Back To Basics: LS Cam Swap
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- Опубліковано 13 вер 2024
- Ever wondered how to install an aftermarket camshaft into a GM LS motor? In this newest installment from Back To Basics, host Richard Holdener takes us through every critical step of the process not only for beginners but also for skilled enthusiast wanting to get back to basics.
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"Put it in nice and easy... clank clank clank."
cringed all the way
😂
I thought this guy was going to snap a cam lobe😬
Said his boyfriend....
always spin the engine over twice after u have the timing set in place to 100% verify that you are in mechanical time and the dots line back up
Great tip
Have you guys ever seen the 2 dots suddenly not align after turning the engine? I'm just trying to understand how they wouldn't align after the chain is tensioned and bolted. Obviously easy to check, just curious
Only if number one cylinder wasn't at top dead center when you started. Make sure something weird didn't happen before you start like your keyway broke or your crank gear is off or something like that
Imagine getting it spot on dot to dot, putting on the timing cover and then finding out later on you are off 1 tooth. Would be pretty unlucky
Don't Look at your cam bearings or they will be bad. If you don't look at them, they are Fine!
Shrodinger's bearing
I looked =(
lmfao
Pro tip: When removing the cam even if you are rough with it be sure not to look at your cam bearings. If you do look at them, then they'll be bad.
Hail Happel
Engine building 101.
"Believe me, it's gonna work!"
"Why?"
""Because I said so!"
Pretty good vid.I gave it a thumbs up for sure, lots of useful info, sped up in the right places, details and torque specs. Very good info. The lifter rods are a must, (ask the guy who had one slide out and drop into the bottom end...), things I'd like to add to the video for those about to do a swap.
1.When installing and removing the cam, take more care and time, I heard a lot of clanking and cringed as he was sliding the new one in.
2. Change the timing chain damper to an LS2 style, yes the chain will have some slack, also swap to a C5R chain
3. Should use a new cam retainer plate
4. Loctite on the cam bolts
5. RTV in the bottom corners of the timing cover where the oil pan meets up
6. Press the damper on with some threaded rod or a bolt and use a nut with some washers to do the pressing.
7. Buy an ARP damper bolt, reusable and torque to 250ft lbs
Very good info!!
I’ll inform my mechanic 👨🔧 those tips when I get my cam swapped
I just spotted a Harborfreight socket from a 1000 miles away!
LMFAO I did too!!! Purple 10mm hahahah
I’ve been using my harbor freight impacts on a daily basis for three years. Nothing wrong with it
I got the same set is great for the do it yourshelfer.
If it works it works.
Those 10mm sockets tend to get pricey the more you have to replace them
Lmao tried to be slick sliding a paper clip into the chain tensioner, love it!😂
Man, where have these videos been all my life lol
Richard is great as usual and BTW I dig the NIN sound alike music.
The crate engine has new gasket and re-use of some would not be a problem, but I have to point out the camshaft plates fitted O-ring potential problem effecting oil pressure. This seals the two oil galleries and allows for crossover on the front & back. The gallery on the oil filter side (Left in drivers seat) supplies both the left bank of lifter but also the cam, main & rod bearings in that order. Oil in the right side provides lifter oil only, but circulated to either side at both ends of this engine.
While a fuss is made about the pickup tube sucking air, then using higher volume pumps, plus the dirty oil bypassing the OEM plastic bar-bell are all valid concerns. Many reuse this one gasket on high mileage (Or Less) during a camshaft upgrade. I just want folks to know this $5 part is just as important as checking the timing marks. Even a small leak here could ruin anyone’s day if at temp oil pressure at idle drops to nothing. I never see anyone point this out when both galleries get dowels installed, to keep the lifter up in case the trays don’t hold during a cam service. I would have used more than a squirt of oil on the cam and discuss proper new cam break-in a little. I am sure it’s getting pre-lubed but still not mentioned. Just a thought!
