Camshaft

[saga]

I have a 50 HP Perkins Diesel Engine in my 27 foot boat. It was built in 1973.

My oil pump and cam shaft have to be replaced. Apparently the pump failed and damaged the cam shaft. Everything else seems normal. The engine was shutdown immediately when it lost the oil pressure.

Assuming there is no other damage;
What is involved with this project in terms of labour and materials?
Is there any other maintenance that should be done while the engine is in the shop? i.e. replace bearing, flush out engine, etc.

thank you for your comments and recommendations.
Saga

[PAR]

I'm not sure who's given you this "diagnoses" but you need to stop paying attention to this person's expertise.

If you've lost the oil pump, the first place the oil goes after the pump is the main galley. Then it travels to the main bearings and only then does it travel up to the cam bearings, so if your "cam is bad" everything before it should be questioned.

In short, you might have enough room to remove your cam, with the engine in place, but the pump will require the engine come out of the boat.

With the engine out of the boat, you can do an inspection, but frankly you probably "glazed" all the bearings, if not spun one or two.

The only "up close" relationship the cam has with the oil pump are the spiral gears that drive it. The cam is located on the side of the engine, the pump literally is the lowest component to the engine and found in the oil pan.

I'm not trying to be coy with you, it's just that you are probably looking at a full engine disassembly and inspection at the very least, which is a long way from a cam R&R. Since the engine needs to be taken apart, it makes no sense to reinstall the old bearings, bushing, rings, seals and gaskets.

[Mark Zarley]

It takes a long time for a dry lifter to wear down a cam lobe. Don't know your eng ,but by it's age it probably has solid lifters that are lubed by oil cascading down the push rod. If the cam is wiped then you could have a blocked oil orfice in the valve tappet, or the rocker arm. If your cam is damaged it is not because you lost your oil pressure, it was a pre-exsisting problem. Since the eng did not seize-up , you might get lucky as PAR suggests and get by with new bearings. Inspection of all bearing surfaces is a must as the pump was probably pumping metal through the engine as it was destroying itself. A complete teardown is mandatory. Yes the block and head need to be boiled out and the head serviced. The machine shop will check the piston bores and will recommend honing or oversize pistons and rings.Good thing is it is a small block, it will be easy to wrestle around. Have fun , it's not brain surgery.

[anjou]

Take the engine out and give it the full birthday treatment for peace of mind,, its a simple enough job to do.

[Captain Bill]

A 37 year old engine with a worn out camshaft? or was there physical damage to the cam from oil pump debris? Can you even get parts for the thing? If the cam is worn, it's likely the rocker arms aren't in much better shape. I would consider replacing all the wearable parts, bearings, rings, rocker arms, seals, maybe even valves if you can get the parts. Make sure to use new head bolts if you take the head off. I agree with previous posters that a complete teardown is in order and if you're going that far you might as well put it back together with new parts. It doesn't take any more time to install a new part than it does an old one, so the difference is only the cost of the part. When you're done you'll have an engine that might go another 37 years.

[saga]

I thank the people who commented on my problem.
I removed my 50 HP Perkins from my boat and found the oil pump and cam shaft gears ruined. The pump is meshed to the cam and it seems the pump got plugged. The sump and strainer have a thick oily substance which surprises me how the pump ever worked.
Someone mentioned that the thick oily substance was possibly the result of saltwater mixing with the oil. The cooling water pump was leaking and the most likely cause. I should have replaced the seal.

Needless to say I will need to do an engine overhaul. I have a mechanic shop arranged for tomorrow for an assessment and cost for repairs.
Any comments.
Jeff