photos bad camcaps...

bountyhunter wrote:

650ed wrote: I wonder if a previous owner put the cams in dry after adjusting the valves?

Hard to believe even that could do so much damage. I'm believing the "sand in the oil" theory, what an awful waste. I think that head is hosed.

You're probably right. I wonder if it made its way through other parts of the engine?

When you media blast a head, there's a simple and proper way to assure no media is left behind. If you don't do that, you're just asking for trouble.

All it takes is good degreaser, good water pressure and a simple understanding of the oil flow path through the cylinder head.

If it's done properly, there's no way any grit will remain in the head

Regardless.....that's a plain bearing motor you're dealing with. Only those motors had the cam caps without bearing inserts. Best bet is to split it and inspect the big end bearings and crank too. If it got to them, it got though everything.

5000 mi ago I did replace the stem seals, did not re-ring, did not measure the bore, I paid someone to bead bore. I've been gradually buying $300 of parts since then. After a week long sit at a trailhead and 200 mi home , it was very low on oil other than that I've been changeing the oil frequently.

I'll look at the corresponding bearing faces tommorrow. What are the possible consequences of reassembling without addressing the problem? Are plastiguages affected by scratches - I understood them to work by reassembling and measuring how much they deform when they are between the mating beaing surfaces - does them filling up scratches make them innacurate?