GENIIIDude

Long story short is that my mom's 2007 SS Monte Carlo LS4 starting running like crap @ 65K. I did a compression test and found a cylinder with 0 compression. Removed the valve covers and turned over to see if the rocker arms for that cylinder were working, the intake was not moving. So - I removed the heads and found a bad DOD lifter. The lifter and cam have some slight scarring, enough to make me uneasy about not replacing them.

Here's the question - I'm going to remove the DOD completely - new oil pump, valley cover, lifters and cam, and remove it from the PCM (I own HPTuners so that's the easiest part). For the cam I want to leave it as close to stock as I can so I contacted a buddy at the local GM dealer to see if they made a non-DOD cam. He told me for that car and engine they were all DOD?!

So - I'm stuck - Should I throw in a stock LS2 cam (204/211 @ .50 .525/.525 117.5 lobe sep and just tune it or a stock LQ9 Cam 196/207 @ .50 .467/.470 with 116 lobe sep? I know I could have custom ground to match the stocker, but why? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as I'm gathering parts to get this car of my driveway!

x11 nut

iTrader: (3)

If your tuning out DOD, you could just use all regular lifters with a stock cam and not have to tune. You'll be using all regular lifters with any cam you swap to.

Other wise, what do you want for performance ??

GENIIIDude

I don't want to get crazy at all - a little more performance would be nice though. This is a DD for my mother, lead foot and all, and I'm thinking that a bigger cam would need more supporting bolt on's to take full advantage of it - LS6 intake, headers etc...

I've heard that some people have had problems running the DOD cam with the DOD delete, is this true?

LS1 Racing

iTrader: (15)

^^ This is true. A larger custom cam with a stock LS4 intake and exhaust is a waste of money. Of course, you could contact Patrick G and have him spec something out that would work better with the restrictive stock intake and exhaust. My guess is, you'll wind up with something with a lot of intake duration to make up for the crappy manifold.

Of the shelf, the LS2 cam would probably give you some decent punch, as a would a first-design LS6 cam.

91parkave

iTrader: (4)

Car craft did a Dyno shootout with all LS cams for LS2 cam performed all around best way ahead of the ls6 cam

GENIIIDude

Did they test it in a LS4?

91parkave

iTrader: (4)

It was a stock truck 5.3

GENIIIDude

Well - I've decided to go with the LS2 cam, that is if the motor is a 1 bolt cam! I've got to look tomorrow to see if it is.

91parkave

iTrader: (4)

since youre a 07 i think you guys are 3bolt
quoted from car craft:

LS2 vs. LM7
The odd thing about the LS2 test was that this was the only factory cam with which we experienced valve float. Unlike all the other cams, the LS2 did not rev cleanly to 6,500 rpm, so we limited the peak power difference to 6,200 rpm. The LS2 cam impressed with its power production, offering more than 400 hp (peak of 403 hp) and just less than 400 lb-ft (399 lb-ft). Despite a jump of 14 degrees in intake duration over the LM7 cam, the LS2 offered more than 21 inches of vacuum and lost out to the smaller cam only below 3,000 rpm.

Engine Designation: LS2

Displacement 6.0L
Lift 0.525/0.525
Duration 204/211 degrees
LSA 116 degrees
Idle vacuum 21.1 in-Hg
Cranking Compression 175 psi
Peak Power 403 at 6,100 rpm
Peak Torque 399 at 4,900 rpm
Average HP 305
Average TQ 370
HP/TQ Gains (Over LM7 cam) at 2,500 -18 lb-ft
3,500 0
4,500 0
5,500 +46 lb-ft (48 hp)
6,200 +67 lb-ft (78 hp)


Read more: http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles...#ixzz2l94oF4lJ

GENIIIDude

Thanks for the read - If I do have a 3 bolt cam then the LS2 is out. After reading the article I'm impressed with the LQ9 more, and I happen to have one from an 05'.

RS/SS 4.8

iTrader: (11)

Wasnt the ls2 cam a 3 bolt or is there also a 1 bolt version?

GENIIIDude

I had one a few years back to go into my 6.0l truck motor - it was a single bolt so I sold it - to my understanding all the LS2's were single bolt, but I could be wrong

GENIIIDude

Just found this

http://www.lingenfelter.com/mm5/merc...6#.Uowg89jn9wU

So there must be both versions....

GENIIIDude

So - I actually found an LS2 cam locally, but I'm still thinking that without changing the intake I'm wasting my time. On the other hand my only other option (without buying a new one) is running the LQ9 cam I have. What do you all think?

LS1 Racing

iTrader: (15)

I agree. The stock intake makes any serious cam upgrade a waste of time, so I would use the 6 liter cam you already have. (LQ4 and LQ9 have the same cam!)

91parkave

iTrader: (4)

Or you could knock out the can so when you get the intake the hard work will have already been done plus you will have eliminated a huge weak spot the dod valvetrain

tonypaul

iTrader: (2)

Your kinda on the right track without getting rid of the ls4 intake your not going to be gaining anything. But the important thing to remember is your fixing the problem of the failed DoD. Even if you changed to a bigger cam now the car is still going to run, you wont be gaining nothing but the car will be back on the road.

You can change the cam now and get it running then be on the look out for a LS6 intake/ TB and swap that in later to get the gains..

GENIIIDude

True - I think I'll just put in the LS2 cam and do the intake later....

GENIIIDude

Getting rid of DoD - I have all the parts and ready to install - I have one question though, I'm reusing the stock LS4 DoD valley cover so I assume that all I need to do is remove all of the DoD parts from it and plug the oil passage that feeds it oil. Is this correct?