Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) Help! Cam/KDP woes

[mitchgt]

I'll start by saying I know, Know what was I thinking! I can handle what you all can say. But I need some advice, or knowledge. I recently tried to tackle a blown out timing case (dowel pin) and decided that pulling the cam gear was the easiest route, but ended up pushing the bearing/bushing out the back, what, how bad, and what do I do to fix it? any advice would be helpful. Thanks

 

[Jim Fulmer]

You will have to pull the transmission to get that back plug back in! It's always much better just to pull the cam, there are a few parts that are a pain, one is the lift pump and the other is the junk in the front like the bumper, intercooler, radiator.



Jim

 

[mitchgt]

Jim,

thanks for the reply, do I just push it back in? is there anything I should replace? And i will be pulling the cam out now, Lesson learned.

 

[Flinty]

Mitchgt, how many miles were on your rig when the kdp came out? Which truck do you have? I've got a '97 with 133k, just haven't had time to tab it yet. Sorry about your luck.

 

[Jim Fulmer]

Jim,

thanks for the reply, do I just push it back in? is there anything I should replace? And i will be pulling the cam out now, Lesson learned.

You should be able to knock it back in from the back of the block but maybe someone will chime in. I would buy a new one from Cummins and not use the old one. While you are back there with the transmission, flywheel and bellhousing out address the back freeze plug. I would knock it out and put a new one in with red locktite on it, that way you don't have to worry about again.



Jim

 

[FDavid]

JMarinaccio, you need to tackle the kdp asap. I decided to do the kdp 2 days ago because of an oil leak and found my timing cover cracked in 2 places and the dowl pin completly missing. By the way my truck has 81k miles.



-Dave

 

[mitchgt]

I've got 130K on the motor. The case was destroyed when I was pulling the pump gear off I actually cracked both sides of the case and it pulled the cam/pump gear apart (very weak). After seeing the damage that was done on the inside I don't know what I was thinking diving the truck for a short time while I collected parts.



I'll definately change out the freeze plug

 

[Joe G.]

Mitchgt, how many miles were on your rig when the kdp came out? Which truck do you have? I've got a '97 with 133k, just haven't had time to tab it yet. Sorry about your luck.

Mileage has nothing to do with the probability of having a KDP failure. If it fails I suspect you will have plenty of time to fix it.

 

[Flinty]

Tore my truck apart tonight, kdp was half way out... Not any more! Found a leaky water pump in the process.

 

[mitchgt]

Jmarinaccio, lucky you caught it in time, I got everything changed out and a new case in, I should have pulled the cam in the first place, it really wasn't that hard.

 

[Flinty]

Mitch, did you pull the cam gear or the pump gear first? Did you just replace the gears or did you have to replace the cam also? Have you got to the transmission yet? How did you manage to push the camshaft through the back of the engine? I've been running your predicament through my mind's eye and with a gear puller I can see the guts of the gear giving out but how did the camshaft move? Twenty questions, I know, I'm just being nosey. J

 

[mitchgt]

I pulled the pump gear 1st, then to get the cam gear off I had to use a 12in puller so I had to pull the radiator anyways. I just had to get a new pin and case I didn't ruin any of the gears. I think I lucked out, I think the moving of the cam was just it sliding under the pressure of the valve springs. It only moved a 1/4in so I think it just hit the plug and stopped. I kind of gambled on that one, I decided to put it back together and run it and check for a big oil leak, but nothing so I'm pretty sure I just hit the plug.



I highly recommend pulling the cam. From the point I was at with the radiator off already it was only another 3 hrs of work (cam out and back in w/adjusting the valves). The hardest part is having faith that you pounded the dowel rods into the tapets so they'd hold when you pull the cam out.