996 SHO 016.jpg
http://www.shocago.com/images/ryan/1996 SHO 017.jpg

The cam cap bolts came loose!!! The 4 buckets were destroyed and the 4 shims went flying they were mangled too.

Luckily it was a the far rear cam so we could take it out easily (did not have to take off the main timing chain) The cam held up and took very little damage. Luckily Larry Eck supplied shims and 4 new buckets for me. Eric Lehmann came over to fix the mess of taking out the cam and putting it back in and welding the cams. Oh did I mention that the car was a cam failure? It received a new cam in the front and was pinned.... but with roll pins!!! oooops! Who knows what happened when the motor was out, did the guy not torque town the bolts correctly ? who knows. But she is running like a dream now!

 

[Mr Anonymous]

Wow.

It's amazing the things that have been done to some of these motors. I'm glad you caught it in time to prevent even more catastrophic damage!

 

[revhardSHO]

Gotta be he didnt torque down the cam journals properly. Lets hope he didnt mess with anything else on the motor!

Damnit now I want a Gen III. Cam failure for sure, only way I could buy one.

 

[MilTownSHO]

WOW! Glad you caught that in time.

My 97 was a cam failure victim also, if Chuck wouldn't have been torn apart that night to be welded, it probably would have failed on the drive home!

 

[99V8SHO]

Cam journals coming loose is a **** of a lot better than the cams failing altogether, that is for sure. Ryan you are very lucky. Good that it is fixed, though.

 

[Camarok]

holy cow.... looks like the buckets took most of the damage!!!
Sorry not a gen 3 guy but there is no valve to piston slap when they get stuck down... or what????

Gosh!

 

[99V8SHO]

The V8 is an interference engine, so if the cam and crank get out of timing then the piston(s) and valve(s) will collide.

 

[ArkanSHO]

So who replaced the cams after they were pinned? That is pretty incredible. Lucky you caught it before the all the bolts backed out completely and that 3500 RPM numchuk started wailing on the head.

 

[SHOGrabber]

Who knows what happened when the motor was out, did the guy not torque town the bolts correctly ?

I bet they was never tightened at all.

 

[SHOerwin]

WOW! Glad you caught that in time.

My 97 was a cam failure victim also, if Chuck wouldn't have been torn apart that night to be welded, it probably would have failed on the drive home!

Is your car named Chuck ? I hope that's short for Charlene...