Rookie mistake (camshaft related)

short version..... the cam only went into the block 2/3 of the way and then it got into a bind. After repulling/relubing 3 or 4 times I decided to tap on the front end with a hammer. (yeah, i know, not smart). So then it became wedged and wouldnt come out. Oh yeah, this is at 11:30pm last night in a mosquito infested garage. :x To make matters worse, I thought I could 'punch' it out from the back side so I took the block off the engine stand and sat it on some boards and popped out the rear freeze plug with a pipe. Yep, knocked it out but also gouged the rear cam bearing real well. After all that I still couldnt punch the cam out from the rear, so shortly before midnight I picked it up and sat it in the bed of my truck and Im carrying it back to the rebuilder so he can press out the cam and press in one or more new cam bearings as well. Dam, this is embarassing, but any ideas why it was binding? Warped cam... wrong cam bearing size.... or incorrectly installed by yours truly???

Caught on a connecting rod most likely-the rotating mass has to be at a certain allignment for the cam to clear it(#1 at tdc?)

JOHN G":304nj19u said:

Caught on a connecting rod most likely-the rotating mass has to be at a certain allignment for the cam to clear it(#1 at tdc?)

Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply John.

I thought the cam would slip in regardless of the crank position. If thats true then I wonder why it wasnt mentioned in the haynes manual? BTW, I did have #1 piston at top dead center... I dropped off the block at the rebuilder and he said no problem, he'd replace the cam bearings and make sure the cam is fitted properly.

Every now and then you do get a tight cam bearing that will stick a cam

8) if the cam bearings were replaced, then you likely have a bearing with tight, or no clearance. if the cam bearings have not been replaced, then you either have a bent cam, happens on occasion, or the offending cam journal is too big. the cam bearings reduce in size going front to back so the cam slips in easier. if the rear bearing journal is too large, it will bind on the second to last bearing .

First step is to NEVER use a hammer for this stuff again!

Cam bearings - there are a plethora of different sets as Australia and (I believe) Argentina used different tunnel ODs at times. Maybe an incorrect set was supplied (one would need to check the back of the bearings to confirm part numbers).

However, it's more likely they were put in, using the wrong order... There will now be metal particles to remove from the cam area. I would also suggest installing the cam with the block either bell downwards, or upside down. Either way, an inexperienced installer should have a clear view from the oil pan side.

Picked the block up this afternoon. Guy said the cam bearing was mismatched therefore too tight, so he replaced them all and cleaned out the innards... no charge. Also, I noticed that he may have replaced the cam that came in the master kit with another new cam because there was a shiny new dowel pin in it rather than the one I plucked from the worn-out cam.

Lesson learned.

Sounds like a good shop. Even if they made a mistake you made it worse and they still stood behind it. Rare to find a shop like that now days.

lesson learnerd use that shop for all work from now on unless they cant do it
they looked after you now you look after them

Mills Motors in Shreveport. I was expecting to pay something for their trouble. My dad, whos in his middle 70's had a few engines rebuilt there over 30 years ago. They'll get all my future business!

Alls well that ends well!