VarioCam Plus issues revisited

[Cloudsurfer]

The problem with bore scopes has always been "the smaller the probe diameter, the bigger te pice tag"..............

Ain't that the truth!

Back on topic, does the consensus seem to be that this problem likely lies in the vane cell unit itself?

[cnavarro]

The vane cell units do go bad, so it's a possibility.

Internal cracking of the heads is also a definite possibly, would require removal and some elaborate rigs to pressure test them. Seen this happen as well.

[Cloudsurfer]

The vane cell units do go bad, so it's a possibility.

Internal cracking of the heads is also a definite possibly, would require removal and some elaborate rigs to pressure test them. Seen this happen as well.

I'm trying to source a tiny borescope (without coughing up $5k and buying one) to rule out the head BEFORE i pull the cams out. If it's a bad head, i'm going to jump on those 997 3.8 heads and swap both sides.

[JFP in PA]

I think you are going to have fun finding a bore scope small enough to go down the oil feed gallery. Most automotive bore scopes are small enough to fit thru a spark plug hole, but way too big for your purpose. May want to look at someone that rents testing equipemnt to the scientific community or tool and die makers, like Electro Rent or Advanced Inspection Technologies..............

AIT Electro Rent

[Cloudsurfer]

I think you are going to have fun finding a bore scope small enough to go down the oil feed gallery. Most automotive bore scopes are small enough to fit thru a spark plug hole, but way too big for your purpose. May want to look at someone that rents testing equipemnt to the scientific community or tool and die makers, like Electro Rent or Advanced Inspection Technologies..............

AIT Electro Rent

Thank you for those links! I've been pondering where to even begin looking to rent something like that! Even my aircraft turbine mechanic friends don't have em that small.

[Cloudsurfer]

Looks like both places only rent 4mm scopes, and nothing smaller. I'd have to measure exactly, but I think 4mm is too big :(

[JFP in PA]

Try Googling "borescope rentals", those two are only the ones I've had experience with (Alice in Wonderland isn't the only one that has had to peer down the rabbit hole a time or two)..............

[Cloudsurfer]

Try Googling "borescope rentals", those two are only the ones I've had experience with (Alice in Wonderland isn't the only one that has had to peer down the rabbit hole a time or two)..............

Touche!!

[Cloudsurfer]

Welp, these guys:

http://www.atlas-inspection.com/fiberscope-rentals.html

have a .9mm scope for rental, at ONLY $415 a day!!!! (Sarcasm)

[JFP in PA]

Beats shelling out $5K for one..............

[Cloudsurfer]

I'm inclined to think that even at $400....this is worth confirming that the head isn't *#(@'ed before I go tearing cams out and what not. If the head checks out via borescope, swap out the vane cell unit and replace the sealing rings under the bearing sleeve and hope that fixes things.

Obviously, if the head does turn out to be the problem, then, when the motor comes out I'm going to have a set of resurfaced 3.8 heads and cams and all ready to go on.

[coleta]

Cloudsurfer,

What ever became of this?

[txhokie4life]

Charles-

Thank you for taking the time to do this. I did some studying today myself of a vane type 3.2 Boxster engine and heads, and thoroughly studied the oil flow through the case up to the head and hydraulic solenoid. All of the oil feed to the heads is up through the head bolt bores, and then there are passages machined in the head in the bores to feed oil to wherever it has to go. In the case of the vane cell oil feed, it has its own feed from the upper head bolt nearest the adjuster.

As you can see in the pictures I took, these passages are quite large, and there's really no way that anything could clog these up, and if any debris did get through (up from the bearing carrier), it would have lodged in the finger screen before the solenoid, which again, has been clean each time I've had it out. Further, since this oil comes off the bearing carrier, if there was any starvation issues they would have to be present at a main bearing journal, and if that was the case, the motor would have spun a bearing a LONG time ago.

Examining the head gaskets, no matter how you put the gasket on, or what version of gasket was used, there'd be no way to partially plug up the feed hole, so I think that rules that possibility out.

The 3.6 engine this all started with was intact, and had not suffered a failure, it was merely semi high mileage (75K or so). I did not source parts from several motors to complete this, nor did the motor blow up prior. However, maybe it is time to pull the cams from the engine and swap out vane cell adjusters. I would, however, like to find a way to inspect that oil passage in the head for damage (and obviously contamination), but I have no idea where to get a borescope that small.

I don't think an RPM switch would work for this, as it needs multiple inputs. People have used that type of system to trigger the valve LIFT function, but that would not really work for the valve advance. There is no problem with the valve lift functionality. I have to assume, however, that when a tuner was writing a map for this thing, that the advance could easily be disabled below a certain RPM.

Does anyone know of available of "normal" cams and solid lifters?

Could you perform some sort of pressure testing on the oil galleys?

mike