Cam Installation

Cam Installation

NOTE: For insuran= ce while the cam is out, get 16 Magnetic pickup tools to put where the pushrods come out. (To ensure the lifters dont drop.)

Well, this should= be a good reference for installing a cam in your own garage.

Tools needed

Here is the list of tools that you will need.= Of course you may improvise or use others if you so choose, but this is the list of all the tools I needed when I did my swap. I hear Snap-On mak= es a very nice spring compressor. Not too sure how expensive it is though.=

1/2" Drive tools	3/8" Drive tools	Other Various tools
1/2" drive ratchet 1/2" drive torque wrench <= /li> 1/2" drive breaker bar (18")= 1/2" drive 6" extension 1/2" drive 3" extension 1/2" drive 10mm socket 1/2" drive 13mm socket 1/2" drive 15mm socket 1/2" drive 13mm deep socket 1/2" drive 24mm deep socket 1/2" drive 24mm impact socket 1/2" drive 1/2" impact = socket (used for the pulley tool)	3/8" drive ratchet 3/8" drive torque wrench <= /li> 3/8" drive 6" extension 3/8" drive 3" extension 3/8" drive 1" extension 3/8" drive swivel joint 3/8" drive 10mm socket 3/8" drive 5/8" spark p= lug socket 3/8" drive 1/4" adapter=	10mm crescent wrench Hammer Channel Locks Small flathead screwdriver Magnetic pickup tool 2ft steel pipe 1" I.D. Impact gun Helms Manual Funnel Drain pan Motor oil to lube new cam 2 One gallon jugs Dexcool/water coolant mixture (2 gal) Rags, lots of rags 3 jaw pulley puller Valve spring compressor Air compressor Hose from a leak-down testing kit 134a A/C recharge hose kit
1/4" = drive tools
1/4" drive 5/16" socket 1/4" drive 8mm socket 1/4" drive 10mm socket 1/4" drive nut driver

Parts needs

Here are the parts that you will need to pick up fro= m the GM dealership:

Quan= tity	Part Description	GM P= art Number	Price per part	Estimated Cost*
2	A.I.R. = pipe gasket	1255361= 7	$0.98	$1.96
2	Valve c= over gasket	1256069= 6	$6.02	$12.04
1	Cranksh= aft oil seal	1255056= 5**	$8.30	$8.30
1	Timing = cover gasket	1255801= 3	$5.20	$5.20
1	Crank p= ulley bolt	1255784= 0	$3.33	$3.33
2	Water p= ump gasket	1255927= 1	$3.33	$6.66
1	Cam	N/A	Varies	Varies
16	Pushrod= s	N/A	Varies	Varies
16	Valve s= prings	N/A	Varies	Varies
16	Valve s= pring retainers	N/A	Varies	Varies
2	12oz Ca= n of 134a refrigerant	N/A	$6.00	$12.00

*Estimated cost may vary. I was able to pur= chase my parts at dealer cost through a friend in the service dept.
**This is a replacing part number for this item. The old GM part nu= mber is 12561244

Notes

You may choose to replace your water pump gaskets (2) at this time as well.&n= bsp; However, this is not required. I left mine alone

This is also a good time to replace your spark plugs and wires, since you will= be removing them anyway. I had previously replaces mine with NGK TR5's= and MSD wires, so this was a moot point for me

Also an excellent time to install underdrive pulle= ys and new belts. This will save you the trouble of messing with a new bolt later and also the difficulty of pulling the balancer off the crank more = than once. The new pulley usually comes with a new crank bolt and belts =

