hi everyone, I am pulling my engine apart to do a hg job on it but I noticed the camshafts are rusty. I was wondering if I can take the rust with some fine sandpaper or if I have to replace them?

 

Wow..

 

i have used REAL fine sand paper on some rusted ones but not that bad. that one looks to me like its to far gone.

 

Great excuse to get a new cam!

 

it's a V6...

Last time I removed the cam of a V6... I had to learn how to use a HeliCoil...

Cams are hardened steel... And layered a special way... I can't really recommend anything here...

 

I bought this 95 4runner for $1000. the guy told me it was sitting for about a year before he decided to sell it.

 

yeah it has the 6v engine on it.

 

Sweet deal... What condition's the engine? (besides the cam)


I just don't want you to have to go through all the trouble of getting the thing in to find it's got other problems...

At the very least, I'd get those heads off and have them redone... No better place to see it the threads for the cam journals are good, than a machine shop...

I'd get the heads done and put the best head gaskets money can buy back on it.

And if I was where I could get a compression test, I'd do that 1st. But if you can't cross hatch marks on the cyl walls give a good indication...

That or find a nice running 88 or 89 V6 and swap it in... It had better head bolts and gaskets IIRC... Only a different tensioner setup... But you need to do the belt and WP b/f you put it in anyway...

 

when I got the 4runner home, I jumped cables because the battery was dead. to my suprise, the engine run ok, it had no power and the white smoke, also I noticed that it was leaking oil from underneat, I think it is on the oil pan. i am taking off to put a new oil pan gasket, check the clucth, new timing belt and water pump and the hg job......I might do a rebuild on the engine.....we'll see after I take it off.

 

i would just run a compression check on it to make sure its all good. thats just something i always do to give me an idea of what the motors like on the inside. but i would just check out a set of aftermarket cams. i wouldnt use them in my own rig.

 

From the picture you've shown, the rust is on the back side of the cam lobes. It's not a big deal from the perspective that this part of the cam doesn't contact the cam follower / shim, but it is a big deal because it's rust and once rust starts it doesn't stop. The PO kind of screwed you there when the engine was left with a lot of moisture in the crankcase, which lead to the rust. If you don't change the cams, that rust will progess, particles will flake off and get into the oil, maybe even flake off and gouge the cam lobe(s) and shims before getting into the oil. See where I'm going with this?

I suggest you replace the cams. Or at least clean the lobes up with emery cloth then have the cam's checked to make sure they still have the correct lift, etc.

 

well it is kinda too late to do the compression check done, I have startes to take it apart. I just need to find a way to reach two bolts under the crosspipe to take it out of the car.

 

well something come up so I am going to take off the rust with sandpaper...wish me luck....I am planning to rebuild the engine in the future...

 

oil, and very fine grit sand paper...

or do a voodoo rain dance exorcist chicken sacrifice and head out towards a local pull-a-part...?

 

could you bead blast it?

 

I dont think I could bead blast it but I'll check the option.....well here are some pics of my project

 

I was having trouble on how to loose the bolts for the pulleys but I saw someone doing it here at toyatech. I worked great. and cheap too

 

after a few hours of trying to get the crosspipe's nuts off, i finally got one of the heads off and look what I found.....passenger side head and piston....look at the head gasket....the guy told me they put something in the radiator to seal the gasket but two weeks later got worse.....looks to me they put mod ...

 

later that day I got the other one....it was kinda later but decided to take some pics any ways

 

ok a little update on this tread, I clean the rust off of the cams with very very fine sad paper so wish me luck...