Hi - I did an LS1 cam swap, then heard that using locktite on the cam retention plate bolts and the oil pickup tube to pump bolt is necessary. Can anyone veryfy for me that I should tear it down and loktite those bolts? If so, when i'm done slapping myself, is there some special locktite for the aluminum block use? Thanx in advance for your help! DK

 

I didnt use locktite on the cam retainer plate. Never have.

 

If the bolts are adequately/properly torqued, I don't think thread locking compound (blue Locktite would be appropriate for these bolts) is required. Neither of these parts are under a lot of stress and vibration. I've done it both ways.

Unless you have reason to believe that you've made a mistake on the torque, I sure wouldn't take the front cover off at this point in time. On the oil pickup tube, there is no good way to torque the bolt except by feel with the engine installed. If you tightened this bolt snug plus a smidgen more, it should be OK. I believe that the torque spec for the retainer plate is 18 pound feet.

Steve

 

Thanx for the reply! I actually had the pan off and modified the pickup tube to match the modified oil pan. I did torque all the mentioned bolts to the correct spec that you stated - 18 lb/ft for cam retainer and 106 lb/in for the pickup to pump bolt. I really dont want to open it up again if its not necessary!!! Thanx again.....DK

 

gm says nothing about it. so we don't ever use it on any of our installs.

 

Appreciate the feedback guys....sounds like it is low risk to let her go!!! Hope to get it running in the next few weeks!
Thanx DK

 

I used it, LS1howto.com says use the red.

 

I used loctite that thad gone bad on the cam bolts that hold the sprocket on. A week later, my tach stopped working and i threw a cam sensor high signal code. When I tore her down, the cam bolts had loosened and teh cam had walked backwards almost a quarter inch. I then used new loctite and torqued it down again, and it held fine. If you do have a problem with the bolts loosening, youll know when the tach stops working.

 

Now there's a great tip. I'd be willing to bet that it's not included on the GM manual Tach Inop troubleshooting flowchart.

 

Loctite is optional on 95% of bolts anywhere on the car. It's more of a piece of mind thing. However, there are some places where loctite should be used (pressure plate bolts).

 

Yep, I noticed that my bottle of "Blue Loctite" had kind of separated so I replaced it, I'm sure most of the chemicals we use in assembly have some sort of shelf life.......when in doubt replace it. And it goes without saying that all threaded surfaces are supposed to be free from dirt, oil and old loctite or the new won't work as designed.