RE: Blackbird Inlet Camshaft Failure - Why?

Blocked oilway in the cam?
Contamination in that bearing journal, causing the bearing to pick up, leading on to ultimate failure?
Weak/partially blocked oil supply to the head, leaving that bearing as the last to get the limited supply of oil and the first to suffer?
 
Could also be any number of other issues, but most of those that spring to mind are in the head.  If you've replaced that then you ought to be OK I'd have thought (so long as no chewed up bits of anything have found their way back into the rest of the engine).  Check the oil feed to the head and the rest of the short engine oil system thoroughly (have the pump apart for a start, flush the oilways with petrol etc) and you should be OK I'd have thought.
 
Of course, your root problem is that you're using the Wrong Engine. You really need a zx12r (or a Busa if you really like the low revving thing).  Even an R1 would give better performance than the old Bird, and you could rename it the RaR1ty.;-)
 
G



To: bike-engined-cars@...: jonathan@...: Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:00:45 +0100Subject: RE: [bike-engined-cars] Blackbird Inlet Camshaft Failure - Why?




I Picked up a low mileage FI blackbird engine from ebay that's suffered avery unusual failure.The last journal on the inlet camshaft has been starved of oil and hasobviously chewed the camshaft and head. The engine was in the bike when itfailed and according the seller, wasn't involved in a crash.It's a very unusual failure and I was wondering what would cause it. Oil issupplied to the camshafts from the cam chain end and fed through the centreof the camshaft and out through exit holes on the lobes and journals. Beingfurthest away from the oil feed it has failed where you would expect firstbut the question is why?The rest of the engine seems fine and once I pop a carbed head on it I planto fit it to the rarebird but I'd love to know why it failed in the firstplaceAny thoughts?JR






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