1985 240 GL 2.3 camshaft is busted

Jul 20, 2004 4 Replies

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disallow 22 years ago

Hi there,

I was wondering if anyone could relay their experiences regarding when a camshaft snaps. My friend's 240GL has

310000kms on it, and it died on him. Since he just bought the car, he wants to fix it.

What would the cost of replacing the camshaft be? (Parts, I would do the labour). Also, are there any quirky things to know before attempting this job? What else should be done at the same time (possibly already worn out).

Any thoughts are appreciated. Post to the group, or email me at loewen_t at yahoo.ca.

Thanks Terry

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Mike F 22 years ago

The camshaft is not a part that normally ever shows wear on that engine, so if it's broken, I'd imagine there was an oiling problem to one (or more) of the bearings, which seized, casing the breakage. Then, you need to figure out why. (Is the oil feed to the head blocked/obstructed?) The cam runs in the head without any bearing shells etc., so you'll probably need a new/rebuilt head at minimum. If you're just changing the cam, it's not much more than remove valve cover and timing belt then remove camshaft. There's a tool to hold the cam down while removing the bearing caps, but it's not necessary, just tighten (and loosen for removal) each cap a little at a time.

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disallow 22 years ago

It had a pretty major oil leak about 2 months ago, which has since been fixed. However, could he have created a problem in the mean time, by letting the oil get too low? And perhaps its just taken this long to finally break?

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Rod Gray 22 years ago

The B230 or B21 depending on the year, is a non-interference engine which means you won't have any damage.I'm assuming that you are not the original owner, but someone has not done preventive maintance on the car like regular

3000 mile oil changes. Decide how much you want to spend, because you have 2 options. The first is to replace the cam shaft.Then Plastigauge the cam to see how much wear the old cam caused. If it isout of limits, the head will need replacing. Clean the oil passages. A guitar string works good for that. The second alternative is to get a junk yard head. In this case, try to find one that has maintaince records. If it was serviced by a dealership, chances are good that the head is in good condition. Hope this helps.

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Mike F 22 years ago

Anything's possible. It doesn't take very long to look at, and it's obvious if there's been an oiling problem. Pull the cam out and see.

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