Drain your radiator completely. This takes a while, so start doing this first,= and you can work while it's draining. You want to get as much out = of it as possible so you don't get any coolant on your paint. I f= ound shaking it gently helps get the last little ounces out. <= /span> Remove the airbox, and MAF. Basically everything up to the throttle body
Remove the lower part of the airbox. There are four 10mm bolts that h= old it on. Keep in mind that once this is out, the radiator assembly = is only being supported by it's bottom brace= and the hoses attached to it. Discharge the A/C system by depressing the valve stem in the valve just above = the A/C condenser. Be careful, as the discharge comes out FAST!! I= t's very cold too, so it helps to have a good thick rag covering your ha= nds when you do this. A ventilated area is a MUST! This may = not be the best way to do it, but it's effective. I used an Allen wrench to do this.
Now you can start removing all the radiat= or hoses and the fan wires. There is one plug on the bottom of ea= ch fan and clamps along the fans that hold a wire loom in place. = The radiator has a wire plug on the passenger side, about halfway down. It's hard to see, but it's there. A small flathead screwdriver is great for getting both the wire loom clamps and the connection locks open. There are four hoses attached to the radiator. Two large ones (one on each side), the throttle body hose, and the surge tank hose. Use the channel locks or similar pliers to get the clamps off.
Once you get the radiator and fans all unplugged, you can start disconnecting the A/C hoses. One is on top, one is on bottom. It is also helpful to remove the hose f= rom the evaporator that curls around the passenger side fan. = Be careful as there still may be some refrigerant in the lines.
There is a plastic shroud that sits in fr= ont of and over the condenser. It is held onto the condenser by two plastic finned push tabs (one on each side) and the front of the shr= oud is connected to another plastic shroud on the front by two white turn tabs. You can turn these tabs and eventually push them through. Leave the shroud connected to the condenser for now (= you can pull it off once the assembly is out of the car).
Now you can pull the radiator assembly out. Be careful not to damage any of the fins on the radiator = and condenser. It will drain some more, so get it over the painted part of your car quickly, and set it aside.
Now you have plenty of room to stand in t= he engine bay to work.
The next thing I did was to remove all the belts and loosen the crank pulley bolt. This requires a 24mm d= eep socket and a good breaker bar. I used an 18" long 1/2&quo= t; drive breaker bar. To make it easier on yourself, you can slip= a section of pipe over the breaker bar to give you more of a torque arm (leverage does wonderful things). Pull, and pull, cuss, and pu= ll some more. It will eventually come loose.
Now that you have the bolt loose, leave i= t in there, but back it out so it's near the end of i= t's threads... make sure you leave it threaded some, so you don't damage= the threads. Now it's time to mount up the 3 jaw pulley puller. DON'T hook it on the outside of the balancer! You WILL chip it badly... Instead, if you look up in there, near t= he center of the hub, there are three flat tabs that you can mount it up to. Hook the jaws around them and screw the center push bolt d= own onto the crank bolt head. Get it finger tight, so the tools st= ays on there. Now it's time to use some air tools!!! The too= l I rented had a 1/2" hex head, so I mounted up the right socket to= my impact gun and went to town. The crank pulley will start to sl= ide off. I recommend doing this in small sections, so you don't da= mage anything. Also, if one of the jaws comes loose, it will fly ba= ck and smash your hand or finger... I know from experience. = Once the tool pulls as far as it can go, = you may find that the pulley is not all the way off. Mine wasn't, = so I just took my breaker bar and put it between the pulley and the block= and pried it out. This took a few iterations on each side, since I didn't want to damage the crank. This is not really the 'ap= proved' method, but it finally got the pulley off. End goal achieved. = Note: When backing the crank pulley bolt off and the continued turning of the crank, it will build resistance to your wrench. This will mean more leverage may be needed.&nb= sp; I used an impact wrench to overcome this need, but a longer leverage arm = may be needed (use the pipe) Note: If you have the same problem I did with backing = the pulley all the way off, and running out of tool, here's a trick. Go= buy a section (6" - 8" should be enough) of threaded rod. Pit= ch is 16x2. Use it in place of the bolt, and start again with the tool. That should give you enough more distanc= e to use on the puller tool.	This is WRONG!! This is the right way
Next is the water pump. There are t= wo hoses on the left side that need to come off, and you need to pull t= he plastic wire holder tab out of the thermostat as well. There are six 1= 0mm bolts that hold the water pump on, 3 on each side of the 'bell' (we dubbed this the bell because it would ring every time it was tou= ched with a tool) in a triangular pattern. The lowest bolt on the r= ight side will not be accessible by a socket, so you will have to use the 10mm wrench. When the pump comes free, it'll drain ALOT more coolant, so be ready to catch it with your pan. Leave the bolts threaded through the water pump (so you don't loose them, and they go back into the same hole when you replace the pump) and remove it out= of the engine bay where it can drain (I put mine on the same rag as the radiator was draining on). Peel the gaskets off now if you are going to replace them. Note: I've received word that the 98 gaskets may be organic and will rip. Plan on replacing these gaskets, so you don't have to make a second trip to the dealer for the pa= rts.
Now you can start on the topside. I recommend removing the A.I.R. pipes so that you can move that hose o= ut of the way. These are mounted to the headers by two 10mm bolts each. This is where the 3/8" drive sockets, extensions, a= nd swivels help alot. Remove them and now the pipes will hang free. I removed mine from the hoses completely because I was replacing the b= lack check valves on them. Once you get them off, make sure to clean both surfaces of the metallic gasket material. Pull the pipes = out completely if you want, because it will make working up under the co= wl much easier since you can pull that hose all the way out of the bay = and set it up on the windshield. The pipes are held to the hose by= a plastic toothed clamp. A small screwdriver will make short wor= k of that. Loosen it and pull them out.

