Cam is too tight; 'fixed' it, am I screwed?

[oz]

I recently had my block bored and new cam bearings installed (I created another thread to ask about crooked bearings earlier but this was fixed). Well, all the bearings look straight now so I put a cam in (a slightly used one, not going in this engine) to check everything and it was very snug. I obviously oiled it when I put it in but I still had to put the bolt on the end and turn it with a box wrench to get it in all the way. It looks like the soft layer from the front and rear bearing was slowly wearing off as I turned it more. It did get a little easier to turn after I turned it awhile but the front and rear bearing soft layer continued to wear off and color the the oil light gray. The force to turn tha cam was much higer than it should be so I felt I had to do something else. I was able to free it up a little by scuffing the front and rear bearing surface with super fine steel wool. I assume something is not perfectly aligned but I wonder if it is the cam bore since the machine shop said it looked like the engine had been overheated in the past. They said that the cylinder bores were egg shaped. I think the force to turn the cam is reasonable now but I wonder if scuffing the bearings will cause me problems down the road? I hear that cam bearings rarely cause problems in service but I don't want to risk a seized cam. Did I do the right thing or am I screwed?

 

[oz]

After consulting with a couple of people, I am going to take the new cam along with the block back in and have the bearings redone. I will have the machine shop fit the cam to ensure it turns freely. The machinsit claimed that the fit would be snug but before I scuffed the bearings, it was tough to turn the cam even with the box wrench.... not good.
I guess it's cheap insurance agianst a BIG problem later. I just wish I knew what was the root cause of the binding. My friend said that for the cam bore to be out of whack that the engine would have had to overheated to a point of siezing - which didn't happen.
Anything I should look for when the bearings are redone????
Thanks!!!!

 

[dolfan87]

That cam should turn nice and easy...you should NOT need a wrench to turn it.

You're doing the right thing

 

[rbohm]

it seems when ford installed the cam bearing in new engine, the bearings were unfinished. the bearings were finish machined in the block after they were installed so that each bore was concentric with the others. it can cause problems with rebuilds sometimes. i had a similar problem back many years ago when i was much less informed. i installed a new cam and new cam bearings. when i put the cam in, it was tight in the last bearing. i did the same thing you did, and the cam freed up and turned properly after that with no ill effects. all i can say about that is fools rush in where angels fear to tread.

 

[LMan]

you should be able to turn the cam with your hand. There has to be enough space b/w the bearings and the journals for oil to lube/cool the bearings under pressure, otherwise they will scorch in no time

 

[SuperDave]

Agree with the above. You are doing the right thing to have it checked and corrected BEFORE going further.

 

[oz]

Thanks for the replies. I took the block back in with my new cam and asked him to fit it.
He told me that there was too much silicone sealant on the rear oil plug and that it was interfering with the cam and binding it up.... To be honest, I am not convinced that was the problem. I took the cam out (which turned nicely - slightly snug with cam lube on it, in 30 degree temperatures) and it looks like he honed the bearings with a fine stone. They all have a slight cross hatch pattern on them.
The cam seems to turn normally with consistant resistance so I think it is alright now. Very strange that it was tight though.
I'll be keeping my fingers crossed when I start it up.

Thanks again.