Broken intake cam. To buy or not to buy

[NOLB]

I have been trying to decide on buying a 91 318is. The intake cam is broken in half.
It comes with a new cam and I am very mechanically capable. But I'm not sure why it broke in the first place.
I don't want to buy it and have it break again. Any input would be awesome

[colin86325]

I would guess that the cam was installed incorrectly.  The cams are hollow and if you don't tighten all cam bearing caps gradually you can  end up with a snapped cam.

If this was the case and the engine was never run, then it probably is ok.  If the cam somehow broke during operation, then you have bigger issues...

[Warsteiner]

Why don't you ask the seller what happened? Ie.. Were they driving when it happened? Did they do any maintenance that required removing the cam?

Just a thought....that may get you a little closer to the answer and since you're mechanically inclined you can read through their you know what!!

Good luck!!


Cheers,
~Ralph