Thanks Metalguy. This is beginning to make sense to me. Aluminum Oxide is indeed very hard and the conditions of heat and aerated oil would cause the reaction on the aluminum bearings. Back in the 1950s GE introduced aluminum shells for steam turbines that had steel shafts. They devised the...
Rod, that is very helpful information. The Honda spec is .001 to .0015" clearance as you suggested. I find the fact it curious the steel shaft has damage given the aluminum is much softer. The damage is over about 1/3 of the shaft approximately opposite the cam lobe, i.e. in the thrust...
I am restoring a 1968 Honda DOHC motorcycle that has aluminum journals for the steel camshafts. The journal i.d. is 22mm. I am thinking about hard-chroming the male part of the new camshafts, and polishing the aluminum journal bearing. The original design is problematic and has produced an...
