Chain slipped and broke cam followers

laflin1987

Hi all,

The other night i parked my signum up and all seemed well. Then went to start in the morning and there was nothing, it turned the engine over but there was no joy in it firing up. A "mechanic" came out to diagnose the problem and suspected it was the starter. £300 later it was found that it wasnt the starter at all, he now suspected the cam chain.

After taking the cover off i noticed that the chain was increadibly slack and ALL the cam followers were broken (i assume that the cam followers are the metal peice with the roller attached). Anyway they were ALL broken, along with a hydrallic lifter.

My question is, as the engine stopped fine and it was only the power of the starter turning it over could i still have valve, or even worse piston damage? Or is it at all possible that the followers broke and saved the valves & pistons?

vocky

I suspect all the valves will be bent 🙁

laflin1987

Thats not the answer i was after. cryb..
I have just ordered 16 new cam followers, 1 x hydrallic lifter and both chain kits at a cost of £297. I will fit all bits and re-time then perform a presure test ... fingers crossed, although im suspecting the worst. I have booked friday off work so im hoping to get this little bit done.

If the worst was true, is there a guide to take the head off? I can get all new valves off ebay for around £100 deliverd so its more the time it will take to complete that im worried about.

vocky

I would recommend the haynes manual for a head removal, but it isn't difficult, just time consuming

cavaddict

You've really gotta take the head off. Followers dont break for no reason....especially all of em. Banging new ones in and just turning it over is most likely gonna cause even more damage. To give you an idea of the cost involved....when i have all 16 valve guides changed, it comes in at around £200. Generally when you bend a valve (you almost certainly have) the guide cracks/chips and if left can fail leading to bits of hardened steel falling into your engine...not good. It wont cost you much more to have the head off (gasket/stretch bolts) and in the long run it will probably save you a whole lot.

laflin1987

Thanks for advice.
Ive now ordered all 16 valves too, if i dont end up using them all then i can sell. Ive set aside this entire weekend to fit all required parts. Will let you know how i get on.

laflin1987

Hi all, Took head off today and found that there are some bent valves. The pistons are fine, as yet unsure about the guides...

How do you acually remove the valves? Do they simply prise off?

vocky

if the valve is bent the guide will be cracked, so get an engine shop to replace them

you need a valve spring compressor to remove the valves, might be easier to buy a reconditioned head from member AtomX dunno..

laflin1987

Hi again,

a problem has arisen. After having the seen to and then refitted, i fitted both chains and it turned over by hand quite nicely, i turned the ignition on and spotted abit of a leak from the injectors (im guessing damaged when head was removed) so i replaced injector.

Now with the leak fixed and all pulleys and belts back on i go to start and it clicks as if the battery is flat. I took battery off and charged for a good 20 hours and it still clicked as if it was dead. I tried to jump it off another car and still no luck.

Is it possible that something (i.e, crank bolt) could have been overtightend and not allow it to turn over?. Or could it simply be a new battery? (i have put the battery back on charge for now). With this being an auto i cant even push it to check if the engine turns over any other way.