The next step is to remove the coil packs. First pull the park plug wires off the coil packs (you = can leave them hanging on the plugs for now) E= ach coil pack is held on by five 10mm bolts. These bolts have thre= ads on the top of them, and are staggered across the coil pack brace.&nb= sp; There is also one connection per side that needs to be disconnected. It is the large connector in the middle of each brace. Pull the blue locking tab out, and unhook the connector. The entire coil pack assembly should now come free = and slide out. Be careful on the driver's side as you will have to negotiate around the fuel lines. I found it helpful to disconn= ect the return line (small plastic bracket next to the return pump) Squeeze it from the top and bottom and t= he hose should pull free. This will allow you to move the fuel li= ne out of the way a little better. The passenger side is easier to remove on= ce you get the bolts free. The hardest one is the furthest back on that side. You can't see it, and will have to feel around for it. Use the closed side of a 10mm crescent wrench to keep your tool on it. I came at it from the top, reaching over the intake manifold and then around the back of the fuel rail. It only allowed for about 1/8th of a turn of my wrench. This took a wh= ile, but eventually you can start turning it with your fingers.
Now that you have the coil packs off, you= can see the four bolts that hold the valve covers on. These are 8mm bolts and should back out quite easily. They will stay connect= ed to the valve covers, so don't worry about trying to remove them. Once you have the valve covers off, remove the old gasket, clean the groove, and replace with new gaskets. Note: 97-98 valve covers wil= l be different. The coil packs are each held on individually by 2 bolts = each (total of 16) The bolts that hold the valve covers will be around t= he outside edge (6-10 of them. Not sure exactly how many and what size) If somebody can e-mail me the specifics on= this, I'd be happy to put the up here ASAP
The rockers come off next. They are each held on by an 8mm bolt in the center. It's on pretty tigh= t, so be careful not to scrape your knuckles when you try to loosen them up. Take the rockers off, and lay them on a clean rag out of t= he way. Keep them in order!!!! They need to be installed in the same place they were pulled from Remove the pushrods and check them for straightness. If any are bent, you may have a bent valve there as well. But that's a whole different can of beans. Just make sure you keep track of which valve the bent one's are on. =
Now you can remove the spark plug wires (= they will be easily accessible now) Remove the spark plug of the cylinder that you are going to change the valve springs on, and screw in the leak-= down tester hose. A good seal is not 100% needed. Adjust your= air compressor to approx 60psi on the hose, and hook it up to the leak-d= own hose.
Place the spring compressor tool over the spring you are going to remove, and seat the coil arms up into the coils. The lower you can get them, the more you can compress t= he spring. This a good thing. Compress the spring as much as you can.&n= bsp; It may not come loose from the top of the valve right away, so I fou= nd that tapping the top of the tool with hammer (gently) will free the retainer from the keys. I had to get creative with the back on= es, as the hammer wouldn't reach. I found that I could hold a large wrench on the outside edge of the retainers, and hit it with the hammer. This would eventually loosen the keys, and allow the spring to drop down.
While the spring is compressed, remove the two keys. These are very small halves that seat into the groov= e on the top of each valve and hold the retainers in place. Set them aside, and DON'T LOSE THEM!!! These keys can be a nightmare to work with. As a friend of mine (MPW) put it "the retainer keys, locks, whatever you want to call them are THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL!!!!!!!" I found that keeping them stuck to the en= d of the magnetic pickup tool helps. Use this while you are pulling them out as well.
Remove the spring and tool, and decompress the spring. Set it aside and compress the new spring and new retainer in the tool. Again, the more compression you can get , the better. It will be easier to pu= t the keys back in.
Slide the compressed spring and retainer = back onto the valve, and put the keys back in. Remember that the ke= ys must be put in with the thin side down. Be careful here, so you don't drop the keys. They are small and will be oily, and you = will be working at an odd angle. Patience and precision helps here.= Once the keys are in, decompress the spri= ng on the valve and remove the tool. Repeat this process for the the other valve on that cylinder. Then r= emove the hose, move to the next cylinder and begin again. The final product will look like this.	Notice how the fuel line can be pulled out of the way when the return hos= e is disconnected
Some notes of removing the springs: = You will have to loosen (not remove) the oil dipstick. It's a 15mm bolt on the side of the head. I also had to move a hose (there= are actually two that are in the way) on the passenger side firewall in order to allow my spring compressor to have room to rotate the handle. It's a simple hose clamp like your radiator hoses, but= it's way back in there, and hard to reach. = ; I was lucky enough to have an extra set of hands to help me hold some = of those hoses out of the way while I was cranking down the spring compressor on the back three valves. Another work-around for t= his is to have a spring compressor tool that allows the top bar to be sl= id all the way to one side (mine was mounted in a permanent 'T' design)= . The back three on the passenger side will= be the most difficult, simply because of a lack of space. It help= s to oil the threads of the spring compressor, so that you're not fighting the tool as much, and can concentrate on the little space you have to work with.
Now give your new springs and retainers a once over, and enjoy the view! Take a break, cause I know that is a lot of work!