Great, now Im going to have to listen to the entire Nine Inch Nails back catalogue again while playing Car Mechanic Simulator 2018
Camera angles and music it was all good!!!
great video, BUT, you forget to mention one important thing :
cam and spring match.
oem springs are known to fail and break if left unchanged when swaping the cam for a"performance cam". You should explained this in your video. If you're lucky, the broken spring will retain the valve from dropping too far down and hit the piston.
Perhaps the main question should be when does it become criticial to match the springs to the specs of the cam ?
a very mild cam upgrade matched to oem springs may work. i speak of experience as i bought a ls powered car that did not have spring upgraded when the previous owner replaced/upgraded the cam, so the oem springs did not last and 1 broke. Sorry perhaps it is already mentioned and discussed further below.
Fire bird
But he didn’t say what the cam specs were or what that series engine springs were rated
always upgrade springs when you do a cam. its a no brainer
What would be the best way to match valve train to a cam the amount of lift and duration to what a lighter is able to sustain? Or the spring? I'm trying to learn more about the supporting stuff. I'm a ways away from choosing a can but would definitely like to know more!
For a cam swap is tuning required?
@@_Boxcar_ I'd say absolutely to get the most benefit of the swap . If replacing a DOD cam then it is absolutely a must also the lifters need to be replaced etc VLOM and on and on to get it to be dependable and work correctly . Why I will never own another GM product . If I want a race car or a dependable car with no ' hidden ' issues I assume when I purchase it it is what I'm buying not a platform that was proven to fail back in the eighties . So like I said as did Ross Perrot . . .no more GM for me.
Is cool to see the tools i designed so long ago at JPR in use over the wooden dowels method. You guys should show the pushrod pre load checks with that video since it is critical to lifter life.
Thanks for watching and for the insight, Tommy!
You guys on youtube always make this stuff seem soo simple and easy! Hahaha nice video guys
Should you not put loctite on the cam bolts and an RTV sealant on the bottom of the timing cover?
Really good vid guys. So clear and easy to follow. Five star rating
It's easy to install an aftermarket cam an LS engine.
Watch the whole process here.
COMP Cams I didn't see him degree the camshaft when he installed the new cam. Is this something that is not necessary?
I could use that stock cam for my rebuild
you cant degree a cam with a non adjustable timing set. They do sell adjustable timing sets for LS though, but this wasnt one of them.
Forgot about changing the springs guess stock springs will hold up lol
Super easy out of a vehicle
Pretty easy in also.
Very much so. I can swap heads and set lash all in about 30 mins on the engine cart. I think they should do this demonstration in a C6. Yup, just yank that fucker right out... Oh wait.
A great video series. Thanks for the uploads
Thanks for watching - glad you like them!
Doing an AFM delete on a 114K mile LS3 using a new cam and lifters. Obviously heads need to come off to access the lifters. But this is still a great view, especially for putting the front of the motor back together. Thanks.
Steven Redman LS3 doesn't have AFM
I have a comp cam in my ls3 224/230@115lsa very fun cam with a 3200 stall. Good job guys
Thanks for watching and being a customer! We greatly appreciate it.
oh this doesn't look so...[looks at my cramped engine bay] NOPE
4th gen camaro engine bay................. FUUUUUUUUUU
Lmao 😂 if you've seen the trucks you could do it in your driveway easily. I have a 04 2500hd with the LQ4 (iron block ls2 with slightly different heads) and I just have to pull off the radiator and I can swap my cam (which I'm doing soon) and pretty much anything I want lol I can put my arm down through past the manifolds without getting burnt. It's great
@@Marathon13240 same with my 97x. Gonna be doing a nice 5.3 cam swap after the summer!
C6 ls3 bay is so roomy once i pulled out the air intake for install.
Cris Bronson lol
Great video, looking forward to more!
+yomotha ga Thanks so much! Glad you liked it.
@@Compcams1976 Do you have to install new push rods when swapping out a LY6 cam for a SS2 cam if so do you know the length of the new rods?
