Cam Cap Problems

[paul f]

ok well im in the process of tearing down my rb26 when i ran into this intresting problem. when removing the cam caps to free the camshaft from the head some (like 3 per exhaust/intake) are getting stuck!!! they are really, really hard to remove. they should unbolt with some easy and pretty much free float in the cap, but for some reason a couple are like stuck, i mean my electric impact gun(removes lugnuts with ease) is having trouble freeing them!! the only way i got them out was to push up on the bolt head as i used the impact gun!! it was redicules!!! the threads inside the head are fine! i took one of the good free floating cam bolts and tried to stick it in the cam cap that had a froozen bolt in it and the good bolt wouldn't fit through!! why would this be?? has this hapened to anyone eles???

[str00th]

Do the tight bolts fit in the other holes?

Sounds like whoever owned it previously used more then one type of bolt? e.g. ran out of bolts n chucked any old thing in..

[paul f]

all the bolts are the same its the caps that are the problem!! if i take a bolt at fit in smoothly and with ease in one cap and then put it in one of the caps i had to force the bolt out of the new bolt wont fit! what if to fix the problem i was to sand the bolt down smoother or drill out the cap bolt holes a little bigger would that hurt at all?

[Beer Baron]

sounds to me like either the cam is bent, or possibly the bolts or maybe (big maybe) the caps themselves. when you removed them you should have been lossening them in the correct order and lossening them bit by bit, not all at once.

[str00th]

i wouldn't drill out the cam cap holes. If you wreck them they are going to be a lot more expensive to replace then the bolts.

If anything sand back the bolts.

Sounds strange to me, but I'm no expert......

wait and see what others have to say

[paul f]

i followed the fsm!!! i loosened in ordered and little by little!!! im just gonna sand down the bolts, or get replacement ones! they are the same as the american ka24de motor cam cap bolts and washers so that will just have todo!!

[skybarge]

I've had issues with mine in the past, seem to be a common occurance

Usually 3-4 days with WD40 left soaking, put on each morning gets them out

If not though, be careful, they break easily, I'd suggest taking one of the bolts to a bolt/washers shop and get them replaced with the same thread

I think the reason they get jammed up is a heat and expansion thing, so best option is to replace them, I paid like $0.30c for a bolt the same thread and height, in black too

[kiwi32]

when i pulled the head apart on my r32 most of the cam cap bolts were seized some were so bad they had to be pressed out once the caps were removed. I thought it was because the motor had a lot of sludge in it from a severe lack of servicing. a reconditioner told me it is a common problem.

[T04GTR]

yeah very common. especally 32. moisture gets in and the cap corodes to the bolt. just undo them if you can and bang them out. also the r32s dont have numbers on the caps. so mark them respectivly.

just wiggle them back and forth slowly. dont go fast cos it will heat up and the bolt will break in the cap.