pghs2kid

while i was inspecting my valve retainers this evening i noticed some rust on my camshaft. Any ideas what this could be from? appears to be mostly only on one (1) vtec lobe... intake side.



also here is a picture of my retainers if anyone can give me a second opinion that they are indeed OK.

windhund116

Did the car sit, for a long time (months, years)?

Thanks!

pghs2kid

Not that i am aware of. I got it with 110k and i drive it dailly (at 130k now) its possible it sat with the previous owner but I would have thought 20k miles would clean it up

slalom44

Lots of short trips that aren't long enough to get the engine warm will result in moisture accumulation in the engine. Cold temps will get it to condense on cold surfaces. And used oil accumulates sulfur and carbon from combustion gases, mixing with the water to form dilute acids. These acid emulsions can cause rust and lower the TBN (total base number, or alkaline reserves), which can eventually result in oil sludging.

Your car has likely seen lots of short trips in the past, and possibly sat for long periods with "dirty" moisture laden oil. That's why it's always best to change your oil before long storage periods, not after.

David1

Cam is fine. Can't comment on retainers without seeing all of them.

pghs2kid

All the retainers look identical to the picture shown

Billman250

Rusted camshaft in that spot is due to the engine sitting for a long period with the oil cap removed.

Is it the original engine?

pghs2kid

Im not 100% sure if its the original engine, as far as i know it is. I think the vin tag is on the backside of the engine right? Not sure if its easily visible?

zeroptzero

The rust is on an area of the came lobes that don't get wear, it can sit there for a long time, but it won't harm anything, probably mixed with a bit of varnish. Just run a high quality real synthetic oil and it might clean up over time.

Car Analogy

Sounds like there was rust on the whole cam lobe, but then once engine was put back in service, the rust on the wear areas was worn off.

Sent from my SM-G920P using IB AutoGroup