Ever see a snapped camshaft? :)

[Bimmerfanatik]

This is mixed into my 318i update post, but worth standing alone.



Yep, that's a screwdriver in between that first piece of the camshaft and the second. Clean break right at the cap. If you weren't looking closely, you wouldn't see it. Now, what made the cam snap in half is beyond me, and what damage was done because of it is also yet to be determined, but damn - glad I found it or I would have been kicking myself wondering what happened.

[nando]

that's pretty scary, but didn't you already post this?

I'm curious as to how that happened. bad timing chain tensioner or something?

[bmw332i]

As a matter of fact, yes, I have. This is how I got the brand new 272 Schrick cam for my sister's car from BavAuto:





They had shipped it in a cardboard box wrapped in bubble wrap. Needless to say, when I got it, I screamed bloody murder, and they sent out a new one (free). This time, it was in a large box containing a pvc pipe about 5" in diameter, with that liquid-foam packed around the cam, with "peanuts" in the cardboard box. I had a friend of mine that is a metalurgist take a look at it under a electron microscope, and he noticed hairline fractures all over the ends of the cam. He asked if I was going to throw it away, and if I was, could he have it. Last I heard, he made a table lamp out of it. Drilled out the center, and everything. Cool.

[Bimmerfanatik]

Re: Ever see a snapped camshaft? :)

This is mixed into my 318i update post, but worth standing alone.

reeeead :)

I haven't the first idea what caused it - I'll be checking into in in the coming weeks - I was curious to see if anyone else has ever had it happen to them before, maybe get some ideas on things to look for.

[nando]

my schrick came in the same box but it was packed in another large box and I had it shipped overnight - ground shipping is much harder on stuff (that's why you always have fragile things like CRT monitors sent overnight).

[Bimmerfanatik]

As a matter of fact, yes, I have. This is how I got the brand new 272 Schrick cam for my sister's car from BavAuto:





They had shipped it in a cardboard box wrapped in bubble wrap. Needless to say, when I got it, I screamed bloody murder, and they sent out a new one (free). This time, it was in a large box containing a pvc pipe about 5" in diameter, with that liquid-foam packed around the cam, with "peanuts" in the cardboard box. I had a friend of mine that is a metalurgist take a look at it under a electron microscope, and he noticed hairline fractures all over the ends of the cam. He asked if I was going to throw it away, and if I was, could he have it. Last I heard, he made a table lamp out of it. Drilled out the center, and everything. Cool.

All I got out of that was that your sister has a BMW.

Post pics of your sister and her car :)


Seriously though, that's odd - sounds well packaged, so dunno why it got snapped.

This was in a motor though - how the jeebus would something internally snap it?

[nando]

could it be that the engine had been overheated and the head was warped (something that easily happens to the m42)? think about how many RPMs that cam is turning, any sort of stress on it isn't good.

[Bimmerfanatik]

could it be that the engine had been overheated and the head was warped (something that easily happens to the m42)? think about how many RPMs that cam is turning, any sort of stress on it isn't good.

I suppose - if that's the case, I may not find out, because that'd require bringing it to a shop, and this is just a junk engine now.

Though, if that were the case, wouldn't I have seen other symptoms? Higher temp, overheating, leaking coolant, something? Dunno.

PS - took this part out of my other post so I'm not posting twice - NANDO. :)

[bmw332i]

All I got out of that was that your sister has a BMW.

Post pics of your sister and her car :)


Seriously though, that's odd - sounds well packaged, so dunno why it got snapped.

This was in a motor though - how the jeebus would something internally snap it?

Don't know how it would have snapped like that, since engine dynamics are beyond me.

No pics of my sister, surprisingly, but here are some of her car:

1991 e30 Dinan 325iX

[nando]

nice car! is she single? ;)

[bmw332i]

nice car! is she single? ;)

It is a nice car, and yes she is single, but I don't think she'd be up to dating an internet e30 nerd. Not saying that you are an internet e30 nerd, just that she wouldn't date a guy from an e30 board. She's more the type to date a guy that isn't home on a saturday night posting to his internet buddies. ;)

[nando]

haha, actually I spent most of the day outside and working, I'm just eating right now and about to go to sleep. but I can't really claim not to be a nerd...

[Bimmerfanatik]

She's more the type to date a guy that isn't home on a saturday night posting to his internet buddies. ;)

Some of us are WORKING tonight, there pal.

She races too? Better keep a close eye on her. That's a Danica in the making.

[bmw332i]

She's more the type to date a guy that isn't home on a saturday night posting to his internet buddies. ;)

Some of us are WORKING tonight, there pal.

She races too? Better keep a close eye on her. That's a Danica in the making.

Must be nice to be able to work AND have time during said job to post on a message board. :D

Yes she does "race" too. Took her just 4 DE's to move up to the Advanced run group.

[AdamF 88iS]

Usually a broken cam is caused by not using a holding tool to remove it and the uneven force of one cylenders valve springs pressing up at an angle with a couple of the caps removed will do it.