Author Topic: Camshaft rocker arms newbie questions. (Read 10985 times)

G$ 993 · « **on:** April 03, 2014, 23:23:53 »

Greetings. I have come across a 1970 280 SL with numerous issues. The most pressing is a bad camshaft and rockers (all 12). The Indy who evaluatied the car has sourced the following parts.

Camshaft 114 051 05 01
Rocker ams 114 055 00 01

A little research suggests that the camshaft part number sourced is camshaft 5 which was used on w114 sedans and is less hot. Not sure I want this piece installed. Indy also claims this is the last camshaft in the USA and there are none in Germany. Is this possible? I thought W113 parts were still plentiful.

This is an expensive job so I want to make sure the correct parts are used going forward. Any insight is much appreciated.

Best
Mark

jeffc280sl · « **Reply #1 on:** April 04, 2014, 01:02:36 »

http://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=17880.0

This link will help explain. I bought a euro cam about 3 or 4 years ago for $400 plus. Dont know if they are still available

ja17 · « **Reply #2 on:** April 04, 2014, 01:49:33 »

Hello Mark,

I would be concerned as why the cam went bad. Extreme lack of lubrication is usually the cause. I would be wondering what else is damaged. The 02 and 09 camshafts are the best for these engines. The 05 will work fine but is not quite as hot. Some USA 280SLS came with these cams. Would be best to find a good used camshaft and rockers first to see if the rest of the engine is good. Any history on this car?

G$ 993 · « **Reply #3 on:** April 04, 2014, 03:33:04 »

Thank you guys for the comments. This is a family one owner car however it is high mileage has been neglected for some time (20 yrs or so). The car sits unused currently. I would certainly guess poor upkeep of fluids is a huge issue with this engine. I can find no records of recent fluid maintenance. I really think a full engine rebuild would be best. A euro cam sounds like a nice oem upgrade as well. Seems those may be hard to find??

I will avoid the 05 camshaft.

I will post more details regarding issues with the car as things unfold. Seems I will likely re-park the car until the time for a full rebuild is right.

G$ 993 · « **Reply #4 on:** December 28, 2014, 18:43:03 »

Bringing this thread back to life. I'm coming from the Porsche world and therefore need advice on where to look for sourcing an 02 or 09 cam as I'm getting closer to going forward with this project. Any additional parts I should look for to go with this? Will standard OEM rockers work? Thanks!

ja17 · « **Reply #5 on:** December 28, 2014, 20:34:47 »

You might try, listing your needs on the "Wanted to Buy" topic of this forum first of all. The rocker arms are not unique to the SLs. Good used parts may also be available from some of the vendors or other members on this site.

ctaylor738 · « **Reply #6 on:** December 28, 2014, 22:09:03 »

I recommend that you find a good used cam and towers as a set. Metric Motors, Bud's Benz, and SL-Tech may have a set.

Good luck,

CT

G$ 993 · « **Reply #7 on:** December 28, 2014, 22:22:41 »

Thanks guys. I will investigate and post here.

G$ 993 · « **Reply #8 on:** December 30, 2014, 16:06:09 »

Could someone comment on if a new cam tower is required for conversion to the 09 cam. Its a pricey piece and other than the comment above, I've seen no direct mention of changing this piece when doing the conversion. Thanks!

GGR · « **Reply #9 on:** December 30, 2014, 16:53:33 »

Ideally a used camshaft should come with the towers and the rockers it was run in with.

Though not ideal, I already have replaced camshafts only with no problems (when going for a performance grind for example).

In any case, towers should be replaced as a set as they are machined together. Mismatching them may have the camshaft binding due to tower journals slight misalignement.

In your case, you should look into the condition of your tower journals. Given that the rest has been damaged by oil starvation, I wouldn't be surprised if they are scored.

G$ 993 · « **Reply #10 on:** December 31, 2014, 05:00:20 »

Thanks for the info. Fortunately the cam I sourced is new.

I have decided to get new cam towers.

