Hi Folks,

Went to the garage today for an inspection of my "new" 760. It's an '87 so I figure it must have the B280F V6.

The mechanic whom I've known for years specializes in Volkswagen with a minor in Volvos (his yard is 80% VFolks, 20% Volvos).

So he checks out my new car and comments on its "exceptional" condition, but tells me that this engine is prone to premature camshaft wear. So he opens one of the camshaft covers and inspects it, and we can see that some of the cam lobes show some pitting. This engine was supposedly rebuilt 2 years ago. Is that normal? It also seems that there isn't much oil there (to me anyway): lifting the cover, no oil drips from the side. When asked about the life expectancy, he says it won't die tomorrow, but it won't last forever either.

My question is, is that engine prone to camshaft failure like the older B28F and what could I do to make it last? After the inspection he took it far a spin and thought it ran surprisingly well, and said I should not adjust the valves (the lifters are a bit noisy) as it would wear the camshaft more. He recommended I use an anti friction additive to slow down teh camshaft wear. Basically, at the end of the inspection he was much more positive than at the start and he said it was "definitely worth putting money into"

After a lengthy research on the internet, I am a bit puzzled as what remedial action to take regarding camsahft wear. I hear that engine flushing may clean out the oil passage ways and that it could improve the situation. The engine has been fed synthetic (Castrol 5W50) for almost two years now. Any advice regarding oilo additives? I have a bottle of Wynn's Metaloil lying around...

I'd love to hear your opinions on that matter :¬)

Thanks in advance,
Chris

BTW, I'm told that if the cams lobes are a bit worn, that the valves won't lift properly and the engine may not give its full performance, which could explain my slightly high fuel consumption. There is no carbon buildup (nor any other as a matter of fact) on the tailpipe.