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Here are some pics of the cam lobes for cylinders 7 and 8 (per the shop the two with the most wear). They suggested the cams were ok but I am no expert. Again the dealer wasn’t interested and advised me to drive the car until an error light came up or the engine began performing poorly.
Thanks in advance,
NM
I think the cam lobes look ok. The concerning part is how the lifters look. Mine looked a bit worse, but what I found was that the lifters looked a lot worse.
From what I have researched, the issues aren’t the cams, but the lifters.
The lifters are supposed to lift but also turn per each cycle. When they lose pressure, they tend to stick in the same position and over time this causes wear on the cams. Eventually the cams become rough and beat up the lifters and cause catastrophic failure.
if I were you, then I would replace the lifters if the covers are out already. The new lifters have a new coating, but also a new interior design to mitigate loss of pressure. This will extend the wear on the cams.
also if you haven’t done so, do the head bolts. My 2 cents.
ust to close the loop I went ahead and had the lifters done as well as the head bolts. 4 of the lifters had gone soft. The noise is completely gone. Car runs well. They said the cams looked fine and left them as-is. Thanks to everyone for their input. I will add some pics of the head bolts. I’m no expert so I can’t comment on the head bolts but I am quite happy to have a car that doesn’t tick or knock. Will take it easy for a thousand miles or so and will then exercise the M156.
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