BRM cam failure

Any suggestions on a cam kit?
Does anyone have experience with the deluxe camshaft and timing belt kit on eBay for $848 ?
I think I had a cam failure last night in my 06 Jetta. I’ll have to pull the valve cover this week to take a look. The top of the engine is rattling pretty good especially under a load and also seems to be running rough with excessive smoke. I am surprised the check engine light is not on. There is approximately 190,000 on the engine. This is my daily driver and I have been very happy with the 42 mpg that I typically get. Oil changes have always been with 505.01 oil. I would like to repair as economically (cheap)as possible.

Usually cam wear problems are progressive.
The tell tale symptoms such as smoking, reduced FE, engine roughness appear slowly.

Sometimes a worn cam lobe will cut a hole trough a lifter. Sometimes this causes increased noise in the valvetrain. Perhaps this is what you have.

Either way you need to remove the valve cover to visually inspect.

As for the parts to fix it as cheap as possible, be wary:
A lot of the chinese parts up in ebay will destroy your engine when they fail.

It is always better in the end to get the good well known parts from well known vendors. Trashing your engine is way more expensive than the correct parts kit to do a cam and tb swap.

Again i think you should remove the civer and asses situation. If the cam is worn but no shot lifters you still have some time to collect parts. If a lifter is shot, then your time is up.

As for the CE lamp, most of the time it will light up for emissions related failures. There are dozens of codes that will be triggered and not light up the CEL. Thats why scaning the car regularly with VCDS will help you address what the system is telling you.

Post your findings and good luck

Yeh I’m pretty sure my time is up. I have noticed an increase in valve train noise for a while but not noticeable driving down the road. on my way home yesterday from a 400 mile trip I started to feel a slight vibration and there is noticeable clatter. I’m pretty sure a lifter is toast. It’s making a LOT of noise now. I’ll have to drive my Jeep for a while.
The cam in the kit on eBay is a Febi. German made?
Anybody tried one of these cams?

Febi is a known brand. The problem with the ebay kit might be with the other parts that conform the system.
- tb tensioner. What brand is it?
- water pump. Metal or plastic impeller?
- actual tb
As for the cam
Are the lifters black ? (Newer type)
Do you get all the one use fasteners?
Will you get the teflon cam seal?

This I the parts list for the kit on eBay. If there is anything questionable let me know.
Kit Includes:
Camshaft (Febi, made by Estes OEM to Mercedes) --- 038109101AH
8x OEM INA Black Lifters --- 038109309C
10x OEM Glyco Bearings --- 038103673BGLB
10x Journal Cap Bolts --- 038103714 (Special Non-stretch torque to 12lb/ft)
8x Injector Rocker Bolts --- 038103714A (Special Non-stretch torque to 25lb/ft)
OEM Tandem Pump Gasket --- 038145215
OEM Gates Timing Belt --- 038109119P
OEM Continental Serpentine Belt --- 6PK1050
OEM Litens Tensioner --- 038109243M
OEM Camseal --- 068103085E
OEM INA/SKF Roller --- 038109244J
Metal Impeller Water pump (usually Graf/Geba) --- 045121011(F/H)
1.5L VW G12++ coolant
OEM Bolt Kit:
2x Engine Mount to Body - N10516701
2x Engine Mount to Bracket Bolt - N10209603
1x Small Motor Mount Bolt - N91029601
1x 8mm Lock Nut for Roller - N01508311
1x 8mm Lock Nut for Tensioner - 038109454A
5L Lubromoly 505.01 5W40 Motor Oil
OEM Mann Oil Filter Kit --- 071115562A
OEM Cabin Filter --- 1K1819653A
OEM Cold Region Air Filter - 1K0129620E
OEM Fuel Filter* - 1K0127434B or 434A

When I had to replace mine I was told a few brands to look for. One being AMC or AMX? Make sure to get a kit with the upgraded lifters. The stock ones were not coated and wore much quicker. Also make sure to get the new bolts for the cam caps as they are one use only.

Make sure to be weary of "fake" AMC cams. The one I purchased was cheaper in price than most and for good reason. some of the edges of the lobes were not beveled or beveled unevenly. Look over what you get before installing.

May want to read up about how to change timing belt without taking off the engine mount. I found this easier to do and time savings. Also not having to support the engine saved me worry.

FLY said:

Any suggestions on a cam kit?
Does anyone have experience with the deluxe camshaft and timing belt kit on eBay for $848 ?
I think I had a cam failure last night in my 06 Jetta. I’ll have to pull the valve cover this week to take a look. The top of the engine is rattling pretty good especially under a load and also seems to be running rough with excessive smoke. I am surprised the check engine light is not on. There is approximately 190,000 on the engine. This is my daily driver and I have been very happy with the 42 mpg that I typically get. Oil changes have always been with 505.01 oil. I would like to repair as economically (cheap)as possible.

Click to expand...

I did mine 4 years ago and replaced it with a Colt Stage2 and used
the Black Nitride cam followers in Intake and Exhaust. I've always used the 505.01 oil.

I will never buy another VW since I used to do used oil analysis and found that my iron spiked during the last year of warranty. I submitted my report to VW and they told me that they don't recognize UOA.

I thought OK, I have 2 years of the premium extended warranty but as it got progressively worse they kept refusing to do anything about it. My last UOA report that I submitted was red flagged and advised me to no longer drive the vehicle until remedial action was taken since the Iron level indicated a failure in progress.

VW denied a claim telling me "I had no symptoms" (effing ass hat clowns) and it ended up feeling like I was watching a train wreck in slow motion. Days after my extended warranty ran out I tackled the job and found out that one cam lobe had worn square having lost its crown completely and the mating cam follower was deeply dished, full of cracks like an eggshell and was ready to fail completely. If I had not purchased their crap Platinum extended warranty and saved the money it would have more than covered the repair and left me with enough to have a fun night out.

I followed the recommended oil change intervals and had it dealer serviced during the warranty period but now don't set foot in a dealer doing it myself. I now run Shell Rotella T6 and add ZDDP with every oil change.

N.CaTDI said:

May want to read up about how to change timing belt without taking off the engine mount. I found this easier to do and time savings. Also not having to support the engine saved me worry.

Click to expand...

I saw this on YouTube. I can see where this would save some time.

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=253137&highlight=cam

Get you cam kit from Frank Irving. He has done some re-engineering on the PD cams and his technical phone support is 2nd to nobody.

Frank's VW TDI's, LLC
1007 Olive St.
Lockwood, MO 65682
417-232-4634
FranksTDIs@sbcglobal.net

I would second working with Frank Irving if possible. I have one of his first re-engineered camshafts in my car. Fantastic guy with a great product.

I concur with the Jnitrofish and Ol'Rattler in recommending Frank Irving, whose tdiclub handle is Frank06

Earlier this year, I relied on his parts and advice to repair my cam and EGR cooler problems. My TDI is running now better than ever.

Colt Cams made up here in Canada have excellent reviews, I believe you can get a kit thru Kerma TDI, maybe someone here with more knowledge on this can chime in. Do some research, it's going to be far better than going with a stock one again.