So these are the parts I'm going for:

Valve cover gasket
09 cam
Cam tower set
Sliding rail set for timing chain
Timing chain
Tensioner
Ball stud assembly
Rockers (12)

Hopefully that covers it!

GGR · « **Reply #11 on:** December 31, 2014, 12:13:38 »

Quote from: ja17 on April 04, 2014, 01:49:33

I would be concerned as why the cam went bad. Extreme lack of lubrication is usually the cause. I would be wondering what else is damaged.

I second Joe's concern. Check the rest of the engine. It may save you double work if you end up finding something else is damaged.

ctaylor738 · « **Reply #12 on:** December 31, 2014, 17:34:03 »

I third the concern about the rest of the engine.

Also, recommend that you get a tensioner from Metric Motors. It's not uncommon for the new ones to not hold pressure. I personally had a new one that would not hold pressure after the engine warmed up. Metric machines them and tests them.

G$ 993 · « **Reply #13 on:** December 31, 2014, 22:24:29 »

Thanks for the concerns guys. We are going though the engine. Lower end seems fine . . . for now.

G$ 993 · « **Reply #14 on:** January 02, 2015, 15:18:20 »

Another question regarding oil starvation to the cam. How does the cam shaft oil feed pipe get oil? Presumably from the oil pump? Could a poorly functioning oil pump contribute to starvation?

ja17 · « **Reply #15 on:** January 03, 2015, 14:49:47 »

The camshaft is the last thing to get lubricated. So if the oil is very dirty, or the level too low, it will starve for lubrication first. Make sure that the tiny holes in the cam oiler tube are not plugged. Each tiny hole lubricates each cam lobe and each camshaft bearing. A small bit of sludge or dirt can cause a hole to plug starving the camshaft. It does not take long to wipe out a cam or rockers when this occurs. The biggest cause of lubrication problems in these engines is that the upper oil filter housing seal is missing all together and then the oil by-passes the oil filter all together . The dirty unfiltered oil circulates through the engine. When the dirty oil sets in an engine, the dirt settles into sludge deposits. The sludge can break loose and circulate up to the camshaft where it can clog-up a tiny cam oiler hole. Make sure that the upper filter housing seal is in place. I am not referring to the top canister seal. The upper filter housing seal is on the neck of the upper filter housing on the block. Search-up this subject it is CRITICAL.

G$ 993 · « **Reply #16 on:** January 03, 2015, 17:49:56 »

Sounds like great advice. I will do some reading.

ja17 · « **Reply #17 on:** January 04, 2015, 05:14:48 »

Try this thread..........................

http://www.sl113.org/wiki/Engine/Lubrication

G$ 993 · « **Reply #18 on:** January 04, 2015, 17:07:25 »

Thanks Joe. I read that yesterday. Have already ordered those parts

Benz Dr. · « **Reply #19 on:** January 10, 2015, 02:05:16 »

Something many people are unaware of is rocker geometry. The ball stud end of a rocker has to sit at a certain angle or it will wipe out that valve guide very quickly. Normally, this isn't a problem but on engines with badly worn valve seats or valves, it will be. This problem is very pronounced when you install new valve guides because there should only be about . 0015'' of clearance between the valve stem and the valve guide. Improper geometry will force the valve stem side ways instead of straight down and you can say goodbye to a valve job in about 3 miles of running. The damage is done and you will have to start over again. I use shims under the cam bearings on all of my rebuilds to avoid this problem.

G$ 993 · « **Reply #20 on:** January 10, 2015, 05:03:31 »

Thanks for the info. I will not be doing the work but learning all of these potential pitfalls is making me nervous.

G$ 993 · « **Reply #21 on:** February 27, 2015, 05:36:48 »

Turns out there is a small kink in the camshaft oil feed pipe. This kink led to partial occlusion and oil starvation at the effected levels and several resultant flat cam lobes. Picked up a nice refurbished one for $80 (over $400 new).

G$ 993 · « **Reply #22 on:** March 08, 2015, 06:15:36 »

Top end rebuild is complete with the 02 cam. Car drives great! So what's next?

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Author Topic: Camshaft rocker arms newbie questions. (Read 10985 times)

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