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New 3/24/06
Larry
I have knowledge of 3 cam failures that you may or may not have. I'll list them by VIN so you can double check.
1.
1FALP54N9TA241460
96 Red/Saddle
192k miles
I bought it from Bill Hopper of Springfield MO as a cam failure after he contacted you about what to do and you posted it to the list. I know nothing about how it happened. When I picked it up he said it failed in July of 2004. He also said that it overheated when the water pump quit running. When I took it apart, on the front head the intake cam was completely spun and the exhaust cam was loose. The rear head cams were both fine. It is currently being put back together but won't start.
2.
1FALP54N2VA259091
97 Black/Saddle
111k miles
Ron Varney bought this one at an auction as a running car but running poorly, so nothing more is known about how it happened. He was skeptical that it was a cam failure because it was running but I told him that it sounded like a cam failure. I traded him a welded engine from a 97 for the engine from this car. When I got it home and apart, the intake cam on the front bank was spinning freely. This engine and its rear head are in the 96 listed above.
3.
1FALP54NXVA123131
97 Silver/Gray
106k miles
I bought this one from Kari Woolhouse in Becker MN. She said her mechanic told her it was a cracked piston, but I suspect a related cam having spun. I do not know when the failure happened, other than before May of 2005. I haven't opened it up yet so do not know which cam(s) it may be. I'll put this one back together with a welded drivetrain from a deer-killed 97.
Greg