From Bad To Worse With Broken Bolt!! Don't Do What I Did.

Hi all! I am new here, I recently picked up a local 1964 CJ5 with the F134 motor. It has some minor rust, and a really leaky transfer case, but otherwise it's a good driver.

I've rebuilt some Ford motors over the years so I'm not new to engine work. However with this F134 motor I had my first really bad experience with a broken bolt, and stupid decisions on how to remove it. I'd like to explain my issue and get some tips from those of you who have experience with rebuilds or getting the camshaft out. I sure wish that my first post wasn't about needing help to fix stupid!!! lol

I have an electric fuel pump feeding the carb, but a previous owner left the mechanical fuel pump in. I took the fuel pump out, and fabbed a block-off plate. In the process of installing the block-off plate over the fuel pump hole, I evidently didn't have enough spacer washers, and I managed to break off the bolt towards the front of the engine (overtightened when it bottomed out).

I then proceeded to try to get the bolt out, managed to break off a drill bit, etc. Long story short, I think that I actually drilled TOO FAR and went right into the cam bearing and camshaft. I didn't realize the camshaft bearing area was there and I thought I had a lot more clearance in the block. The end result, is that the motor is locked up. I think I must have the tip of a bit lodged in the camshaft there, so it can't turn, locking the whole motor up.

My first step obviously is going to be getting a proper right-angle drill, so I can get in there straight on to drill out the hole. Hopefully I can do this with minimal damage to the block and also manage to remove the broken drill bit.

Next step, will be to remove the camshaft to see what damage is done. SO HERE IS MY QUESTION - I don't want to do a full engine rebuild, just remove the camshaft. Has anyone done this in the car? I'll have to remove the radiator, and possibly the front grill if needed to do remove it. I have the FSM so I'll read up on everything, I assume the head must come off and exhaust valves. Just wondering if anyone has tips or things to be aware of when removing camshaft while it's in the car...

 

So, supposing the cam bearing is screwed. How do you propose repairing that in the vehicle?

 

Pull the camshaft out the front, then somehow pull the bearing out. From what I see it's just a sleeve bearing that is flush with the front of the motor. Am I missing something? I don't think the cam bearing is any easier to remove on a bench? Any help appreciated from someone who has removed it! This isn't detailed very well in the FSM.

 

Might be easier to remove the engine. It only takes a few bolts.

 

Give it a shot.
Only one cam bearing and it's right at the front.
I believe it's doable.

 

jpflat2a I agree, I also think it's worth a try. I'll do some more reading and searching before I tackle it. But I'm going to try, and I'll follow up after! Appreciate all of the input here, and if anyone happens to have a good clear picture of what the camshaft opening and bearing look like I'd appreciate that. I did quite a bit of searching and haven't come across a clear photo yet. I'll try YouTube next lol... every mechanic's friend.

 

Pull the left fender Grill and radiator out. Your going to have to also remove the Head so you can get the valves out the cam will not come out with the Exhaust valves installed. You might as well pull the engine and get it on a stand. You have a lot of work to do.

 

Chugalug I'm contemplating it. If I do pull the motor of course I'll be tempted to do a full rebuild. And I see that rebuild kits are $800 ouch so trying to avoid that... if I can do it in the engine bay I'm less tempted to do the rebuild, have the heads done etc...

 

Do F-head cam bearings require line-boring?

 

Flat rate book time to R&R the camshaft on a F-134 is 6.9 hours.
0.3 to install new cam bearing.
What are you waiting for...let's get started.
It has to go before 5pm.

 

Pull that front cam bearing and camshaft, see what carnage you did.. fix.. put in new bearing with locktite bearing retainer and go.. the only issue I would be concerned about is low oil pressure. See what happens..

 

Try not to do more damage than has been done. You said the engine won't turn over, either direction? Rocking it back and forth may free up the drill bit. I've used "Rescue bit" to remove taps and extractors. How big of a hole are we dealing with? Ron

 

Yes, looking through the fuel pump hole you can’t see the camshaft or bearing in that area. It appears to be a thick section of engine block. Misleading. And no, before drilling I didn’t check...

 

Agreed, with the broken bit it’s going to be dicey. It’s a 3/8” bolt. I’ll drill it out oversized if need be and tap it to a larger size.

 

No, it’s blind there unfortunately. There is a section of engine block behind that fat part of the cam which sits in the bearing that totally blocks the view of the area I need to drill out. I’ll try to post pics tomorrow.

 

Yes I plan to do that just to have a look, although I don’t think there will be anything to see. The camshaft is above the crank, so the crank and main bearings will be in the way. I’m sure it is solid block under the camshaft bearing