Thread: Cam install, so many misfires TCC wont lock

All back together, I ended up using rtv to seal the head studs, recommended by the guy that ported my heads. Runs good turned the idle up to 900 all the time to hopefully save my dampener. My million dollar problem/ question: I have metal dust in my oil, can't see it much on the dipstick but looking in the valve cover, the oil flowing into the valley you can see the the metal dust reflection with a flashlight. Haven't changed the oil yet.

drain oil through a coffee filter or the likes to see if theres really anything in it.

Right now? Prob has 30 mins of idling on it.

right now! if you think you see stuff, why keep running it? dump oil, check it out asap. change the filter too.

when i did my engine swap i ran it for about 20 minutes and did a oil change for sh-its and giggles.

Change the oil then go run it up the street. And get on it pretty good. Then check it when you get back. No need to baby a 3800 after a cam change.

Oil is just very metalic similar to how transmission fluid gets. Super small metal particles, can't find anything I would consider large I strained the oil filter out and a bit of the oil. Also felt my hand around in the pan nothing big. Could it be from the assembly lube or the arp lube for the studs?

could be. still change it, drive it, see what goes on. pretty sure you should be doing a oil change this fast anyways. i would.

After I dumped the pan there was a few peices of metal looking flakes but they looked like old or new head gasket material but then again I could be in denial lol. Putting new oil in now.

I changed mine after 20 mins or so of driving after my cam install. Then 4000 miles later. It's holding up great 2 years down the road

Did you have any metalic in your oil?

mine looked like new oil to me. seemed like a waste, but f it, id rather toss 20 bucks in the dirt and be safe.

all i did was clean and re-gasket the engine, no cam, so no assembly lube was used.

Just the smallest amount. Next oil change, nothing.

New oil in went for a drive still metalic in oil, maybe a little less this time. No weird noises, what's my worst/ best case senario. I've never see bearings go out with metalic dust always metal shavings.

Best case nothing ever comes of it. You keep driving and nothing goes wrong. Worse case, you got a bad cam, or knicked a cam bearing going in. It that isn't too bad you'll just round off the lobe. If it's really bad, grenade....

Based on everyone's experience what should I do? Run it or pull it? I'm a gambling man but don't have the experience some of you guys do.

if it truly is just a small amount I would run it.

If it was a cam bearing wouldn't I have actual shavings?

Originally Posted by 94GrandPrixSE

If it was a cam bearing wouldn't I have actual shavings?

Probably. That's why I would run it. It's probably nothing

pic of oil? pull dip stick hold in the sun or a light, take pic.

There's not really much to break in during a cam swap with roller tip rockers and all but I still change the oil every time after the first run / drive