LS1 cam replacement
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 198
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From: North Central Arkansas, Cave City
LS1 cam replacement Does the heads have to be removed to replace the cam in a LS1 ? I know if the lifters are replaced the heads have to come off but could you spin the engine upside down to get the lifters to back out of the way to install a cam. Also how do you adjust the valves?
Re: LS1 cam replacement I will wait for one of the more educated members to chime in on the procedure but the answer is yes it can be replaced without removing the heads. You can even do it in car so it is not necessary to turn the engine upside down.
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 377
Likes: 0
From: Anderson IN
Re: LS1 cam replacement You can change the cam in the car without taking the heads off. If you pull the valve covers to change the springs take the push rods out, then when you go to pull the stock cam spin it a couple of times and it locks the lifters in the factory keepers, and you can pull the old cam out without the lifters falling. I would put the new cam in as soon as possible just in case. I was really leary of doing this but it worked exactly the was it was supposed to. Hope this helps if you have any questions shoot me an e-mail ngarrett00@yahoo.com i just finished up a cam swap on my car last weekend. Good luck
Re: LS1 cam replacement about the valves, cake, 22ft lbs, rotate engine and make sure all are correct
(thinking of that camercial where the guy turns over his whole car to get to the oil drain bolt, lol, nope dont have to turn it upside down, j/k)
(thinking of that camercial where the guy turns over his whole car to get to the oil drain bolt, lol, nope dont have to turn it upside down, j/k)
Launching!
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 250
Likes: 0
From: Indiana
Re: LS1 cam replacement Also be careful when you turn the cam over prior to removal. On my car when I turned it over I could hear a lifter falling because the factory keeper wouldn't hold it. What I then did was put all the pushrods back in and turned it over a couple more times, checked to see which lifters were not staying up, then bought pen magnets and had some buddies hold the lifters up while I swapped cams. It was a painstaking process and at some points quite tense, but we got it done no problem. I guess my point is, keep a close eye on the lifters prior to removing your cam as the factory keepers don't always in all cases hold them up out of the way.
Just my $.02
Mike
Just my $.02
Mike
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 198
Likes: 0
From: North Central Arkansas, Cave City
Re: LS1 cam replacement
You can change the cam in the car without taking the heads off. If you pull the valve covers to change the springs take the push rods out, then when you go to pull the stock cam spin it a couple of times and it locks the lifters in the factory keepers, and you can pull the old cam out without the lifters falling. I would put the new cam in as soon as possible just in case. I was really leary of doing this but it worked exactly the was it was supposed to. Hope this helps if you have any questions shoot me an e-mail ngarrett00@yahoo.com i just finished up a cam swap on my car last weekend. Good luck
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Re: LS1 cam replacement
Also be careful when you turn the cam over prior to removal. On my car when I turned it over I could hear a lifter falling because the factory keeper wouldn't hold it. What I then did was put all the pushrods back in and turned it over a couple more times, checked to see which lifters were not staying up, then bought pen magnets and had some buddies hold the lifters up while I swapped cams. It was a painstaking process and at some points quite tense, but we got it done no problem. I guess my point is, keep a close eye on the lifters prior to removing your cam as the factory keepers don't always in all cases hold them up out of the way.
Just my $.02
Mike
Just my $.02
Mike
Re: LS1 cam replacement I am still not quite sure about valve adjustment, do I need to have the valve off of the lobe before I torque it? and does it matter how many turns it goes after there is no lash untill torque amount is reached?
