[MichaelTJD60]

Originally Posted by Oak

Nice, got any pics of the repair? What happened to the cam bearings & where did you get your parts from?

Originally Posted by Gary C

When I rebuilt the Onan CCKA for my Case 646, I got all my parts from Robert Kummer, (boomers-influence@yahoo.com) 651-437-2826 including a rebuild kit for the Marvel Schebler carburetor.

Originally Posted by Oak

Boomer is a great guy, I talked to him several times when I had some issues on my Onan P220 I rebuilt for one of my 982's. He also has a ton of parts for sale to help us guys out too.
Gary's place up in Hope Michigan is also another good source.

I purchased the cam bearings through Boomer - a great guy to deal with and a walking encyclopedia of Onan knowledge. Any parts he didn't have, I ordered through OnanParts.com (before they went on winter vacation). I also had to source a few misc. pieces from two Onan parts engines I have in my shop.

Common problem with Onan engines, mostly due to owners using dirty or incorrect oil, or not changing it frequently - the thrust washer between the cam gear and the block face begins to wear down. This causes excessive endplay (the cam will "walk" back and forth) which, when combined with thin or dirty oil, will eventually wipe out the cam bearings. The cam bearings were bad when I bought the tractor - the cam had walked out far enough to pop the freeze plug loose on the end of the block. It was rattling around but somehow didn't fall out.

I tore it all apart to replace the cam bearings and rebuild the starter since it had finally quit - a new brush kit and a couple hours of labor had the starter working better than new (I've dealt with my share of aftermarket replacement starters and refuse to buy new - now I just rebuild the originals). Also decarboned the heads, intake/exhaust ports, valves, and had the heads milled and bead-blasted by the local engine builder. Reinstalled heads with new gaskets and grade-8 bolts. Rebuilt oil pump, replaced points/condenser and replaced all seals and gaskets while I was at it as well. This engine is ready for another 30 years of service - it currently has 1050 hours on it, but with proper maintenance, I don't see any reason it shouldn't make it to 3000.