-----Original Message-----
From: owner-alfa@domain.elided [mailto:owner-alfa@domain.elided] On Behalf Of
George Graves
Sent: Thursday, March 27, 2003 1:51 AM
To: alfa@domain.elided
Cc: diogenio@domain.elided
Subject: Re: alfa-digest V9 #370
Good luck. I just went through a similar ordeal and ended up buying a
new pair. Here's what I found:
It looks as if either Alfa 12-valve camshafts are not very hard or the
cam follower buckets aren't very hard (or both). Every used pair I have
looked at was seriously worn. Even the ones that came out of a very low
milage Milano engine (less than 50K) were worn. In turn, this wears the
followers (or perhaps, vice-versa. Who knows?). I also looked at a
couple of pairs of 're-grinds' which have been re-profiled to 'S'
characteristics, then re-hardened. All of these had so much material
removed from the 'heel' of the cam lobe*, that it requires one to have
custom tappet spacers made-up to get the valves to adjust as Alfa
doesn't make any which are thick enough for re-ground cams and you
can't stack them. A new pair will cost you about US$800, and you also
need to replace ALL of the cam follower buckets, both for the 6 inlet
valves and the six exhaust valves because they are bound to be worn as
well. To check, run your finger over the follower face. If you feel
ANYTHING at all, that bucket needs replacing. Some of them exhibit a
ridge where the cam strikes it, and others show pitting right in the
center. If you do not replace them, these worn buckets will abrade your
fresh cams like sandpaper.
Not good news, I know.
*When a worn cam is re-profiled, it is required that the worn part of
the existing lobe must be ground completely away. This means that ALL
the lobes must then be ground to match the worst one. This results in a
lot of material being removed. Since Alfa V-6 cams tend to wear fast,
most cams you see will have one or two lobes that very badly worn. This
is likely the reason why all of the re-grinds I've looked at had
insufficient 'meat' on the heel. Also, I have heard that many re-grinds
are even softer than the factory cams. Sperry's, for instance, seem to
have garnered a reputation for being extremely prone to wear.
George Graves
'86 GTV-6
now with 3.0 liter 'S' engine
and Power Steering
On Wednesday, March 26, 2003, at 10:41 PM, alfa-digest wrote:
Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 21:37:05 -0800
From: "Dennis Lusis/CPI LABS" <diogenio@domain.elided>
Subject: Wanted: Pair of good 164 "S" cams.
Looking for good used "S" cams to drop in my 87 Milano 2.5 L. Thanks.
Dennis
San Diego, CA
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