Do not install the new pushrods just yet. This is because the lifters need to be pushed upwards in order to remove the cam. The extra weight of the pushrods could make the lifters fall either while you are pulling the cam out, or w= hile it's out!
Start removing the timing chain cover.&nb= sp; It is held on by eight 10mm bolts on the front, and two 10mm bolts on the bottom edge. Remove the bolts and set them aside. Now you can pull the timing cover off. Remove the gasket as well, = and throw it away. Make sure you clean the timing chain cover's contact surface, and set it aside.
Now you can see the timing chain. T= here are a few ways to do this next part, so I will list them all. <= /o:p> Helms method: Turn the crank = until the notches on the upper and lower gears match up. This is the Number 1 firing position. = mbaskett's method: Take a screwdri= ver (or permanent marker) and scratch a mark on the top gear that will m= ark the very top of the timing gear. The end goal is to be able to put the top timing gear back in the same position once the new cam is installed.=
Remove the three 10mm bolts that hold the timing gear in place. Set them aside for now. Slip the timing gear off the protruding post and remove it from the chain.&nb= sp; Let the chain fall down around the crank gear. Remove the three 10mm bolts that hold the= cam cover plate in place.
Now you can see the cam. Take the three bolts that you pulled out of the timing ge= ar, and partially hand thread them into the three holes on the end of the cam. Now grabbing the bolts, rotate the cam over several times. = This will push the lifters up and out of the way, so you can slide the cam out, and slide the new one in
Now pull the cam out. It may catch a few times, so be gentle and DON'T force anything. Try to keep = it as straight as possible, so you don't scar the inside bearings. Notice the bolts sticking out. See how the cam is being held. You will have to support it at the opening, while putting slight downward pressure at the end, all while pulling it out. It's not nearly as hard as it sounds, though. Some leather glo= ves that you don't mind getting oily may be helpful, as the edges of the lobes can be sharp sometimes
Here is another good pic of the cam coming out.
Once it's out, you will be able to see the lifters up inside. These are being held up by friction, so you have limited time. Mine stayed up for about an hour, until I p= ut the pushrods back in, and even then, I had to push them back down.&n= bsp; This is just a warning. Don't pull the cam, and then let it sit overnight. Rumor has it that they have stayed= up for 3 days on a certain person's car (who will remain anonymous) during h= is cam swap. Just don't push your luck!
Lube the new cam up with motor oil, and g= et it coated real good, so it will slide in easily. Here you can see I set it on a rag, and poured Mobile 1 o= ver it. That seemed to work quite well.
Now it's time to slide it back in. = It goes back in the same way it comes out. Again, be careful not = to nick or scratch it, and DO NOT force it! Once it's in, it shou= ld spin freely. Turn it once or twice to make sure you get oil ev= enly spread over it.
Phew! Now you're almost there. Only thing left is to bolt is all up and then yo= u're done..

