Camshaft lobes wear at the high point, typically producing flat spots. You will probably have to turn the engine by hand to see the "top" of the lobe well. Scratches or dark marks are not a problem so long as the surface is smooth. You often will see dark sludge on the back (low) side of the lobe on engine with mechanical lifters are there is no pressure on the lobe there. With hydraulic lifters, you only see dark stuff where the lobe isn't pressing down on the lifter (really a tappet on the 602).
A pronouced flat spot will be obvious -- there should be a smooth curved shape to the lobe, although they can be rather "pointy" at the tip. Usually they wear on the forward side in rotation, so look (and feel) for an edge there across the lobe. Not usually a problem on the 60x engines, they have plenty of oil up there. A bad lobe will click every time it goes round, while a bad lifter or sticky valve will usually only clack sometimes. You need to switch to synthetic oil and replace the two o-rings on the center "bolt" of the oil filter cover, that should stop your flat lifter that clacks once in a while. Mine went quiet while I was checking for leaks after changing the oil to synthetic, just in a couple minutes of idling! Peter _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