Why take the spring pressure off the rocker arms?
What oil do you use for the cam shaft install? I have seen people even use grease? Thanks
Great video just wanted to ask why you removed the spark plugs?
Thank you @compcams @richardholdener! Great Vid! What do you guys recommend cleaning the cam with before install?
great video and cool tools.
+D.C. Cole Thanks so much, glad you liked it!
So what comp cams part number are those lifter retainers and timing pin??
Did anyone check valve to piston clearance?
Plenty of shelf cams where that is not an issue.
Where do I get those Lifter rods/retainer Tool?
Music 10/10
Thanks!
Nine Inch Nails makes good stuff!
another nice video Richard
False... give the harmonic balancer bolt 5-6 nugga duggas after you pull in the balancer and you'll be fine.
With the history of stock balancer failures on LS engines, I went with an aftermarket balancer = $300. Also, did a valvetrain upgrade with springs, trunnions, seals, pushrods. All good insurance for the added lift stress. Cost a few hundred bucks more, but don't want to risk failure of any of those components since a new engine is a lot more expensive than those components.
Sloppy calls it giving a couple extra brrraappss.
I wonder if the guys at comp cams lose their 10mm
Yes, yes we do.
Dude, I've lost a 10mm bolt!
Boy that can sounds great!
Great thanks, great video series keep them coming
Glad you liked it - thanks for watching!
I’m sure google reads my mind I’m doin a sloppy stage2 into my new truck block and this pops up.
Use a cam with better lopes. CM or BTR.
Did you have to switch out the push rods?
ABOlsen80X it’s just entry level turbo deal I’m just copying sloppy mechanics recipe basically.
Bill Brown I did however you don’t need to stock ones did measure up fine.
Kiwi Boosted Garage thank you for your reply. I ended up buying some stronger ones but same size.
Since the engine was on a stand he could of rotated the engine upside down during the camshaft removal and installation process gravity will keep the lifters in their guides!!
Ok dumbass.... Are you going to be able to do that when you engine is your car/TRUCK.... You going to flip your truck or car upside down?!? dumbass.... INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO!
Gatorsrok I really hope you’re having a better day today than you had when you made this comment man.
Gatorsrok this comment made me lol
@@betosgarage You're welcome ;)
Gatorsrok 😂😂that’s a good idear. We could build a rotisserie that hooks to the front n rear bumpers and rotate the car 180 degrees just to put a cam in .Need to have some hooks so u could hook bungy cords to a diaper so all the oil doesn’t run all over the fucking floor.
Why did you have to remove the spark plugs? Cylinder pressure?
chbrules yea it relieves cylinder pressure so it's a lot easier to turn the motor over by hand to do what you need to do
@@aaronpeople101 Will this work with the motor installed in the vehicle ? (Manual Trans)
I can count all the benefits of this motor on one pinky.
lol
Very informative video.
You forgot to put sealant on the mating surfaces between where the oil pan & timing cover gaskets meet.
I just fitted new lifters into a stock LS1 engine with a tune done on it, it is one Holden ordered with the 99-00 Camaro cam installed except it doesn't run an EGR valve,it is the most aggressive stock camshaft besides the LS6 can that GM fitted.
My point is that engine fires over much easier now as if it's got more compression,it had sticking lifters which were holding the valves open so I might be very happy with its performance in its current form.
Some people may just think I'm driving a Skyline now because it runs that smooth.
