numbadoh

I am in the middle of a cam swap and used the 5/16" dowel method to keep the lifters in place. Stock cam came out with ease and the new cam slides in up to halfway then feels like it hits something. Have tried rotating either way but sounds like it is against something while spinning. Any suggestions? Could a lifter have dropped even with the dowels in place? I was trying to do this without having to pull the heads. Thank you for your input.

Buddy A

Could try using a small telescoping magnet to try and lift lifters in the area of the blockage. Put in through the pushrod opening and try and lift the lifters

88redconvert

Have you tried removing it and looking through there with a mirror and flashlight? Not sure but the only thing I can think of would be a lifter, as you have already said.

davidfarmer

I'd say lifter..... or the cam isn't the right grind

CI GS

Are you using a cam installation tool? Installing a cam without one can be a frustrating process, especially when it’s nearly all the way in, and if the cam isn’t perfectly lined up, it will feel like it’s hooking or something’s blocking it.
If you’re sure that you’re lining the cam up properly but it still won’t go in, then take the cam out and take a picture of inside the camshaft tunnel to see if there’s a lifter hanging down in the way. Most likely that’s what it would be.
If theres nothing there, take the cam and roll it on a smooth, absolutely flat surface, like a glass table, and see if it’s straight. If it is the cam is straight then measure the journals with a micrometer (or a caliper) to make sure that they’re all the same size. That’s all I can think of.
BTW: If you still have the pushrods sitting in the lifters, it should be very easy to spot if one has dropped.

SteveDoten

Put the water pumps bolts in the cam gear holes if LS2.

Spinning is winning.

I'd only by a cam from BTR as this is the time you need to speak with the most experienced LSx valvetrain people.

numbadoh

I placed the pushrods in and it appears one of the lifters in Cylinder 6 has dropped. I used a pen magnet to try and lift it back with no luck as the magnet comes off the lifter. If I gently pushed the cam in until it 'hits', I could feel the tap through the pen magnet. I pulled the cam all the way out and back in again and it now 'hits' 1/2" sooner than before and I can no longer feel the tap through the pen magnet.

I will take the cam back out tonight and take a look inside. I was hoping to resolve without pulling head.

I do have the water pump bolts in the cam for leverage.

I did purchase the cam, springs, pushrods from BTR but didn't call them. I will call today but not sure what more can be done other than what I've tried and the suggestions made by forum members. Thank you.

CI GS

I wonder how the lifter was able to drop down past the dowel? Are you sure it was up into the retainer when you inserted the dowel? Are you using wooden dowels? If so, you may be able to push the lifter back up into the retaining bucket and the dowel may flex enough to allow the lifter to pass by it. I would see if you can get something like a piece of wooden broomstick and carefully insert it into the cam tunnel and try to very carefully push the lifter up. I'm not sure that will work, but at this stage its probably the only option you have short of removing the heads. Be careful though, you don't want to break the dowel off inside the engine, nor do you want any of the other lifters to drop if/when the dowel flexes.
Maybe to help prevent the other lifters from dropping, you can do what I did years ago on my first LS cam change, before I even knew about the dowel trick. I got a long piece of flat iron that was just long enough to lie across the pushrods, and stuck a very powerful magnet onto that. The idea was to magnetize the iron bar to the pushrods and the pushrods to the lifters to help hold them up in the retainer buckets. I have no idea if it actually helped, but I gave me a little bit of comfort, lol.
Good luck with it and I hope you solve it, because it would suck to have to pull the head off just because the lifter dropped.

Buddy A

I would insert a borscope in and gently use a wooden dowel or similar object to work the lifter back up. Scope would help in my opinion.

CMY SIX

get a stronger magnet

double06

If lifter is down a little than using the magnet on the lifter pull up (I know you are already doing this) but also get like a broom handle end cut to length you need and put in and try to push lifter up with handle while pulling it up with the magnet. This may be a situation you need to hit it from both ends.

numbadoh

I spent 2 hours trying to coax it to go back up and finally broke down and took the heads off, in an hour. Cam is in! Thank you all for your help.