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  #1  
Old 03-06-2006, 04:39 PM
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Bad oil circulation on head of 450sl

Does anyone know where to get those little plastic oil plumbing connectors that go on the 2 end and 2 center cam bearings. The ones that connect the oiler tube that is mounted over the cam shafts and oils the cam bearings and the cam lobes. Mine broke loose and ruined the cam, bearings and folowers? Also, does anyone have a spare left head and cam?

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Old 03-06-2006, 05:14 PM
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If you click the "Buy Parts" link up top, enter your year and then select the model, go to "Engine Mechanical", then "Cam Oiler Kit". It's $8.08 and has all 5 plastic pieces.

Usually it's the right (passenger) side that wears more than the left. If your left side is worn, chances are your right side is worn even moreso. My car, the car I got cams off of in the junkyard, and other posters have seen the same thing. I just sold my spare left head. I have a right head, and a set of cams.

Usually, bad oil flow is not indicative of a bad head, but rather blocked oiler tubes and too much sludge in your system. Switch to synthetic, change it out at 500 miles, then you can decide whether or not to stay with synthetic or go to conventional. If you swich to synthetic, it should free up a huge amount of sludge.
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  #3  
Old 03-07-2006, 04:26 PM
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It's my passenger side head.

I will check the other side tonight. I have 2 other 450s for parts but they are running engines and I would rather not disassemble them. The 73 sl I'm working on is a 1K$ find that I never had running before. Now I know why it was so cheap. I want to get this one running to determine just how bad it is. It didn't smoke when I had it running the other day. Who knows, it might run well enough to keep it there for a while. I don,t think I will need to clean out the oil passeges because the choke points are in the cam bearing castings and the need replacing. I am woried about whether the valve guides on that head will leak since They got very little oil. They may be OK if they have been replaced once already. Still, I need to try and get it running good before I ever pull the heads. If the head is trash, at least I could sell the block. I might need that right side head you have. How much are you asking?
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Old 03-07-2006, 05:18 PM
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I think you don't understand the importance of cleaning the oiler tube - oil is fed only from the rearmost cam tower. From there it is distributed the length of the tube all the way to the front lobes and cam tower - often these are the most worn if there's a blockage "downstream". The oil coming out of that last tower is more than enough to oil the whole system if (and only if) your tube is clear of obstructions. If there is 1 hole blocked, that spot - be it a bearing or a lobe - will get no oil. Sometimes the blockage can be like a clot and cause more stuff to build up behind it, eventually clogging the entire tube - usually it's caught before then, when you have one or two toasted lobes that make your engine sound like crap and run rough at idle. You may just need cams, your head may be fine - unfortunatley, with bad cams, you can't really perform a good leakdown test.

Last head I mailed, to CA, cost $37.38 in shipping. PM me with a decent offer for the head and, if you like, cams. I can email you pics of them. Tell me what cam series you have - the number is stamped on the back (either 52/53, or 56/57, probably)
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Old 03-08-2006, 03:20 AM
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The holes for the cam lobes are very small in the oil tube. Would it be good (or not) to enlarge the holes a bit to avoid clogging of the holes ?
From the oil filler cap you can see how the oil comes from the tube to the last cam lobe when the engine is running, I wish there was also an oil filler cap in the other bank.
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Old 03-08-2006, 07:28 AM
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It would be a bad idea. The holes are designed for uniform oil flow to all lobes (and more for the towers). The amont of oil flowing through the tube wont be increased, so you'll wind up dumping all the oil out on the back half of the cam and starving the front half.
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Old 03-08-2006, 08:35 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tomit1
From the oil filler cap you can see how the oil comes from the tube to the last cam lobe when the engine is running, I wish there was also an oil filler cap in the other bank.
I've considered getting a pair of old timing covers from a breakers and creating inspection windows. It could be fitted temporarily to check the oil flow on each side and might also help identify which cam was noisy.
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Old 03-22-2006, 03:37 PM
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I did it and it runs great

Just an update. I took off the passenger side cam and bearings and swaped them for my spare. I also needed to address a continuity problem with a couple of my plug wires. The result is that this car goes like a rocket and has a smooth idle also. Man what a difference. New plugs, good cam and clean fuel injector points. This engine runs like 50K not the 250K it actually has. Hey Tomguy, Do you have a passenger side cam and bearings for a 74 450sl that you want to sell? I want to replace the one I took off my spare engine.

Last edited by Earlybird; 03-22-2006 at 03:44 PM.
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  #9  
Old 03-22-2006, 04:15 PM
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Earlybird: I have two spare sets. one is a 52-53 series, the other a 56-57 series. What is the number stamped on the rear face of the cam?
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Old 03-23-2006, 11:27 AM
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Good question, I will check tonight.

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