I do have to take the oil pan off this weekend & aluminum braze it because it has a slight fracture in the front right hand corner causing the engine to leak slightly,I'll see if I get the job finished by Sunday.
cool story bro
What mileage do you check the lifters for wear when installing a new camshaft
Sorry if this is a "rookie question" but i'm wondering if a LS9 cam would work in a 5.3 LM7? This is my first LS build and the engine will run about 10 PSI of boost from a turbo. If it will work what else would I need? ie: valve springs, lifters, pushrods, rocker arms ect. If not what would be a good cam to look into that wouldn't break the bank? (LS6 cam is unfortunately not an option for me) Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Lol you jacked the soundtrack from The Social Network
After re-installing the cam retaining plate, how did you know if the cam was in the right position for top dead center when you put the cam sprocket back on? Everything is very clear to me, except for that part. My knowledge is limited in this area, but isn't it important to have the new cam in the same position as the old one after install?
yes it is important to match it with TDC to avoid misalignment and damaging the valves/pistons.
what they did was to bring the engine to TDC before removing the old cam, and after installing the new one they attached the sprocket on the cam without the chain to verify it's orientation by examining the timing markers.
always double and triple check before finalizing your install.
hope this clears it up for you.
When should you consider upgrading the springs? Thought most aftermarket Cams should get upgraded springs on the LS
+355N2Oz28 It really depends on the specific camshaft being
used, but you are correct that most performance cams do require a valve spring upgrade as well. Our LS valve spring tool makes the job
much easier. You can check out a video here: ua-cam.com/video/gJ792qJwCpQ/v-deo.html
Thanks!
Don't all those bolts on the front of the motor like cam retainer bolts and sprocket bolts get blue lock tite?
My son has a 99 Sierra with a 5.3 with 180k mikes. I know the old design small blocks but haven't had to work on an LS. The seem very simple. My question is 180k too many miles to be hammering on? I wouldn't even ask the question about the old design because those rarely even saw 180k without a rebuild. This one still has great oil pressure, good compression and no smoke. Just not sure it would be worth doing or not.
You have a few things to consider here. You'll need to change the springs, lifters. You'll find about half of or more of your pushrods are worn into the rockers. After rectifying that you'll want to get a converter to make this all work. Weight of the truck, converter, gears and transmission are all factors in choosing the proper camshaft.
Put some tension on the tensioner..can you feel the tension?
Do I need new push rods and springs if I'm swapping a SS2 cam in a LY6 engine?
Nice
is it the same sequence to torque the balancer bolt on a ls1? get the balancer started then using the old bolt to fully seat it and torque new bolt to 255ft lbs? except ill b using an arp bolt..
I'm installing the XER273hr-14 cam, do I need to degree the cam?
Do you recommend red loctiting the three cam/cam sprocket bolts?
never use red loctite. You'll have to use an air chisel to take them out. I use blue on mine and have never had issues getting them backed out. Also if you have the cover that uses torx head bolts only torque it to 11 lb ft. If you have the hex hed bolts torque them to 18 lb ft.
Good luck Zack. Also, I have a pretty detailed video that shows my cam swap that goes into some things that others didn't cover if you are interested in checking it out. It also has dyno results!
ua-cam.com/video/E0De1c0XwmQ/v-deo.html
@@JeffLyle No air chisel required. Just a little heat from propane torch and ANY color loctite becomes un-loctite!!
@@milojanis4901 haha very true... heat will melt all loctite. Just be careful with heat on internal engine components... overheating can impair the strength of bolts and other parts.
i nned further details on installing a cam i needed questions answers if you dont mind.
Is there a reason to not take the oilpump off? It looked simple enough without taking it off , but just wandering?
Also I don't feel too cheap using HarborFreight ratchet sets after watching this.
im wondering as well. Remove oil pump or not?
Would i need a dyno tune after cam install?
Where you guys located, I want a cam installed in my 2010 ss L99
Missed a few steps; check pushrod length, degree camshaft....
Great vid, but there's one major thing missing: before and after dyno pulls of this motor.
Check out some of the other videos on our channel, we have PLENTY of LS content ;)
Why not degree the camshaft?
I just did my valve stem seals today... That is much easier to do when not under a hood. Probly would have saved a lot of cursing.
What about dialing in the cam ? I have a 217/227 113 cam do you suggest dialing in or is dot to dot fine for the average guy in his garage ?
