Well earlier this week I picked up a 2006 LQ4 with 122k miles out of a wrecked landscape truck. Plan was to throw the TSP 212/218 118lsa cam I had for my 4.8 in it and put it in the truck under the TVS1900.


Well tonight I was pulling the cam everything was cruising along great and about the time I had the cam halfway out it seemed to hit a wall. I had the 5/16 wood dowels in place and the rockers removed completely before I ever began to pull the cam. I also spun the cam around multiple times to make sure it pushed all the lifters up. I tried for a few minutes wiggling and pulling but became concerned. So I flipped the motor over pulled the pan and windage tray to see what was going on. It looks to me like a bearing somehow came out and is wrapped around the cam stopping it from coming out anymore. I wish I could get a good picture but my phones too big to get a decent angle.


Has anyone had this happen before? This is my first cam swap ever but I was taking it step by step from an LS1tech DIY.

What could I have done wrong?


Current parts for build:

TSP 212/218 118lsa
Hardened pushrods
Dual valve springs and retainers
Roller master timing chain
LS9 Head gaskets
ARP 2000 head studs
New GM oil pump (Because I did not get to verify oil pressure on this motor)
New water pump
Innovators west 8rib conversion
New lifter trays
Just about every ARP bolt kit for an LS
New rear main seal
Oil pan seal
Water pump gaskets
Timing cover gasket

 

If it's just one bearing, push the cam out the other direction.

 

Ended up getting a hold of the bearing and pulling it out with long needle nose pliers heres some pics.

Is that mangled thing indeed a cam bearing?

 

I had the exact same problem when tearing down my old 5.3. It was a pain in the *** to get that bearing out and i did it just like you did

 

Did you have a build thread on your 5.3?

what all did you end up replacing once you found the bearing?

 

It was a tear down and I sold it for parts

 

Do you think that the cam bearing was going bad before? Or do you think it was pullers error somehow?

 

Tomorrow I'm heading to a local machine shop to talk about having new cam bearings installed and heads cleaned up. Is there anything else I should ask about or consider having done?

 

The cam bearing was already Bad. It already spun in the block which is why the cam journal was scoured on the cam as well as the bearing being thin and black.

The real question is, did it damage the block? The machine shop will have to measure and inspect it. Likely it will take a new set of bearings. but occasionally you can get one that damaged the block and will not clean up. These are not like a traditional small block where they can hone it it out either. If it's damaged to the point it won't hold a new bearing, the block is junk.

 

You can get a ball hone and another set of bearings and hone it out to the next size up bearing. Only works if it's not position 1 or 5 but those ones aren't the ones that usually spin anyway.