MAJOR Cam Install Screw-Up! Please Help!
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 3,043
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From: Texas and Qatar
Re: MAJOR Cam Install Screw-Up! Please Help! Don't do a compression test if you can't turn the engine over. All you need is to pressurize the cylinders with air and see which cylinders do not hold air. If your intake valves are bent on the cylinder you are testing you will hear air through your intake manifold and TB. If your exhaust valves are bent you'll hear air rushing out the exhaust.
You won't have to measure the leakdown amount, if there is allot of air escaping the cylinder with the rocker arms off, you'll know you have problems. Looks time for some Stage II heads to me, can't have someone pulling the heads off and put the stock ones back on!
You won't have to measure the leakdown amount, if there is allot of air escaping the cylinder with the rocker arms off, you'll know you have problems. Looks time for some Stage II heads to me, can't have someone pulling the heads off and put the stock ones back on!
Re: MAJOR Cam Install Screw-Up! Please Help! Damn man, any way you cut this it sucks. But you can always explain that it would cost you a hella $ to install the cam, and what you just saved can get you a set of Patriot Heads. Install them, then sell your heads! Bling the light will shine in her eyes again, and then yoru wife will happy too.
Good-luck.
Good-luck.
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 321
Likes: 0
From: Aurora IL
Re: MAJOR Cam Install Screw-Up! Please Help! just turning the motor over and bending valves will not really damage pistons in most cases. puttign air to the cyl with no rockers installed will tell yo uwhich valves are bent. if you have bent valves the heads have to come off anyway so you can verify the tops of the pistons are i ngood shape. if your turning the motor over with no rockers installed and it locks in a particular spot and your valves are bent the piston is probably catching the bent valve which will give you a clunk. hopefully your not using the starter to do this measurement... but by hand.. if bent valves are there.. might as well do a set of bolt on LS6's or ported LS1's you will spend about the same.. good luck!!
Wes
Wes
Re: MAJOR Cam Install Screw-Up! Please Help! One thing everyone needs to do before you pull the stock cam out is to go ahead and turn the crank until the dot to dot is lined up. This way the crank and chain is already to fit the new cam. By that I mean once you put the new cam in and line the dot to dot back up, the chain goes right on. This was the easiest part of the cam change for me. It also gives you a little confidence that eeverything is lined up. And don't forget to turn that motor over by hand before you crank it.
Sorry, I know this isn't going to help you, but maybe you will help someone not to make the same mistake you did.
Good luck and keep your chin up. I wonder if my wife would do the same. Probibly until she saw the repair bill. Then all hell would break loose.
Sorry, I know this isn't going to help you, but maybe you will help someone not to make the same mistake you did.
Good luck and keep your chin up. I wonder if my wife would do the same. Probibly until she saw the repair bill. Then all hell would break loose.
TECH Resident
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 929
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From: NC
Re: MAJOR Cam Install Screw-Up! Please Help! Definately dont turn the motor over anymore. Take all rockers off an pressurize the cylinders as stated above. If they hold air, your good to go. The straight edge across the tops of the valves is only good if the valve job is exact on every valve and I've seen way too many non perfect heads to rely on that. Pull the rockers and add psi. If you did bend a valve, you probably only indented the pistons very minimal.Good luck
TECH Addict
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 2,261
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Re: MAJOR Cam Install Screw-Up! Please Help!
In any event, my wife has been super so far. She knows this is my baby, and hasn't hounded me about the cost and time spent wrenching. I'll definitely be planning something special to let her know that I appreciate everything she's done (and not said )
joel(Bink)
I'm 48 -was married 22 years = credentials so to speak.
TECH Resident
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 996
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Re: MAJOR Cam Install Screw-Up! Please Help! I would say just pull the heads, and screw the leakdown test at this point. You know your valves are screwed up..
Also, I'm not sure if you can actually "hear" what valve is leaking (exh vs int) since our cylinders leak past the rings anyway...
When I did my cam swap, and I loaded each cylinder with air to keep the valves up I heard air rushing by in every cylinder. Others who have donw this have heard the same thing... So how can you check which valves are leaking when the pistons can't even hold air?!?!
Tommy
Also, I'm not sure if you can actually "hear" what valve is leaking (exh vs int) since our cylinders leak past the rings anyway...
When I did my cam swap, and I loaded each cylinder with air to keep the valves up I heard air rushing by in every cylinder. Others who have donw this have heard the same thing... So how can you check which valves are leaking when the pistons can't even hold air?!?!
Tommy
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