Once the cam is in place, don't forget to remove the three bolts you used to put it in with. You now nee= d to replace the cover plate. Hand thread the three 10mm bolts as far as you can with your fingers. The torq= ue spec on these bolts is 18 lb-ft. (I still need to verify this with my Helms manual)
Now you have to align the cam and timing = gear so that either the notch or your mark (depending on which method you used) is lined up where it was when you removed the gear. It h= elps to do this while the chain is still off. The cam should have a post sticking out of it. This post slips through the fourth ho= le on the timing gear. Once you get it lined up, slip the gear o= ff the cam far enough to get the timing chain around it. Mount it back up to the cam, and make sure that once the gear is resting on t= he cam's post, that your mark is still lined up the way it should be.&n= bsp; If it's not, try reseating the chain again. Do not proceed unt= il it is lined up correctly.	Helms method: Turn the crank = until the notches on the upper and lower gears match up. This is the Number 1 firing position. = mbaskett method: Take a screwdri= ver and scratch a mark on the top gear that will mark the very top of the timing gear. The end goal is to be able to put the top timing gear back in the same position once the new cam is installed.=
Now that the chain is properly seated, you can put the three 10mm timing gear bolts back in. Like all the bolts here, hand thread them as far as po= ssible since this greatly reduces the chances of stripping the threads.&nbs= p; The torque spec on these bolts is 26 lb-ft.
Place the new timing cover gasket on the timing cover, and put a few bolts through it to hold it in place.&nb= sp; Mount the timing cover and gasket up to the block. It can only= go on one way, so make sure it lines up with the cover properly. = Hand thread all bolts in, but not tight. = The Helms has you use some specialty tools to align the cover properly. The method I used is somewhat simpler. The main goal is to get the crank hole centered on the crank and the bottom l= ip to be flush with the oil pan.	mbaskett method: Finger tighten = all eight 10mm front bolts, and the two bottom 10mm bolts. <= o:p> Make sure the lowest t= wo bolts on the front are fairly tight and that they are sitting in the same place they were before being removed (there should be signs on = the cover where they sat). Tighten the bottom two= bolts to their appropriate torque spec of 18 lb-ft. Tighten the front bolt= s to 18 lb-ft starting with the bottom, and working your way upwards. Double check the torque specs on the bottom two bolts again.
Replace the crank pulley on the crank and tighten the bolt down. Again the helms has= you use a special balancer seating tool, but by using the OLD bolt, = you can accomplish the same thing. Tighten the OLD bolt to 240 lb-ft, or until the pulley seats flush with the crank. (mine nev= er seated flush) Remove the old bolt and install new bolt. Tighten it to 37 lb-ft. Then turn it anothe= r 140º (clockwise).
Replace the water pump (and new gaskets if you are replacing them as well). Again, fi= nger tighten all six 10mm bolts first. There is a trick to this, as the bottom b= olt on the drivers side cannot be threaded through the water pump once t= he pump is in place. Pre-thread this bolt before you put the water pump in place. Also, a little grease on the gaskets will help = them stick to the block while you mount the water pump. Torque spec for the water pump bolts: 11 lb-ft on the first pass (do all six first) 22 lb-ft on the second pass
Insert the new pushrods and push them dow= n as far as you can. You should feel each lifter sliding back down = and contacting the new cam lobes. Also replace the rocker seats (if you rem= oved it earlier.)
Install all the rockers, keeping them on = the same valve they came off of. Finger tighte= n the 8mm bolts holding them down. Again, there are two ways to tighten these down, The Helms way, and mbaskett= way.
Helms method: With the engine= in the Number 1 Firing Position, tighten the following rockers. Exhaust valve rocker arm bolts 1, 2, 7, a= nd 8 to 22 lb-ft Intake valve rocker arm bolts 1, 3, 4, an= d 5 to 22 lb-ft Rotate the crank 360º and tighten the following rockers: Tighten exhaust valve rocker arm bolts 3,= 4, 5, and 6 to 22 lb-ft Intake valve rocker arm bolts 2, 6, 7, an= d 8 to 22 lb-ft	= mbaskett method: Tighten all roc= ker arm bolts to 20 lb-ft Turn car over with the starter. Go back and tighten all bolts to 22 lb= -ft Make sure that the rockers are sitting squarely on the top of the valves.
Replace valve covers. Be sure to connect the two hoses on the passenger side, and the single hose on = the back of the driver side cover. Use new gaskets. Tighten = the four 8mm bolts on each side to 106 lb-in (8.83 lb-ft). <= /o:p>
Replace the coil packs. Five 10mm b= olts on each side. Connect the electrical connector on each side.&n= bsp; Replace the spark plug wires. Connect the fuel return line. Reconnect the A.I.R. pipes to the hose (t= he hose sits into two clamps around the back of the engine) and bolt the pipes back into the headers. Remember to use new gaskets here,= as well.
Now you've got the eng= ine all bolted up, the only thing left is to put the radiator assembly in and replace the intake.

