Stock Camshafts

[95Grand-Am]

Anyone one ever hear of camshafts breaking in these 60 degree engines? Someone on this sight said that they break all the time. I'm curently using a 95 grand-am 3100 roller cam is there a better stock cam or should I get an aftermarket one? This is for my circle track car?

[bszopi]

I have one on my desk that snapped in half (found it in a junkyard). I wouldn't say that they break all the time, but when an engine looses oiling to the cam, then there is a chance that it will snap due to its hollow core construction.

As far as aftermarket cams, check out the 60V6 store. Ben has several different grinds and all of the cams are solid core cams.

[95Grand-Am]

Will they only break in engines with bad oil presure, that a relief for me.

[geoffinbc]

Its not oil pressure that kills them. I would almost bet no one has lost a cam because of that. Everyone looses it from a LIM leak or head gasket leak causing water to get into the oil and then from there the failure happens. LIM leaks are very common on stock 3100 and 3400 motors.

[SappySE107]

I bought a motor that had a snapped camshaft. The journals were bad, very bad. It had coolant in the oil so I am going to agree that is the cause of it.

[torq455]

agreed, heard the same thing here. although it was that coolant leaked from it's usual spot (over the tranny), runs down onto that last journal and sits in there.

[Superdave]

Yep, i've got a broken cam around here too.. LIM went on that engine, dexcool broke down the oil and it spun all the cam bearings.. cam siezed and broke into 2 or 3 pieces. One of the cam bearings was in the oil pan!

[ForcedFirebird]

Are Gen1 cams solid?

[sharkey]

gen 1 and 2 cams are infact solid. its only the gen 3 roller cams that do this because of the hollow core with pressed on lobes.

[ForcedFirebird]

gen 1 and 2 cams are infact solid. its only the gen 3 roller cams that do this because of the hollow core with pressed on lobes.

So can't the Gen3 motors take a Gen2 cam? This would solve this problem, no?

[sharkey]

it would, however there are some things to consider. if you retro fit a gen 2 cam into a gen 3, you are giving up the hydralic roller lifters, as you cant run roller lifters on a flat tappet cam. this isnt as big of a deal as some would think, unless your over .500 lift, as you dont see a very big gain from hydralic rollers as many people beleive. another thing to keep in mind is the cam sensor. in any vehicle that came stock with a gen 3 motor, there is a cam sensor and a trigger wheel on the cam. by using a gen 2 cam, you have no trigger wheel and you will set codes, aswell as lose your SFI. if the motor is being used in a motor swap running an aftermarket or obd1 computer, this isnt an issue.

[Superdave]

the problem isn't the cam, it's the LIM gaskts failing..

any cam will break like that if it binds up in the bearings. LSx engines use the same pressed on lobe design and they don't have these issues.

[geoffinbc]

Exactly the point. It is not the design of the cam that is the problem. Even if you did go to a solid core cam then the chain would just break instead but the result is the same. Destroyed cam bearings and bent valves.

The actual problem is easily fixable by changing to the new gaskets that are out there and switching to better antifreeze or simply changing Dexcool at a more regular interval.