Hey just wondering if this has happened to anyone. I have a 99 RCSB w/ 4.8 ltr.

Started the cam swap Friday afternoon. Followed ls1Howto except used a wooden dowel in place of jpr tool. Inserted 2 pcs of a wooden dowel (5/16) all the way to the back of the block. started pulling the cam out and it didn't get 1/2 inch out before it touched something. Pulled the dowels out. Went to the pen magnet technic. started pulling the cam out again and again touched something. Tried this all day saturday & sunday morning, but everytime I could see a pen magnet move when spinning the cam or trying to pull it out. With the dowels in should I feel any interference?

Thanks for any help!!!

 

youre lifters arent staying up, you need to get some pen magnets and some close pins and keep the lifters up. the dowls just help the lifters from falling 100% into the motor. it doesnt garrenty they will stay up in their trays

 

i have always used a 3/16" dowel. Yours might be a bit large. Make sure you are getting all the way to the back. Measure and mark the dowel you are using where you know it is touching the block and match the measurements. (try this i think they would be similar in measure) Also if you are moving a lifter with the cam, that means that the lifter might not be all the way up. The dowel method is foolproof so try the measurements like i said. Try have somebody spin the cam while you try to ease the dowel past it but dont force it. Hope this helps

 

Thanks for the replies, but I actually had the dowels in all the way & still got interference when pulling the cam. I also tried the magnet w/clothes pin, but maybe I need to revisit that. Could sludge buildup or something not let them reach max height?

 

I cant see you having an interference with the dowel all the way in. But if you have it all the way in, get a pin magnet on it and yank the cam out....You might not want to listen to me but this is what i would do.

 

Thanks 4 responding FarmerBeau. I'll measure how deep the dowel goes in just to make sure.

 

I was under the impression that with the dowels in, I could spin the cam freely w/out touching anything. Is this not the case

 

no this is the case! The fact of the matter is that you dont have that lifter up. In the camswaps that i have done, i have never even touched the dowel at all with the cam. There is a good bit of room between the lifter and the cam if the lifter is pulled up all of the way. And there is still a lot of room between the cam and the oil journal that you are using to put the dowels in. I dont mean to undermine your judgement but it still sounds as if you dont have the dowel in there all of the way.

 

Ive always used 5/16 dowels till this past Sat when I used 1/4. You could possibly be hitting a cam journal did you try wiggling on the cam a bit? Its kinda one of those things you have to feel, its hard to explain what it feels like.

 

I think what you are feeling is the cam coming out of the rear most bearing, you just need the keep it supported / level and keep sliding....

but I just pulled my first cam this past week with white1 looking over my shoulder