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  1. #1
    Member importssuck's Avatar
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    What could go wrong in a bad head and cam install?

    I will be looking at a 00 LS1 6 speed camaro with heads and cam..The owner of the car installed the heads and cam..The heads are Stage 2 from Patriot and the cam is a comps cam, I don't remember the specs of the cam..Not knowing if he did a good job or not of the head and cam install..But what signs are there to look for when driving the car? What could go wrong in a bad head and cam install? What types of symptoms would I hear? What should I look for? Any tips, ideas and suggestions?

  2. #2
    Senior Member 02z28ls1's Avatar
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    navy blue
    2002 Z-28 Camaro M6

    Usually not breaking in the cam properly is the biggest mistake. It would wear out a lobe or two -make a lifter noise if it's already worn out. Not torquing the head bolts properly would be the next biggest mistake. Warped heads or leaking manifolds would be the signs. Maybe he did everything right if he's a careful individual-depends--you're taking a chance of course.

  3. #3
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    Quick Silver
    2002 Z06

    Well most anything that would or could happen other than maybe the cam getting worn funny would happen pretty quick. If the stuff has been installed for a while and the car runs fine and makes no strange noises than he must have done it right. When I say a while I'm talking a couple thousand miles.

  4. #4
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    allllllllll black
    2002 35th z28

    typical problems are with the o ring in the oil pump, aluminum cylinder heads must be torqued to sequence correctly and ive heard of ls1s getting big cams and havin bad oil burn after...and cam break in isnt usually a biggie since they are roller cams and dont have a wear pattern like a flat tappet...but id break it in at 2300 rpm for 15 minutes just to be extra safe.

  5. #5
    MSG Crusty SPECOPS94's Avatar
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    Limited Edition #1242
    2002 Camaro SS LE

    LOTS of bad things! If the cam is not properly installed during the installation it throws the entire valve train off. If the timing/valve adjustment was done incorretly you will eventually hear a low, solid bump that will, very quickly, turn into a loud bang and the engine will seize up due to broken parts which will require a tear down to replace/re-machine parts. Most common are broken valves or pistons with holes punched through the top. This is a result of the timing not being correct and the piston slamming into the valves before they attain full seating in the heads. This is the worst case of course but the engine would run perfectly fine until this happens. You may, or may not, hear anything or notice anything wrong until it's too late. If the guy has done this swap on previous vehicles and then sold them I would check with the new(er) owner(s) and inquire the condition of their engines...OR... take the car to a certified mechanic and have them check the vavle timing to verify that the static timing was set correctly. This however, does not gaurantee that the came was installed and torqued properly, only that the static timing is close to being correct...Concur with 02z28ls1 on his statements as well. Per gnomee's remarks, I don't know that a few thousand miles would mean that he did it correctly. It could mean that the engine has not been run hard enough to break something. Undoubtedly, if it was installed incorrectly it's a matter of time before the stress fractures and thin cracks resulting from the piston/valve collisions take charge. On the other hand he could have done a bang up job (excuese the pun)! Either way, it's a gamble...
    Last edited by SPECOPS94; 08-22-2006 at 06:18 AM.

  6. #6
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    allllllllll black
    2002 35th z28

    Tell Him To Take You For A Full Out Run At Wot And Have Him Do It 3 Times...then Youll Know If Its About To Break By Being In It During Thrash Time...then It Lets You Listen For Valve Slap

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