[attachment=2396:valves 002.jpg]Went to do a valve adjustment and this is what i found. Opinions of camshaft please. I can feel the deterioation with my fingernale. not good. Replace? How far should i take this?

 

I wonder why only the intake side has grooves while the exhaust is ok?

 

Replace asap. It is contaminating your engine with metal debris. Change the oil and new filter too. Try to find out the root cause to make sure that is addressed.

How many miles on the engine, adjustment off?

 

Car is a 04 i bought off ebay for $6000. It has 116k miles. the carfax history of the car shows a front end collision but a repair not a salvage job. The valve lash adjustment all are loose. Why the intake side deterioration? Looks like car must have sat a long time as the wear is not all on the top of cam lobes but under as well.
Not sure how far i should take this, just replace the cams or...
Suggestions?

 

It may not have OEM camshafts.

 

Feel those areas on the intake cam with your fingernail. If it's enough to hang up your nail (will stop your nail when dragging it), then it's wear, which can't be repaired to any sort of stock reliability. Before you just replace the cam, though, I would want to know why it wore like that.

Just looking at it, though, it looks like a general funk/gunk that's the result of poor quality, overheated oil. It might be galling or material transfer as a result of wear, though. Hard to tell without seeing it in person. The fact that the highest point of the lobe, the point of the greatest pressure, doesn't have the wear, makes me think it's just residue/funk from the oil.

Check and see if it hangs up a nail. If it's actual wear, it may be that the motor was run severely low on oil for a while, damaging the motor. If so, plan on a full rebuild.

 

Todd, Thanks for you reply. My question is still why only the intake cam? I will try to clean off the cam and see what the status is.
Thanks,
Charlie Daytona beach

 

Don't know. Intakes are usually the one to smack first when you overrev, either due to the timing or OE valve spring rate. May be related, may not be. See if it's damage, if you can clean it off and if you can feel if it's actual scoring or just a discoloration.

 

Two lobes have marks that catch the razor i slid across. The other lobes are smooth just discolored. I decieded not to be cheap about it so i am looking for a redone head.
Any recomended shops and prices?

 

i have my ap1 head, replacing with a fully built head, about 100k, super clean, great condition, never overrevved, etc.

also have original ap1 cams and another set of cams i am unsure whether are ap2 or ap1