Dot to dot is fine for most mild cams/setups. Thank you.
When you delete the AFM and VVT what do you do about the wiring harness that went to the front timing cover and the harness that goes to the valley pan? If you leave these unplugged will it cause a trouble code? And do you have to replace the timing cover and valley pan? Its a 2012 Chevy with AFM and VVT.
+strayufo Yes, it will cause a trouble code. The factory PCM will require a custom tune to turn the codes off. The valley cover has to be replaced if deleting AFM and the the timing cover will need to be replaced if deleting VVT. Typically, the unused connectors are just left to hang loose in the engine compartment. Hope this answers your questions, thanks!
I had to buy a kit to have the afm and vvt removed, the valley cover needs to be replaced also the timing cover and lifters.
www.texas-speed.com/p-7379-dod-afm-delete-kit-for-536062-engines.aspx
cam i install my cam with the heads off the engine block?
When I replaced my cam in my 4.8 it affected my vacuum.. whats a good product to use a vacuum pump or just ad a canister??
Add a hoover
What throttle body and intake does this have?
What the name of the specific tool you guys used to hold the lifters up? Im interested
Unfortunately we don't make these tools and are not sure where the ones in the video came from. However, we have seen people use 5/16" wooden dowel rods from a home improvement store to do the same thing. Aluminum could be also be used. Thanks for watching!
Now you can sell the old cam 😂😂😂
At 3:43 the cam bolts were allen key, at the 4:30 mark they are 10mm.....
He mentioned that he would take a look at another motor with the oil pump removed to better show how the marks line up for TDC.
I love America
What is the tool called your using to keep the lifters falling? And is it the same process for a 5.3?
+PinkRibbonRider The tool is a lifter retaining tool but we don't know who makes it unfortunately. Aluminum or steel rods from Lowe's or Home Depot can be used in place of the tools--use 1/4 or 5/16th rods that are around 24 inches in length to hold up the lifters after rotating the cam to push them up into the lifter trays.
The process is the same for any LS, including the 5.3. Hope this helps!
This guy used an impact on a dampener remover!?!?!?!
So no need to degree the cam? Some people I see do and others don’t. I guess it’s just insurance everything is ok?
What is the name of the tool he slides in to keep the lifters from falling down???
Aaron - use 3/8" dowel rods and save some money. The expensive tools are definitely not worth it.
How much ($) are those lifter "holdners"? Had to sorry.
Isn't the torque spec for the cam retainer plate 11Ft. lbs. for torx bolts?
10 lb-ft is the most common spec we have seen. Here is a helpful link for torque values: paceperformance.com/p-3981-gm-enginetorque-specs.html Thanks!
Show us on a Gen 3 Hemi 6.4.
Why install the harmonic balancer before tightening the timing cover? Is there a reason for this?
Cesar Gonzalez centers the cover to prevent oil leak.
Yup what that guy said i learned the hardway on my ls swap in my regal and now have to remove water pump crank pulley and timing cover to replace seal now that its in car and ive ran it ro find out its leaking lol
To all the guys asking about lifer retainers. Here you go. Been using these for years.
www.powerhouseproducts.com/gm-ls-lifter-retaining-tool.html
Where do u get those rods at that hold the lifters up???
VeritasEIREAequitas +1 would also like to know
Don't bother with those $100+ rods. Just get a set of wooden dowels from a hardware store. That's what I did for my cam swap.
www.lsxceleration.com/powerhouse-products-gm-ls-lifter-retaining-tool-pow101046/
Looks like the bar at end of a chain link fence! IJS!
If the engine is brand-new it doesn't matter if it's upside down or not, the trays are more than capable of holding up the lifters, even over time..
What is the best way to "clean" the cam before installing it?
You won't want to use anything water-based, lots of folks use WD40 or something similar. Hope this helps - thank you.
Great! Thanks for the advice.
