last cam question

[jadney@vwtype3.org (Melissa & Jim)]

>From: Carlson Bryan J <bjc159s@nic.smsu.edu>

>This is hopefully my last cam question.  The new bearings that I have 
>installed in the case with only the cam (this is the one that was locking 
>up, remember) had uneven wear.  The crank installed by itself rotated.  
>Asked a VW mechanic what was up.  He told me to use my old cam and my old 
>cam bearings, because with those, things work.  I had bought a new cam 
>along with bearings.  I really can't afford any more stuff for this car, 
>aside from the requisite oil, plugs, points, etc for the final build up.  
>Is using old bearings terribly bad?  No brass is showing on them yet.

You need to get some kind of measuring tool that can measure to a few .001". 
 Any kind of cheap vernier or dial caliper will probably do. 

Measure the journal diameters of both the old and new cams.  They should be 
so close to the same that you can't tell the difference.  Measure all three 
journals of the new cam.

If the cams are alike, put a bearing pair around one of the journals of one 
of the cams.  Measure the OD of the bearing pair.  Repeat for all six pairs. 
 They should all measure alike.  If some are oversize they are your problem.

Did you read and understand my post on the tangs and the dual thrust 
bearings? Are yours okay in that respect?  Otherwise you must have either a 
bad cam that has incorrectly sized journals, or incorrect bearings.  Either 
of these faults should be replaced by your supplier under warrantee.  Don't 
just give up.  It is an important part of your "education" that you find and 
understand the cause of your problem.  It is a very simple mechanical 
system; it has a straight forward explanation.  You just need to figure it 
out, and you will.

Jim
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       Melissa Kepner                                    Jim Adney
       jadney@vwtype3.org              jadney@vwtype3.org
                             Laura Kepner-Adney
                             Madison, Wisconsin
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