My 74 Dino 246 GTS went down about 10-12 weeks ago with the forward 3 cylinders showing no compression. Got the car to my mechanic and the engine was pulled this past week. He found a broken camshaft. I'm not a motorhead, but this does not sound like a good thing. The mechanic stated that it may be a challenge finding a new camshaft. Said that we may have to look in Europe. Some other issues such as bent valves, etc. will not be as hard to find and replace. Any advice regarding finding the camshaft. Also, what might have caused this to happen. This car has 40,000 original miles and is in great condition. I've had the car for 2 yrs and have put around 2800 miles on it. I have not driven it hard. Thanks for any responses.
Sorry to hear about the sick engine. The first place I would try for all the parts you need is Mike at Superformance. He specializes in Dinos and has the best pricing by far. I saved about a grand on the parts for a clutch job that included a new ring gear by using him. Here is his site: http://www.superformance.co.uk/index.htm Aloha, Mark
Mark, thanks for the reply. I have emailed superformance and I am hopeful that they have or know of the whereabouts of a camshaft.
A couple of years ago Ferrari of Los Gatos had a brand new 246 cam on the shelf. Don't know which one. They have changed the store name but the # is 408-377-7200. If they no longer have it, it prob got sold to T Rutland. Rutland would be a good source in any event.
Sorry to hear of your troubles. Try these... Dennis McCann 162518 RIGHT INTAKE CAMSHAFT, DINO 4173870 $495.00 162519 RIGHT EXHAUST CAMSHAFT, DINO 4173871 $495.00 162520 LEFT INTAKE CAMSHAFT, DINO 4173872 $495.00 162521 LEFT EXHAUST CAMSHAFT, DINO 4173873 $595.00 http://www.allferrariparts.com/home.html Superformance New fast road camshafts 206-246 engines. Improved on mid range torque and power at top end SP0750A £695.00 www.superformance.co.uk or one of these may help http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showpost.php?p=135047458&postcount=1 DM
If you have 40,000 miles on the engine and they are the original cams, I would be supprised if the other three don't need to be reground or replaced as Dino cams are notoriously prone to wear. (Mine were done at 22,000mi) So it would be best to have a careful inspection made once the heads are off to see what will be needed.
What on Earth would cause a camshaft to break though? You don't hear about that happening very often. The only thing I can think of is lack of lubrication. (i.e. no oil pressure). Birdman
My mechanic, who has been in the Ferrari biz for ~ 30 yrs, mentioned that there was a issue with the Dino camshafts after manufacturing. He vaguely remembers a recall on many Dinos for this problem. If my camshaft had a defective focus it may have finally given into the years of stress. I'll probably never know. The important issue here is to find a new replacement and get the car back in motion. Thanks for the input.
There is a Dino engine at Gary Bobileff's shop in San Diego that is all hosed up (broken connecting rods, burned pistons, block had a hole in it). I saw a brand new crankshaft for that engine and when I asked I was told that it had been custom made. You might call Gary and ask him if he can have another one made for you. If you need his contact information, see Bobileff.com. Tell him I sent you his way. Let me know if I can be of any help. Thanks. Alberto
Steve, I was in the shop checking on my Dino when I saw your heads. Cams had just come out and I took a couple of shots. I check the machine shop every couple of days and they were working on them Monday. Jack said he found a cam. You should beat me getting things back together. Just ask if you think I could be of help. Let me see the finished product before you get out of town. Luck, John Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Just make a camshaft ... not difficult and that expensive (shouldn't be). Remember guys Ferrari just had them made out of a hunk of steel originally ... it's not like we are looking for chicken teeth . Pete
Uhmmm, maybe not. I would be sure a Dino would be simular made to a 308, and I have understanding it was the way it was done all the way back...billet steel. To find a good peice of steel, and have it machined down into a cam and drilled hollow, could be a good chunk of $$$$$$. The better question, more than the cost of a cam, is why it broke. Did it sieze? Did the chain whip? Was the motor overheated? Was the cam chain sprocket bolt overtorqued? Did the bolt loosen? I would be very leary of reassembling this engine until the direct cause of failure was determined. Might not be a bad idea to have the other three cams Xrayed/crack checked.
I'm sorry to hear about your camshafts. Are there any preventive steps that can be taken or is this a waiting game? I'd rather not have this happen on my Dino. Thanks
While Dino cams are prone to early cam lobe wear, this particular problem is not common. This is the first incident of a broken cam I aware of.
Looks like the timing chain tensioner lost it's setting and chain whip broke it. The later timing chain tensioners had a stop bolt and lock nut to prevent the tensioner from loosening. I believe it was an early batch of cams that were soft and had premature wear and later ones were OK. How to tell the diverence visually I don't know.
If John can confirm ..... I think Steve's tensioners were missing the stop bolt/ locknut modification. I am not totally sure. Richard
