Coachcornell64

Has Anyone experienced this?
I have a 08 GT
I was getting a Camshaft sensor code on drivers side.
I removed the Camshaft sensor and found the end of the sensor was sheared off.
I removed the Valve cover and found the Camshaft had moved forward maybe a 1/8"
I found the forward most Camshaft Bearing cap is broken.

What would make this happen?
Thanks in advance

houtex

Welcome to the forums!

Wow. You got incredibly lucky. If you consider bad luck lucky that is.

First, you know what it looks like (picture below for those who don't), but that front cam cap does a lot of things. It obviously does the job of holding the cam in, lubricating the situation, and then it also feeds the TiVCT sprocket through the two channels in the camshaft. This is controlled by the solenoid. The pressurized oil comes in the solenoid, into the cam cap and through the two slots in the cam shaft to the sprocket, advancing or retarding timing as needed. If there's no oil pressure, there's a 'default' locking pin that then locks the sprocket into base timing. The pin is released when oil pressure pushes it out, thereby allowing the sprocket to advance/retard as needed.

So. With all that, the problem is very likely a defective cam cap that got blown out by oil pressure due to years of use and fatigue cracking that finally let go and destroyed itself at the front. This allowed the cam to travel the little bit forward, and when it did so, the timing vanes on the front of it smacked the sensor and tore it right up and over into the oil pan or maybe still somewhere in the timing cover. I daresay there you will also find your piece of cam cap.

That is a guess, mind, from wayyy over here... and it actually doesn't matter. Whether you changed the oil like a good car owner or not, whether there was sludge, whether the oil was the good kind or bulk, or whatever the problem... it's done the thing. Gotta deal with it. It's a rarity I've never even heard of, which is why I'm leaning towards a simple 'factory defect long term fatigue crack causing rapid unscheduled deconstruction'. However, there may have been an actual mechanical event elsewhere that shocked the cap into breaking, but I'd be leaning to there being waaaay more damage than just the cap.

Aka, you got lucky, of sorts. Probably won't happen again to you ever in any car.

Thing is...since it did all this, you *really* need to inspect the head for damage. I'm thinking that head is toast, jam and jelly. That entire cam assembly was only stopped from flinging itself forward into the radiator support or who knows where because the timing cover was there to stop it, and man, that entire *engine* would be done at that point, the chains being twisted and flung about, the crank seizing or whatever else happens...

That front cam cap is the thrust bearing of the cam. Without it, that cam will slide in and out of the pedestals pretty as you please, like it did here. You will also really need to pull the timing cover and the oil pan and get all the pieces out, inspect the oil tube and clean out as needed, and I would recommend at that point to get a Melling 340HV pump while you're in there. It's right there and 3 bolts easy once you get all that off. K member will have to come out, but it's not that bad... just be careful of the four bolts to the frame rails, one of mine snapped, and that was *not* fun to get fixed.

And there may be a full tear down inspection needed, for it's metal parts we're talking here that got flung about. You can probably do that all 'block in car' (after doing my timing adventure, I'm pretty sure it can be done that way if desired, if also a bit... contortion-y...),but I might just be pulling the engine totally. But in car, possibly need to find and get all the oil galleys flushed out and/or chased out with implements of chasing out...ness..? Anyway. Point is that's such a weird result I don't know how I'd be ok with the thing after without making danged sure there weren't no odd pieces to plug up things or cause premature wear and send me right back where it is now.

BUT... assuming the engine's otherwise unscathed... this may also be an opportunity to freshen the timing totally. New Motorcraft/Ford Performance updated chains, sprockets, tensioners, guides, followers and lash adjusters.

Thing is... I think you're also looking at a new left side head, because I'm a little afeared that if the front cam cap topside front bit blew off... I'm a little more than concerned about the rest of the head and all the parts thereto.

Or maybe instead of messin' with any of it, get a new/'new' engine, or rebuild this one... lots of possibilities. Hey, get that 5.2 Voodoo in it now, why not?
(Money, houtex, that's why not. )
(Well, me I don't think money's not gonna get spent, so...? )
(Yeah, ok, probably not the 5.2, but woudn't that be neato in the 2008 anyway? )

Hope that helps, and dang, that's just weird. I can't even on that, but it is what it is, right?

Pics when you can, and if you need to, make an album on Imgur and link it. Really wanna see what happened to that head, honestly.

Let us know, and good luck!


This is the driver head complete. That front cap is fairly important to be intact...