3.7/488 help

[searcyfarms]

what a lucky bloke i turned into today - so mercruiser - PRAISE TO THEM - went thru their NLA list of dealers and parts and found ONE of the old double D camshafts at a dealer in Canada showing it, said they are the only one in their entire system showing it - so i called canada!!! and sure enough they found it, sent me a picture and its still in the box/original packaging and the double D snout what are the chances LOL. Paid for it and its on its way. Just an FYI - there are several of the newer style that require the stud and thread on impellar left as well from mercruiser. guess i will put off teh 4.3 for at least a couple years, hopefully this cam will last a while before it pits out again.

 

[Scott Danforth]

consider yourself lucky.

 

[searcyfarms]

BUMP !!! = wshoooooooooo long time no report - sorry for the delay but I have been helping my neighbor repair his pickup engine for the past month plus - 5.4 ford shucked a piston ( burned a hole ) so its been a project to say the least.

We are surviving covid no issues in our family praise the lord!!!!

so about the 488............ finally got ALL the parts in, seals/gaskets u name it, going back together and i noticed there are NO cam bearings inside the block hmmm i guess they just run cam against block ? The cam took about 2 weeks from canada. It is indeed the ORIGINAL style snout.

Next, I noticed when just installed the cam thrust bearing plate, there seems to be a large amount of end play on the cam, is that normal? im talking like a good 1/4 inch? Maybe the cam gear takes out some of that when installed? just seems like it moves a lot so before i lubriplate the new lifters and drop them in i wanted to check here because I am just winging it and dont know any different.

Do any of you have the torque specs on the bolts for teh side cover or for the valve cover? how about torque specs on teh rockers ?

I cant think of anything else right off that i will need but the push rods and rockers all seem good -

THanks in advance as always - pretending to be a boat repairman, ( robert )

 

[nola mike]

Do you have a manual? Pm me if not...

 

[searcyfarms]

pm sent

 

[searcyfarms]

sorry for the double post, mom n dad have satellite internet and its click W A I T 4 I T, Waaaaaaaaa it 4 IT................still waiting..........I got a little impatient and didnt wait long enough ;-)

 

[searcyfarms]

update................found some info on the internet - got the cam in, got the lifters in, got the push rods and rockers installed/torqued, ran into a timing issue, the replacement cam was ground 90 degrees different than then snout on the other cam. i kept looking at that and the timing marks would never line up - i got the marks lined up on top dead center on cyl 1 and when rotating the crank one revolution the intake valve starts to open so in theory that seems right. The flat grind for the water pump drive has no bearing so kind of moot but i do find it interesting that its not the same as the original.

I am moving forward - got side and valve covers cleaned up and new gaskets on and installed - got plugs in with anti-seize - made new gasket for front of timing cover base/top front of pan lip, got new crank seal in timing cover, ready to install new cam seals in cover - both cam gater springs away from block is what book says so opposite of crank seal. Got permatex aviation sealer for those as recommended and yes will pack with grease between cam seals per instructions. It shows a lithium based mercury grease so I will use something comparable - everything seals/gaskets are OEM except for the pan lip piece.

Hopefully by end of week after working i will have this thing running to season the cam.

 

[searcyfarms]

well nutz, sliced one of the cam seals on the end of the camshaft installing the front cover - ordered parts - so will be delayed with install