Cam housing removal with cam

[pirin911]

Hi to all:

My recently rebuilt motor (1985 3.2 Carrera) developed a small leak between a head and the cam housing.
My question is: Can I remove the cam housing complete with cam and rockers (completely loosened) to apply a new coat of Loctite 574? The chain housing will be removed first and the engine will be in the stand (out of the car). Or do I have to remove all the rockers to remove the cam and then the housing? What I would like is to not disturb the rocker shaft bolts and nuts if possible.

Thanks in advance for your attention and Merry Christmas to all,
Francisco Soto

[KTL]

Yes the cam can remain in cam housing. However when it comes time to clean the sealing surface of the housing, my opinion is you're going to find it hard to remove all the old 574 w/out getting debris in the cam & rocker area. Better off just removing the cam in my opinion.

[boyt911sc]

Originally Posted by pirin911

Hi to all:

My recently rebuilt motor (1985 3.2 Carrera) developed a small leak between a head and the cam housing.
My question is: Can I remove the cam housing complete with cam and rockers (completely loosened) to apply a new coat of Loctite 574? The chain housing will be removed first and the engine will be in the stand (out of the car). Or do I have to remove all the rockers to remove the cam and then the housing? What I would like is to not disturb the rocker shaft bolts and nuts if possible.

Thanks in advance for your attention and Merry Christmas to all,
Francisco Soto

Francisco,

There are several nuts that need to be removed in order to separate the cam tower from the heads. These are located right behind these rockers. The cam could be left on the cam tower but definitely you need to disassemble the rockers. Keep us posted.

Tony

[Eagledriver]

I've never seen a leak there (it's possible though). More likely your leak is through the rocker shaft bores. If you know where the leak is you could just "caulk it". Remove the rocker arm where the leak is and clean it up to apply your favorite sealant to the seam between the cam tower and head.

-Andy

[Walt Fricke]

I'm with Tony and Andy - I don't see how you are going to get at the six nuts which lie right under the rockers. Yes, I suppose you could fabricate an offset tool, like the one which can be used (but isn't really needed) to loosen distributor holddowns on some motors. Reach around a corner, one or two flats at a time.

And I've not had leaks there either, but plenty from other places. If the motor is still in the car, sounds like a good time for flourescent dye and a black light, after a thorough cleaning of everything.

I don't worry overmuch about old 574. I knock off any protruding hard bits (not messy), and leave the thin coating of old stuff on the mating surfaces alone. While there are those who will dispute this, I was told back when that new 574 will soften the old. It has worked for me, and saved a whole lot of time. A product called Chisel seems to soften it, though, and that could be used without making a mess. But if it is out of the car, and you are committed, just pull all those rockers and get on with it.

When you reinstall the cam carrier on the heads, don't bother with 574 on the middle part - the part which connects the two holes. Any sealant more than a mm beyond the two innermost stud holes is wasted, as there is nothing to seal there.

[pirin911]

Hi everyone:

Thanks for the replys. I will see if there is a rocker loose first. If not will remove the offending rocker and try to seal from the valve spring side although the space seems very small to work on. And the last resource is to remove the engine and remove the housing and reseal again. But that will have to wait a few weeks for the holidays to work on this.
Thanks again and will post the findings.
Francisco Soto