First time cam changer... help please!
Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 280
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From: North Royalton, Ohio
First time cam changer... help please! I am at the stage of installing my new cam where I am removing the stock cam. I turned over the cam several times to push the lifters up into the trays. My question is this..... should I be able to hear anything at all while rotating the cam? I know lifters will click and I am hearing a very very faint sound, not quite a click, when I turn the cam over. I am not using the magnet method and I am terrified that I am going to hear a lifter fall as I pull the cam out.
Just to test, I replaced all of the stock pushrods and turned the cam. None of them moved at all, which I took as a good sign. Any input from those of you who have done this before would be MUCH appreciated. Thanks!
Just to test, I replaced all of the stock pushrods and turned the cam. None of them moved at all, which I took as a good sign. Any input from those of you who have done this before would be MUCH appreciated. Thanks!
TECH Veteran
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 4,055
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From: Hartsdale, NY
Re: First time cam changer... help please! I suppose you could take the lifters out but that would be a pain....
It should work fine, however. Just don;t leave the cam out too long...since the lifters could fall if left along time...
It should work fine, however. Just don;t leave the cam out too long...since the lifters could fall if left along time...
Staging Lane
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 76
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From: Mckinney, TX (north north Dallas)
Re: First time cam changer... help please! I'm not an expert, but I'll relay my story....
I'm rebuilding my engine. I've had it out of the car for a couple of months now (not a lot of time to work on it, and it's my first time, so I'm taking things really slow to make sure I do them right). I had it on an engine craddle since I pulled it until a couple of weeks ago. I had everything off the engine except for the bottom end (pistons and crank) and the lifters and the trays. Before I took the lifters and trays out, I wasn't sure what they were (I feel like an idiot for saying that now). I had spun the crank while the cam was still in a few times (just to see the pistons move really, it takes so little some times
).
Anyway, I had the lifters in the trays for about a week with the block sitting on the craddle and they never fell, until I went to take the trays out, and found out what they were. Then, as they started to fall, I realized how lucky I was to be in the situation of taking the engine apart anyway. I dropped 2 into the crank area before I realized what I was doing and had to spin the crank a little more to get them to drop out of the bottom.
I don't know how well the tarys are supposed to hold them in, but they didn't once I started pulling the trays out. But, they did stay in there for a solid week with no cam in the block....
<small>[ November 06, 2002, 02:25 PM: Message edited by: LeadFoot2 ]</small>
I'm rebuilding my engine. I've had it out of the car for a couple of months now (not a lot of time to work on it, and it's my first time, so I'm taking things really slow to make sure I do them right). I had it on an engine craddle since I pulled it until a couple of weeks ago. I had everything off the engine except for the bottom end (pistons and crank) and the lifters and the trays. Before I took the lifters and trays out, I wasn't sure what they were (I feel like an idiot for saying that now). I had spun the crank while the cam was still in a few times (just to see the pistons move really, it takes so little some times
).Anyway, I had the lifters in the trays for about a week with the block sitting on the craddle and they never fell, until I went to take the trays out, and found out what they were. Then, as they started to fall, I realized how lucky I was to be in the situation of taking the engine apart anyway. I dropped 2 into the crank area before I realized what I was doing and had to spin the crank a little more to get them to drop out of the bottom.
I don't know how well the tarys are supposed to hold them in, but they didn't once I started pulling the trays out. But, they did stay in there for a solid week with no cam in the block....
<small>[ November 06, 2002, 02:25 PM: Message edited by: LeadFoot2 ]</small>
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 392
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From: Williamsburg, VA
Re: First time cam changer... help please! If you insist on not using magnets, at least use a pushrod to check the friction of the plastic holders. Push the lifters, one by one, back down onto the cam. If you find any that are too loose for comfort, use a magnet to save mucho grief.
TECH Junkie
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 3,604
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From: Los Angeles
Re: First time cam changer... help please! You are playing russian roulette without 16 pen magnets.
FWIW, the newer cars 2001+ seem to have better lifter holders. If you have a pre 2001, I'd get magnets for sure.
FWIW, the newer cars 2001+ seem to have better lifter holders. If you have a pre 2001, I'd get magnets for sure.
Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 280
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From: North Royalton, Ohio
Re: First time cam changer... help please! </font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Brother J:
<strong>If you insist on not using magnets, at least use a pushrod to check the friction of the plastic holders. Push the lifters, one by one, back down onto the cam. If you find any that are too loose for comfort, use a magnet to save mucho grief.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I went ahead and risked it after testing with the pushrods several times. Lifters stayed up with no problems. They were still up the next day when I installed the pushrods. Thanks for the replies.
Just for the record: cam is a Comp XE 218/.563/114+4. I am pretty pleased with it. Nice power increase, no SES lights, no drilling TB, stalling or surging. Just nice streetable power and torque, a burbly exhaust note and it pulls like hell to the rev limiter. This should be a good "old man cam" for those who are more conservative. No dyno numbers yet, but I will be sure to post when I get some.
<strong>If you insist on not using magnets, at least use a pushrod to check the friction of the plastic holders. Push the lifters, one by one, back down onto the cam. If you find any that are too loose for comfort, use a magnet to save mucho grief.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I went ahead and risked it after testing with the pushrods several times. Lifters stayed up with no problems. They were still up the next day when I installed the pushrods. Thanks for the replies.
Just for the record: cam is a Comp XE 218/.563/114+4. I am pretty pleased with it. Nice power increase, no SES lights, no drilling TB, stalling or surging. Just nice streetable power and torque, a burbly exhaust note and it pulls like hell to the rev limiter. This should be a good "old man cam" for those who are more conservative. No dyno numbers yet, but I will be sure to post when I get some.
