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New 12/11/04
Well it is now official. A '98 Ebony, VIN 1FAFP54N3WA193620 with 105,429 mi, of Hardin, Montana died of sudden cam failure. This failure was 5k mi after the 100K service. The right bank (rear) intake cam was the culprit. I removed the head today to determine the extent of the damage. This was done without touching the sub-frame. Hopefully the Kodak software I am using will provide non-offensive photo size. I will pursue cylinder head repairs locally while also searching for a replacement head if needed. As I am sure everyone can relate to, this is a budget job but not at the expense of follow up failure . After recent discussions on potential rod failure on damaged engines, I intend to replace the #4 rod/piston. Anyone having a rear head, rear intake cam, and/or rod/piston please drop me a line. I will be unsubscribe from 12/19 to 12/31 while gone on vacation so please contact me off-line during this period. On a positive note, there is no cylinder ridge that I can catch a finger nail on, the chain guides/tensioners show almost zero wear, and the engine interior has no sludge/varnish buildup.
Lucien Frederick
'96 SF welded 26mm rsb
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12/12/2004
The piston is cracked, the top ring was clamped in the groove, and the second
ring was broken. The cylinder bore select fit code is a 2 as marked on the
piston top and stamped on the block's top centerline chart. The cylinder walls
still show traces of the honing cross hatching. The upper bearing shows most
wear at slightly off center with a thickness of 0.0579 in. at that point and
0.0581 in. about 45 degrees to either side. No apparent impact indentation.
Lucien
I seperated the rod and piston. On a flat surface with the rod's crank
end lying flat, the pin end is twisted about 1/8".
Lucien