Changing Cam on 5L

[Mikal52]

Hey guys n Gals...

I'm looking at swapping out the Cam in my AUIII 5L xls and just want to know just how hard it is. And whats involved. I've never done one before but I have heard that on some cars you need to take out the motor, or take off the whole front end. But I also heard that with the AU you dont need to do either. Just want some clarification

When changing it what else will need changing at the same time?

Will I need any extra special tools or anything to do the change at home?

Basically I just want to know how hard it is to DIY and a small run down of the process involved

The Cam I am looking at is a 200kw tickford Cam. Anyone got any experience with this one and would it be suitable for my car?

Thanks in advance

Michael

[james22]

For one, if your gonna change the cam, don't even worry about putting in a 200kw ticky one. It would not be worth your time and effort to really do it, not for the results anyway. Aftermarket however yes.

If you remove the thermofans - shroud, radiator, and airconditioning condensor, you will *just* have enough room to remove the bump stick, although some ppl prefer to just remove the front bar, as it can make the job a hell of a lot easier.

Special tool: well that depends. You will need some way of measuring the lift, to check your piston to valve clearance. few different ways of doing this, dial indicator might be the go, (i'll let others elaborate)

You will also generally need to change valve springs to suit your new cam, which also means you will need a way to stop the valve getting dropped when you remove the springs. I find using a modified spark plug, hooked up the the compressor to hold the valves shut works well (other might have suggestions as well)

So;
- Dial gauge (to measure lift)
- Valve spring compresser (to remove / replace springs)
- Some way of keeping the valves shut (compressed air works good for me)

As for a run through of the cam change instructions. Get yourself a good workshop manual if you dont have one. That will explain the process in detail, and explain any other parts items etc you might need.

I'm sure others will pop in and give you advice too, but there's a start for ya. :-)

[InfernoSR]

Originally Posted by james22

Special tool: well that depends.

Thats what i have you for

[FTe342]

This is not a simple task and unless you have some engine building experience or a motor mechanic mate who can help I would leave it to an expert.
Besides whats already mentioned you need to remove the water pump to get the timing case cover off. First you will need to remove the bottom pulley with a puller and you will need a different puller to get the timing gear off the old camshaft before you can remove the chain to extract the cam
Unless you understand how the timing in an engine needs to be setup don't even think about it. You also should be dialling in the new camshaft which is another special tool and this may require the removal of the timing gears to advance or retard the new cam.

You will also need to be able to setup your tappets with correct clearance or you will probably bend pushrods