How difficult is it to install cam yourself?
How difficult is it to install cam yourself? Hey guys! I have a 2001 Trans Am WS6 with lid, Jet Hot LTs and catted Y pipe and GMMG. I bought my hotcam kit and ASP pulley a while back but never got around to installing it because of warranty issues and time factor. Well I still have I think 2 years left of my extended warranty, but i'm thinking if I install my cam and springs myself, then if I really have a bad problem to where I need to use the warranty, then I know how to take it out and put it back to stock if need be.
Another issue i'm having is I installed LTs in april or so and I know the car needs to be tuned because its throwing an SES light. Emissions are coming up and although they just plug in and do the OBDII test and let you pass if you don't throw codes, I know that SES light will fail it, so I know I need to get it tuned pretty soon. So I kind of want to get a tune for the cam and headers rather than spend the same money for just tuning the headers.
So how hard is installing your own cam on an LS1? I store my car in the winter and I figure since winter is on its way and i'll have down time maybe I could try doing it then. So any opinions, help or advice on installing a hotcam kit on an LS1 would be appreciated! Thanks guys!
Another issue i'm having is I installed LTs in april or so and I know the car needs to be tuned because its throwing an SES light. Emissions are coming up and although they just plug in and do the OBDII test and let you pass if you don't throw codes, I know that SES light will fail it, so I know I need to get it tuned pretty soon. So I kind of want to get a tune for the cam and headers rather than spend the same money for just tuning the headers.
So how hard is installing your own cam on an LS1? I store my car in the winter and I figure since winter is on its way and i'll have down time maybe I could try doing it then. So any opinions, help or advice on installing a hotcam kit on an LS1 would be appreciated! Thanks guys!
Check out this site, excellent write-up on a cam swap (and other stuff).
http://www.ls1howto.com/
Also, do a search becasue there is so much info on this site.
http://www.ls1howto.com/
Also, do a search becasue there is so much info on this site.
Well, are you mechanically inclined? Do you pay attention to details? Can you follow graphical, as well as typed, intructions well? Read through JmX's cam install guide, which tomaSS provided a link to. That is most people's cam install bible. It will give you step by step instructions telling you exactly how to do exactly what it is you need to do, to swap cams out on these cars. Read throught that, and you will get a pretty good idea of what you're getting yourself into. The only person who will REALLY know whether you can handle this is you. Most people when they get done, say its not as rough as they thought it would be. Just gotta take your time and pay attention to details.
if your basically inclined mechanically, have all the proper tools, and the space and time to do it there is no reason i can think of on why a person couldnt complete a cam install with JMX's guide.
piece of cake man.you can do it.like said just read and follow jmx ls1 how to.mechanically inclined would be a big help.and when your done and it fires up youll be glad you did it yourself.good luck.
Originally Posted by Z28Venom
Not very hard at all. If you can read, you can do the install using JMX's guide.
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It's very doable for the average person if you follow the guide. Just make sure you understand everything before you start doing the install. Make sure and get a good valvespring compressor so that the job isn't such a chore.
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If you're doing it by yourself, you can use a regular spring compressor tool. It makes a 1 man job possible. It may be a tight fit under the cowl, but it will fit (I used it on mine).
Originally Posted by P Mack
It also depends if you're doing a timing chain & oil pump while you're in there. I thought that was the hardest part but that's just me.
Originally Posted by luv2spd
I agree. The oil pump oring can be a pita.
how bad is doing the oil pump? im about to do a cam in mine soon. what all should be done along with the cam. like oil pump, intake, things not related with the cam but would be good to get at and replace or upgrade. pcv system?
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I think some of you are going to far is saying how easy it is. You can't jsut pull some1 off the street, tell them how to use the tools, and say "read this and do it." Some things were a PITA for mine, but it wasn't too bad.... but again, it is an individual thing.
Here is a tip. When/If you are reinstalling the bolt back into the oil pump pickup tube, tie a peice of floss around it, and ancor it to something out of the way. Then, as you get it threaded in pretter well, take one of those long "fire starter" lighters and burn the little bit of floss that is tied to the bolt.
Be careful with that O-ring! or you will be kicking yourself.
Here is a tip. When/If you are reinstalling the bolt back into the oil pump pickup tube, tie a peice of floss around it, and ancor it to something out of the way. Then, as you get it threaded in pretter well, take one of those long "fire starter" lighters and burn the little bit of floss that is tied to the bolt.
Be careful with that O-ring! or you will be kicking yourself.
Oil pump is pretty tough because there's not much room to work in there. I didn't have too much trouble with the o-ring, but getting everything to line up just right took about 20 minutes and a lot of patience. Unfortunately, by the time I got around to installing the new pump, I was already pretty thin on patience. 
I did the bent paperclip trick on the bolt that holds the pickup tube to the pump, and it helped tremendously, but I still had a rag stuffed behind the area, just in case. Dropping the oil pan a couple inches was easy. Taking it off completely or fishing around in there with a magnet would not have been fun.
One thing I can't stress enough is using the right tools. I got stuck on my oil pump install because I didn't plan ahead well enough for the pulley re-install. Once Inspector12 came over and bailed my butt out, I only had about another hour worth of work. Save yourself the time, knuckles, swearing, and potential damage to the car by using the right tools.
-Mike
I did the bent paperclip trick on the bolt that holds the pickup tube to the pump, and it helped tremendously, but I still had a rag stuffed behind the area, just in case. Dropping the oil pan a couple inches was easy. Taking it off completely or fishing around in there with a magnet would not have been fun.One thing I can't stress enough is using the right tools. I got stuck on my oil pump install because I didn't plan ahead well enough for the pulley re-install. Once Inspector12 came over and bailed my butt out, I only had about another hour worth of work. Save yourself the time, knuckles, swearing, and potential damage to the car by using the right tools.
-Mike
Good point about having the right tools. I had the larry tool for the springs and metal rods w/ velcro to hold the lifters up and they worked great. I had a longer crank bolt to help pull the pulley on but i would have felt better with the stud & nut set up. I had to bend an old 10mm wrench to get at the oil pump pickup tube bolt.