85 380 SE camshaft oiling
 

My car is in the indy's shop to repair a ticking noise that hasn't got better with age. It's only got 95,000 km on it and as far as I know has always been regularly serviced. Both cams have flattened the lobe at the rear. Is there an oiling issue with these cams/engines if they are allowed to idle for excessively long periods.
I purchased the car from my brother last summer, he purchased it from the second owner the year before. It was stolen from my brother's driveway (doh) just before christmas 2 winters ago. The thief was a homeless kid who lived in it for a few days until it ran out of gas. He didn't drive it more than a few kilometers, but I suspect he kept it running to keep the heater going.
It's too late to go back on the insurance company, and it looks like the repairs are going to cost about $2500 Cdn :eek:. How long would a V8 idle on a tankful of fuel?

Idling should not cause that, but if it was low on oil it may have starved the upper end, causing flow issues.

The V8's are thirsty at idle.....I'd guess even on a totally full tank, that a 380 could not idle for more than 20 hours or so....maybe even less than that. Idling for a day, while not exactly good for the motor, shouldn't kill it either.

Replacing the cam shafts is $2500?? Yikes.....what amount of that is labor vs. parts cost? Two new camshafts are probably not more than $150 apiece new....and much less for a good used one.

Well, the best I could see aftermarket was about $230 each recently. Then, you REALLY should get new rockers (16*22+ ea, aftermarket). Then, you would need a set of shims to do it right. So, it does run into some money. And, this is assuming that there are no "surprises" (i.e., cam bearing problems, etc).

Thanks for the input guys. Two new cams, new rockers, new chain, new chain rails/guides all total almost $1500 Cdn, another $1000 for labor and taxes. Oh well, she'll be almost new again.

Very true, that engine should be set for a LOT of miles after that repair.

Another consideration might be an anti-theft system. ;)