Thoughts on cam shaft replacement.

[07cl733]

Since a blown head gasket has led me to an in-frame on my 2000 etech 460 that has 1.8 million on the motor and 750k on the current build, I'm pondering changing the cam and/or lifters. The motor ran great and the cam looks good, but I don't know if it, or the lifters, have ever been replaced. I've read from this invaluable resource, bigmacktrucks.com and it's members, that the lifters can go bad and take out the cams in these motors.

 

Are cam  failures common enough to justify going deeper and spending thousands of more dollars?

How about lifters without the cam, would that be a better idea? Or even just the eup lifters, as they seem to be the biggest problem? 

Joey Mack, if you're out there, I read a post from 2022 that said you were using a pai cam and ceramic lifters. Would you recommend that combo for the etech?

 

[Joey Mack]

no to the ceramic lifters. Without having a crystal ball, I cant say how long the current lifters will last. When your engine was born, the lifters had an issue where they would stop rolling due to a flat spot developing on the roller axle. they are brass. this caused the roller to stop turning and therefore it would damage the cam. With that said.... you have some food for thought on replacing the cam and lifters, or maybe just the lifters. If you do remove the cam gear, keep in mind you have an offset cam key, and its installation direction. For your HP.  the white painted end faces forward.

As far as PAI engine kits, I have built at least 10 complete builds and used many parts kits. They do a great job. I just talked to a guy whos E-7 Mechanical engine I did 6 years ago, and he is still running good.  I have some out there that are older then that... Keep in touch.  

[07cl733]

Thanks for the insight! I understand it's impossible to predict how long any part will last, but any info will help me understand more about the situation. And any tech tips, like the cam gear key advice, are most appreciated. 

I'm glad to know PAI is a decent aftermarket option. My dealership tells me that Volvo has completely stopped support for mack engines, and seemingly everything else Mack, save the name.