I use break clean to clean everything, even the cuts on my hand!
well I do have an LS engine. but how do I find out which LS it is. came out of a '13 Chevy Suburban. who would I contact that would know what all I would need for a performance increase from stock?
There are a couple of different possibilities, feel free to call our CAM HELP line at 1.800.999.0853 and those guys most likely will be able to identify the LS for you. Thank you.
Now I know
You don't need to set lash?
caustic/ /crow it's a hydraulic roller the lifters take care of it
I have an ls2 in my GTO and im looking to reach around 450~whp and maintain driveability as it is my daily, what cam would you recommend? I was recommended the GM hot cam by a local mechanic with tons of LS experience, but the specs seemed very small for such a high displacement engine
Thanks for your interest. best option is to contact the COMP Cams CAM HELP line at 1.800.999.0853. The techs will have a few questions about your engine and overall setup and will then be able to help you pick out the best cam for your GTO. Hope this helps!
COMP Cams Ok thanks!
is this a VSR cam?
How did you get the crank to stay still when you were putting on the dampner? How or when did you tighten the dampner down w/ 240-250 lb-ft. of pressure? that whole segment is very confusing. vid dosent line up w/ steps to me.
crank holding tool...
usually you remove the starter and place the tool in it's location with bolts and the tool has teeth that engages the flex plate (fly wheel) and locks the rotating assembly as seen in this video.
there are other variations of this tool but this in my opinion is easier.
hope this helps
Don’t overthink it. Heat the damper up with a torch and it will slide right on. Then just put the bolt in and get it good and tight. Worry about torquing the heads, and don’t sweat stuff like the dampener bolt
Chain and a padlock
what was the point of removing the spark plugs? seemed like an irrelevant step.
Cody Kairis easyer to spin it over with no compression
watching him bang the cam around... OUCH!
+bad4health To hell with pushrod engines!.
How many hours would it take to swap a cam?
Anything from a few hours to a few days, depending on tools/skill level/ available resources.
When you say clean the cam before installing it, clean it with what exactly?
With urine and vinegar
Brake cleaner.
Can anyone tell me why he rotated the engine to relieve spring load to remove the rocker arms? I never hear of anyone bothering with this for removal, only for reinstallation.
Chris Hill I was wondering the same thing, maybe in some way it helps prevent damaging the threads
Aaron Purtell that's all I can think too! I just unscrewed all mine at once , didn't seem to cause a problem.
Chris Hill that's all it is for is to prevent thread damage
he did this unimportant step but doesn't degree the cam...SMH
+Bnasty Stuntz hes using a stock cam gear its not like can set the cam timing that accurately anyway and i usually just slam a 0degree button in anyway unless your going for every last horse on a dyno your not gonna notice the difference
is it alot more work when doing the lifters as well?
dimetime0 you just have to take the intake manifold off, all other steps are basically the same
Heads need to be removed to access lifters. Its twice the work.
@@matthewwiersma2031 Sooooo. . . collapsed lifter = head removal ? ? ?
@@bigLOSdog unless you dont plan on replacing it. There are ways to free them up without disassembling
@@matthewwiersma2031 I ran transmission fluid in the motor on idle. cant seem to get that lifter free. 180k on the motor.
what's the tools called that u put in to make sure the lifters don't fall in?
Cesar Orozco just some special D shape dowel rods from what research I gather. Post up If you get a name or find someone that sells him I'd like to have a set myself
Cesar Orozco I went to home depot n got a long steel rod and cut to length... worked like a charm...
Ok thank u for the help
I want a cam, but I have an insanely limited budget. What would be recommended for a 04 GTO?
Check out Brian tooley racing
TSP stage 3 kit , you will need some tuning as well
I like the music it sounds evil & killer
He Should have mentioned the torque procedure when tightening the rockers and also should have mentioned to degree the camshaft after setting the camshaft and timing set
sskatersk1 you don’t have to set valve lash, just torque down the rockers and you’re done? Didn’t even pull off the intake. That seems like a relatively simple swap. Am I missing something??