I have determined that Camko is an emerging supplier of bearings and camshafts in Lingen, Germany. I can't find any other information about it anywhere on the internet, so I guess I'll go ahead and be the guinea pig and try it out. Here's to hoping a low quality cam won't eat the new lifters.

__________________
- Johnny

1990 300D 2.5L - 135k
1998 Jetta TDI - 257k
2005 E500 - 117k

Tried to locate Camko GmbH in Germany. They are listed in trade directories but could not find a tel. #. Also checked with W124 Forum members over there and company not known to them. Price is very tempting and manufacturing Country would be good to know

I hit 8 junkyards today. Found a complete 603 and 616, no 602. I'm going to try camko and report back.

__________________
- Johnny

1990 300D 2.5L - 135k
1998 Jetta TDI - 257k
2005 E500 - 117k

I ordered the Camko shaft, and it came in a "CamPro" box, with the web address CAMPRO Technologie und Dienstleistungen für Fahrzeuge und Motoren: Nockenwellen - Turbolader, Anlasser und Lichtmaschinen Upon further examination, nowhere on the box or part did it say the country of origin. Which as far as export/import practices go, this makes it contraband. Any self respecting western Europe manufacturer would label the country of origin. Also, I question the validity of the part based specifically on export practices that require labeling and tariff codes. That said, it makes one wonder if they shipped in entire containers of camshafts, then put them in boxes state side. Regardless, it seems fishy.

I emailed CamPro, the comment thread you can read below. I get the feeling they are a very small operation. I was told by the guy I bought the cam from that they are a key supplier to OEM parts for the engine factories in Europe. I have a hard time believing that. At least they claim they don't buy from China and that their "suppliers are in Europe". To me, that means Eastern Europe like Romania, Bulgaria or Czech. If it was Germany, Belgium or France they would have said so. I'll go ahead and install this and be the guinea pig. I've only put 3k on this car since I got it, but it's about to become my daily and it will see 30k/year. So i'll report back the findings. Regardless, the cam was cheap, ~$175, and the lifters are cheap.

---------------------
Hello,

I am trying to find the country of origin for your camshafts. Where do you produce your camshafts? I purchased a cam for a Mercedes 300D (CP11916), but the box is unlabeled as to the country of origin. Are they produced in China?

Thank you,

--------------------
Dear Sir,

Unfortunately, I can´t answer that because we soure our blanks from different maufactures/countries.
But we don´t buy in China.

I hope, this information help.

best regards
kerstin

Mit freundlichen Grüssen
i.A.Kerstin Hofmann
--------------------
Kerstin,

Thank you for the reply. Can you tell me where the machining of the blanks is done?
--------------------
Dear Sir,

sorry, I can´t reconstruct from wich batch is the camshaft.
Why you need to know?

Sorry.

regards
Kerstin
--------------------
Kerstin,

Our experience in almost all cases is that parts from China/Asia are very poor quality and cause a lot of problems in our German cars. I was excited to find that you are headquartered in Germany because specifically in the Mercedes community, we lack good suppliers other than OEM parts from MB (at very high cost) and Chinese junk. I just want to know the locations at where you machine any of your camshafts. If you buy your blanks or do your machining in China, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, India or Taiwan, I need to know that. Like I said, we'd like to buy your products, but we want to do our due diligence first to find if we can count on Germany quality or not.


Thank you for any information you can provide,
---------------------
Sir,

many thanks for your information.

Our suppliers are from Europe.

Have a nice day
Kerstin

__________________
- Johnny

1990 300D 2.5L - 135k
1998 Jetta TDI - 257k
2005 E500 - 117k

If they don't label it and won't say then you can assume China. Companies just BS people when you ask them directly.

I'd send it back and find a better one.

I agree, the lack of labelling and dodging the question is very telling. I'd love to buy a better one, but I can't find them anywhere. Dealer wants ~$600 including freight, I'd rather buy a used cylinder head at that price.

Open to suggestions. This one is going in Saturday with the INA lifters.

__________________
- Johnny

1990 300D 2.5L - 135k
1998 Jetta TDI - 257k
2005 E500 - 117k

Well that's what I mean, find a good used one.
I just wouldn't expect to get more than a year out of knockoff parts. And those lifters might even cause their own noise. How long do you plan to keep the car?

I hope to be buried in this car decades from now, I will never sell it. It was cheap enough, I think I might just install it and get a spare head purchased and waiting. I'd actually like to find a whole extra car for parts, or at least an engine.

Don't get me wrong, I fully respect your comments and agree with you. Any self respecting manufacturer should be clear and proud about where their stuff is made. I'm just discouraged by the lack of availability... I've never had a hard time finding quality parts before. Not paying $619 at the dealer, screw that ****.

__________________
- Johnny

1990 300D 2.5L - 135k
1998 Jetta TDI - 257k
2005 E500 - 117k

Well you get what you pay for.
I'm sure the mercedes one is forged steel that will last decades if using the right oil. Sounds like the previous owner was maybe using the wrong stuff or going too long between changes.

Yeah parts for these cars can get pretty expensive. I'm sure the one you bought will be ok for a while. Maybe it will last 5 or 10 years? Who knows. These old cams without roller lifters require a lot of zddp in the oil. The Rotella is ok. Kendal oil has similar amounts too. But others don't. The new cars don't need it and the emissions regulations are throttling back its use.

The hardend cams are less prone to wear.

Well, I got it tore apart today, the lifters were pretty beat up. They felt smooth, but the surface was pretty worn. You can see where it looks like some dirt made some weird scaring. You can see the beginning of bow-tie wear marks on one indicating it wasn't turning properly either early on or recently. Upon further inspection of the MB cam, the lobes really weren't too bad. In fact, I might just keep this cam as a spare. They were all within about .005-.007 of each other. None of this really explains the tick. All the bores looked great, no scarring anywhere. Needless to say, I installed the new (presumably Chinese) cam and INA lifters, did a break in and it's quiet. The top does sound a bit different, as I guess it would with new bits.

If this cam wears too fast, I'll probably just throw the old cam back in with a new set of lifters.

In good news, the chain and gear teeth look great. Only 2-3 degrees of stretch measured with the crank tick marks. I have hundreds of service records going clear back to 1990 at the dealer and none of them mention chain service. So I think the chain is original, possibly indicating proper treatment and service intervals. Weird that these lifters look like this!

__________________
- Johnny

1990 300D 2.5L - 135k
1998 Jetta TDI - 257k
2005 E500 - 117k

Glad it's nice and quiet now!

as I have to change the hydraulic lifters as well would like to learn which 12 point socket size I need for the nut holding the sprocket to the camshaft. thanks

1) Could be a serpentine belt not tight enough

2) Could be the little shock absorber thing not having proper strength to pull up anymore

3) Could be engine strain due to dirty or clogged filters. Clean your tank filter too if you haven't already

4) Could be engine mounts starting to give way

Good luck.

That 12 point on my car was just a basic 13mm. This entire job can be done with a basic metric set and a torque wrench. The tensioner is a 19mm, though.


Visit this thread: 602 hydraulic lifter replacement (300D 2.5T) - DIY? advice needed

Good luck, mate.

__________________
- Johnny

1990 300D 2.5L - 135k
1998 Jetta TDI - 257k
2005 E500 - 117k