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Thin Layer Activation (TLA), a radionuclide technique, was recently applied at the Research Center of ELF Solaize, France, to perform on-line monitoring of wear on diesel car engines. Measurements aimed at better understanding how wear develops on cam lobes as a function of various parameters such as lubricant formulation, soot concentration, and oil aging. The engine itself (passenger car diesel engine) was operated under severe steady state conditions (speed, torque, oil temperature and smoke) and on-line measurements were performed by applying two independent methods: direct measurement of material loss from cam lobes (inlet and exhaust valves) and concentration measurement of worn debris in oil or in the oil filter. These methods have proved to be very repeatable and absolute wear values given by TLA were consistent with those measured by profilometry.