[hektic]

Hello, I've been a bit of a lurker here on Lotustalk.com for a while. I'm considering purchasing an 06 Elise and have had some photos taken of the cams after reading all of the posts in regards to failures here. (It seems several owners suggested doing this as a condition before purchasing).

I've attached the photos that were provided. Can anyone with a trained eye (which excludes myself) let me know if they see wear or anything here that would cause alarm?

Thank you.

 

[yellowlotus]

the wear happens on the pointed end of the lobe which isnt pictured in these photos.the engine has to be turned to bring to appropriate inspection position

 

[tvacc]

The first picture looks suspect to me...but the real test is to run your finger nail over it. You can feel the dip.

I dont see anything else in the others. What is the order of the pictures? Where is # 3 intake?

 

[ZTEC]

How many miles on this motor? It appears to me there are some signs of early cam wear especially if it is a lower mileage motor.

 

[tesprit]

The first picture looks suspect to me...but the real test is to run your finger nail over it. You can feel the dip.

I dont see anything else in the others. What is the order of the pictures? Where is # 3 intake?

+1
Realign the intake cam lobes so they point upward and run a fingernail along the area around the tips of the large lobes. Pay particular attention to #3 and if you are still unsure post some new photos.

 

[hektic]

Thank you for the replies. I had asked the dealer to take the photos, but didn't specify how to take the shots. Part of the problem is I'm not much of a mechanic and am only going by what I had read here.

The photos were sent to me in an email basically saying: "photos attached". Perhaps I should have better specified my request.

If I were to make the request again - what would the correct instruction be?

Remove the valve cover, position the cams with the lobes pointed up, and run a fingernail along hte surface to check for any scratches, grooves or wear? I suppose I should also have them specify which cylinder is which.

Do I have that straight this time?

Thanks!!

 

[fishguy]

if i were you ,you seem like a smart buyer, go to the dealership and take the pictures yourself, and also use your own finger tocheck this stuff.
it would be worth a quick flight out there if you are not local just for piece of mind IMO.
it could be an accident that they didnt tell you which picture was which cylinder, and that the pictures were not showing the cams in the right position, or it could be that they didnt want to show the info like that for a reason.
truthfully, i am impressed that you are checking this stuff out prior to buying.:up:

 

[tesprit]

Yeah, that is pretty much it. It is not necessary to check the exhaust cam since that isn't the troublemaker. The primary culprit is the large lobe #3 on the intake cam and it is the large lobe 2nd from the right hand side (passenger side) of the engine. The small lobes on the intake cam also do not cause problems. Just have them focus on the large lobes and have them position them so they are pointing upward. They will have to position the cam twice because when the right two lobes are pointing up the left two lobes will not be in the correct position, so once the inspection is done on the right lobes, the cam will have to be rotated again to get the potential wear spots in view for the left two lobes. Have them both feel the lobes and take photos of them again for you. As fishguy just mentioned the best thing would be for you to witness this in person, but I understand if that just isn't possible for you.

 

[Keeper]

I thought the #3 lobe was third from the right-hand (timing chain) side and toward the front of the car.