Getting ready for cams

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Cam Retention tool

VT NA Stage 1 cams I was lucky to get the last 2 in stock 535$ and 12 hours of driving later(Montreal to Virginia)

I'm getting ready to install the cams this weekend, got everything ready parts, tools and tune.

The only question I have now, the cams are marked left and right. Which goes where?(Passenger side and Driver side)

 

[steveb24]

left cam is your drivers side cam, and the right is your passenger side cam. btw, they will only fit in their designated sides.

 

[hotmustang331]

Ditch that cam tool. Just use vice grips and have someone hold the cam gears up, keeping PLENTY of tention on the chains....trust me.

But congrats on your purchase! You definatly wont regret it!

 

[[Twitch]]

left cam is your drivers side cam, and the right is your passenger side cam. btw, they will only fit in their designated sides.

Ok, thanks alot

 

[[Twitch]]

Ditch that cam tool. Just use vice grips and have someone hold the cam gears up, keeping PLENTY of tention on the chains....trust me.

But congrats on your purchase! You definatly wont regret it!

Yes, I read you whole DIY on cam install

 

[hotmustang331]

You will be sorry if you use that tool . Dont say I didnt warn you when the gear slips off and you must pull the whole front of the engine down

 

[[Twitch]]

You will be sorry if you use that tool . Dont say I didnt warn you when the gear slips off and you must pull the whole front of the engine down

I've read other DIY on cam install using the the cam retention tool too(here and other forums, MMFF, etc...). A common mistake is not to crank the motor to lock the tool into place.

Plus, I will have my friend there to put pressure on the tool and pull on the cam gear to be sure the chain won't slip.

Wish me luck

 

[hotmustang331]

Good luck! LOL

We didnt do that either that I recal . Another guy on here tried to use the anderson tool...but soon realized how unstable it was, and use the vice grips

Let me know if it works for you though.

 

[[Twitch]]

Good luck! LOL

We didnt do that either that I recal . Another guy on here tried to use the anderson tool...but soon realized how unstable it was, and use the vice grips

Let me know if it works for you though.

Thanks, quick question: where did you get your tune from? (Mail order tune or dynotune at local shop)

 

[csledd]

good luck have fun!

shouldn't be too bad of a job

 

[hotmustang331]

Drove 950 miles without a tune to GA and had Tim @ modularpowerhouse.com dyno tune the car. He did an AWSOME job!

But thats a bit far of a drive for you, just for a N/A tune. Although people have driven from like alaska for him to tune it....one guy shipped his car from Geremany to Tims shop LOL.

 

[csledd]

I'd definately dyno tune it, because you want the A/F to be as correct as possible. It seems usually cams will lean it out, my car ran sorta rich, dunno why but yeah.

 

[hotmustang331]

Agreed. I was just indirectly implying that he should find a local dyno tuner LOL....although I probably didnt do a very good job of it

 

[[Twitch]]

Agreed. I was just indirectly implying that he should find a local dyno tuner LOL....although I probably didnt do a very good job of it

The problem, there is no local Diablosport tuners here Only one SCT tuner and I still ahve to buy another handheld tuner, Xcal2, another 300$

The closest one is like 3 hours away, what worries me is driving the car that long on new cams, what if it just dies during the trip, what if it won't idle. Also, I work all the time, I'll have to take a day off from work just to go get dyno tune.

BTW guys, I have a wideband AFR with datalogging on my car, so I can check the A/F ratio myself.

 

[steveb24]

no, if you install the cams yourself your car will run fine, just not perfect. i drove mine around for a few days after my cam install and it drove fine. no stalling, i didnt feel anything that was unusual for a car with cams ex. (shaking, bucking, lopey exhaust , and all that good stuff). a 3 hour trip would be fine to do. btw.. hotmustangs method worked great with the grips and ppl to hold tension.

 

[[Twitch]]

no, if you install the cams yourself your car will run fine, just not perfect. i drove mine around for a few days after my cam install and it drove fine. no stalling, i didnt feel anything that was unusual for a car with cams ex. (shaking, bucking, lopey exhaust , and all that good stuff). a 3 hour trip would be fine to do. btw.. hotmustangs method worked great with the grips and ppl to hold tension.

Thanks for the input

 

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UPDATE 1H30 later : driver side valve cover off Yes it's hard, but you don't need to take out your firewall adjuster. What I did was pull the valve cover up as much as possible, then pull towards the front of the engine and shake and wiggle it like crazy! And it just comes out

2H00, passenger cover is out but man was it hard to get to the lower bolts behind the A/C lines.

Done for tonight, tomorrow my friend is coming over to help me swap the cams.

 

[COramprat]

Drove my car for months without a tune on Comp 262's. After the tune it was a whole new beast.

As long as someone helps hold the retentioner tool it will stay in place. Make sure to insert it then turn the crank a little to lock it down. Then you are all good.

Keep track of the rockers...they will fall off into the head so you want to make sure you have them all in place once you get the cams in position to bolt in.

Also make sure you hold onto the cam washer and don't let it drop into the oil pan.

 

[[Twitch]]

Drove my car for months without a tune on Comp 262's. After the tune it was a whole new beast.

As long as someone helps hold the retentioner tool it will stay in place. Make sure to insert it then turn the crank a little to lock it down. Then you are all good.

Keep track of the rockers...they will fall off into the head so you want to make sure you have them all in place once you get the cams in position to bolt in.

Also make sure you hold onto the cam washer and don't let it drop into the oil pan.

I'm just waiting for my friend to come over now to help me with the cam swap. As for the cam spacer, I stuck some notes on the engine reminding me of that

Thanks for the input

 

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Update with pictures

Passenger side

Driver side

My dirty engine

Close up of rocker and lash adjuster

Close up of rocker and valve spring

Cam spacer, very important to hold on to it while removing. Many people have dropped it into the oil pan.

Cam retention tool locked in

Done under 1 hour for passenger side.

Lesson of the day. READ THE DAMN INSTRUCTIONS PROPERLY. It's not LBS-FT but LBS-INCH for the cam cap bolts I feel stupid now.