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Old Aug 27, 2014 | 08:13 PM
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Okay. Im a 22 year old college student with a 2002 z28 A4. It is stock with 90 thousand miles. I discovered a lifter tap so was playing on replacing them soon but I think my cam lobes are bad. Instead of putting a stock one back in is there any cam that I can use with out putting a stall. I know a stall should be my first mod but I don't have money for a stall and a trans cooler as i can barely afford this lifter swap!! If not, where can I find a stock replacement cam for my car? ?
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Old Aug 27, 2014 | 10:33 PM
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From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
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Any cam beyond stock will require custom tuning to keep OEM driveability, especially with an A4 since they have a lower stock idle speed and more tuning related variables at idle due to P/N vs. in gear. Even a mild LS6 cam will not idle OEM-perfect with stock tuning, though it might be livable depending on how picky you are. Back before custom tuning was available, we used to have a few tricks to get a cammed LS1 to idle with stock tuning, this usually involved either adjustment of the idle set screw and/or enlarging of the air passage hole in the throttle body blade. There are often downsides to doing this type of rigging though, such as idle hang and cruise control effect. All of these issues are generally amplified with an A4 car.

Point being, if you want to do a cam swap to something other than stock, you should add some custom tuning to your budget (at the very least a mail order tune, which could get you pretty close if you pick a very mild cam). If you need to do this as cheaply as possible and don't want any issues or hassles with idle/driveability, then I would suggest getting another stock cam.

You have an '02 LS1, so it uses the LQ4/9 truck cam stock, as do all '01+ LS1s. So any LS1 cam from any model 2001 or newer would work. 2000 and earlier LS1s used a slightly different cam.
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Old Aug 28, 2014 | 05:22 AM
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i ran an ls6 cam without a stall and it was fine. it wasnt the fastest but after a tune it 1/4ed decently.

a stock cam shouldnt be hard to find if you search online or even call a dealer in your area.
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Old Aug 28, 2014 | 07:16 AM
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Originally Posted by ULTIMATEORANGESS
i ran an ls6 cam without a stall and it was fine. it wasnt the fastest but after a tune it 1/4ed decently.

a stock cam shouldnt be hard to find if you search online or even call a dealer in your area.
How did your ls6 cam run without a stall n and tune
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Old Aug 28, 2014 | 02:13 PM
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Originally Posted by black_ 35th_z28
Okay. Im a 22 year old college student with a 2002 z28 A4. It is stock with 90 thousand miles. I discovered a lifter tap so was playing on replacing them soon but I think my cam lobes are bad. Instead of putting a stock one back in is there any cam that I can use with out putting a stall. I know a stall should be my first mod but I don't have money for a stall and a trans cooler as i can barely afford this lifter swap!! If not, where can I find a stock replacement cam for my car? ?
These motors are somewhat known for valvetrain noises and piston slap, is there anything other than the ticking noise to make you think the cam has gone bad. Also is the noise constant or does it go away after the motors warmed up, if it goes away I'd just ignore it. If it's constant maybe try a slightly thicker oil like a 5w40, that may be all it takes to quite it down.
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Old Aug 28, 2014 | 03:33 PM
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I agree with Fry--unlikely that you have a bad cam so really run that issue to ground before you start pulling the cam.

If you do have a top-end problem and want to get things going on a budget, I happen to have a stock cam, springs, pushrods from a 2000 Corvette w/ 40K miles. It's supposedly the "hottest" of the LS1 cams but still extremely close to the other LS1 pieces so should not need a tune and works with all the factory components. Can work a deal on it if you want it. I was going to put it into my 5.3 as a budget upgrade but found a good deal on a complete LS2 so all kinds of parts I don't need now. Also have a set of 12K mile 853(LS1) heads that are 12K mile takeoffs and immaculate and complete with springs, etc.

Good Luck!
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Old Aug 28, 2014 | 03:59 PM
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Originally Posted by black_ 35th_z28
How did your ls6 cam run without a stall n and tune
i ran consistent high 12s with a stock,stall,manifolds and gears. it did need a tune though.

it was an ok cam but if youre not going install it you need to decide if its worth paying someone.
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