Don't forget to reconnect any hoses you m= ay have had to unhook to work with your springs (passenger side up near= the firewall)
Replace the spark plugs and plug wires. <= o:p>
Lift the fan/radiator/condenser assembly = up and place it in the bay. Set it on the lip and hold it up while you align the top radiator mount (otherwise known as the lower airbox). Bolt the lower airbo= x down with the four 10mm bolts. (not sure of the torque spec on these, so 'tight enough' should work)
Reconnect all the hoses to the radiator. There should be a total of 4 (large in, large out, throttle body hea= ter in, and the surge tank out) to the radiator. Don't forget the electrical connector for the radiator on the passenger side.
Reconnect the fan power inputs, and use t= he hose clips that should still be on the fan assembly to keep the wire looms secured.
Reconnect the A/C lines. This will = vary depending on how many you disconnected to start with.
Put the air filter in, and the MAF assemb= ly to the throttle body.
Put your lid on, and viola!!!! You're done!!!!
If you want to try and recharge your A/C system yourself, it's easily accomplished.
First, you have to make sure the valve on= the A/C recharge hose is closed. Connect the large end to the outl= et on the evaporator (WARNING: Do NOT connect it to the high pressure side of the system.. this will cause the can to explode)
You can see in this picture that there is= a blue valve handle close to the outlet. Make sure this is closed when you first connect it.
Now connect the can by screwing it into t= he can tapping valve. once it's connec= ted, turn the handle to push the needle throught he can, and then back it out. This will allow the refrigerant to enter the hose. Start the car, and turn on the A/C system. Open the blue handled valve to allow the refrigerant to enter the system. The can will get VERY cold. Allow it to run for a few minutes. I found that by turning the can upside = down it went MUCH faster. Shake the can to see if there is anything left in it. Once it's empty, you can close the blue handled va= lve, and unscrew the can. It will take about 2 cans (24 oz worth) to fully charge the system.
Once it's done with the second can, you c= an close all the valves, and remove the hose from the system. Tha= t's it!!! You're done! Congratulations, you've just done a fully fledged cam swap in your LS1.