Cam scoring. How bad is bad scoring?

[Chris_D]

Some of you may know I've addressed a few issues on my zed recently, one of which was a leaky cam cover gasket. While the cover was off i snapped a few pics.
I'm wondering how bad the scoring is on cylinder 2 and 4 cam sets is? Seems a bit heavier than the rest.
Sadly i left the splash guard covering the inlet cam so can't determine wear on those. :roll:
Any ideas from experienced mechanics who've tinkered/replaced cams and associated gubbins would be much appreciated.
There's a high res photo of the one below at the following link if it helps:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/t5in14p99ohmaph/Photo%2028-09-2016%2014%2012%2010.jpg?dl=0

 

[Smartbear]

Hi, I'd ignore any marks around the base of the lobes as that obviously doesn't touch anything-with use it's normal to see the case hardening get polished slightly near the tips. Can you catch your nail on any of the lobes? Is the engine noisier than you'd expect? These look ok to me & I wouldn't be concerned.
I'd expect the inlet cam to be less worn under that splash guard as it's running cooler than the exhaust one.
Rob

 

[Chris_D]

Hi, I'd ignore any marks around the base of the lobes as that obviously doesn't touch anything-with use it's normal to see the case hardening get polished slightly near the tips. Can you catch your nail on any of the lobes? Is the engine noisier than you'd expect? These look ok to me & I wouldn't be concerned.
I'd expect the inlet cam to be less worn under that splash guard as it's running cooler than the exhaust one.
Rob

Thx Rob, you sound like you've done some tinkering of your own?

 

[Smartbear]

Not so much with cars although I try to do what I can, a few years ago I worked as a motorbike mechanic & did most jobs you could think of
Rob

 

[Marius]

2 and 4 looks bad, could be low oil pressure at high revs (cloged pick up pipe) or crap oil used in be past.

 

[Ewazix]

If you want a real in-depth read on all things M54 this guy's engine investigation project on e46fanatics is an absolute monster! Hat's off to the guy he even cut open a goosed lifter to see what goes on inside, all with pics, it's a vocation and real must if you want to know the M54.

..and he reckons he's devised a method to safely remove the camshaft without the massively expensive BMW tool ... apparently

M54 Engine project index http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=899347

M54 Camshaft http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?p=14098020#post14098020

 

[Chris_D]

If you want a real in-depth read on all things M54 this guy's engine investigation project on e46fanatics is an absolute monster! Hat's off to the guy he even cut open a goosed lifter to see what goes on inside, all with pics, it's a vocation and real must if you want to know the M54.

..and he reckons he's devised a method to safely remove the camshaft without the massively expensive BMW tool ... apparently

M54 Engine project index http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=899347

M54 Camshaft http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?p=14098020#post14098020

Thx for these ewazix. Interesting stuff. So it looks like cyls 2 and 4 take an equal loading which would explain the even wear/scoring.
In tha photos of the camshaft link in looks like the racks and shells are made of copper! I take it that's probably just oil varnish? Mine dont look anything like his- more of a light bronzy/brass colour.

 

[Ewazix]

If you want a real in-depth read on all things M54 this guy's engine investigation project on e46fanatics is an absolute monster! Hat's off to the guy he even cut open a goosed lifter to see what goes on inside, all with pics, it's a vocation and real must if you want to know the M54.

..and he reckons he's devised a method to safely remove the camshaft without the massively expensive BMW tool ... apparently

M54 Engine project index http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=899347

M54 Camshaft http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?p=14098020#post14098020

Thx for these ewazix. Interesting stuff. So it looks like cyls 2 and 4 take an equal loading which would explain the even wear/scoring.
In tha photos of the camshaft link in looks like the racks and shells are made of copper! I take it that's probably just oil varnish? Mine dont look anything like his- more of a light bronzy/brass colour.

I've done a few camshafts but profess no first-hand knowledge of stripping a BMW hence my initial hesitation on commenting on your wear, but they looked 'polished' rather than grooved or hollowed so would be surprised if they were out of spec. What's your mileage, if this is a 20k miles motor I'd be panicking, if it's 100k+ it's probably commensurate with the rest of the engine.

 

[Mike6]

Doesnt look bad to me. Heavy scoring would indicate some contaminant like grit getting in there but I do not think that is the case here. If there was heavy scoring I would be more worried about the state of the big end bearings