How many people have fitted new cams/springs/shims with the engine still in the car??? Just wondered on your opinions.

 

Threre is no need to pull the motor to install cams. Just take off the front of the car which sounds harder than it is.

JET

 

I was thinking more along the lines of keeping valves in place whilst doing the springs, as I would need the springs/shims doing for the cams i want to install.

 

I did it in my vq35 maxima. Being that it was fwd it is harder than on the Z. It was a pain in the a$$ but doable.

 

I've heard one trick is to blow some compressed air in through the spark plug hole to keep the valves from falling in.

 

If the shop is at the point, where they have the cams off the heads, it wouldnt too much more work, just to remove the heads completely, and do the spring/shim swap on the bench. You will need a new headgasket when you are done, however.
Edit: Well..I guess it would be a gair amount of work, since you have your turbo kit on the car...LOL.

Plan B....compressed air using a leak down tester. I havent tried it yet...let us know how it goes.

 

Thats the way you do it --Use the disconnectable hose on your compression tester and bring the piston up to TDC, apply 25-30 PSI, compress the spring, remove the retainer, remove spring and shims.

TDC is best because it will catch a valve if it drops and you can pull it up and repressurize. But, lock your motor somehow so the compressed air doesnt push the cylinder down

 

A leak down tester would be ideal as Sharif said

 

The time it took to get the heads out of my car while the motor in WAS NOT WORTH IT. Pull the motor. Besides.. you really do need to be sure everything is perectly lined up while putting in a new head gasket.

 

I really really dont want to have to pull the motor again on this car, this may just work out too expensive if that is the case, just to do cams.

 

Any other opinions?

 

If you dont want to pull the motor out and you dont want to pull the heads with the engine in the car, there are no options except for posts 5, 6 Plan B, and 7

Number 7 I have done many times with a multitude of engines

 

LOL, ok, fair enough.

 

Good luck !!!!

 

Ive developed plan 8F.....................

 

Hey hey! Good to see you on here...

 

what's up man! I decided to get a big boy car

 

just stick a piece of rope in the spark plug hole when the piston is at bdc, then crank till it pushes tight onto the bottom of the valves. some retainer locks will try to stick on ya and you may pop the seal if compressed air is used. simple and cheap!

 

With the right tools it is not a big deal . Its a tedious and very time consuming job and definitly there is no room for mistakes, just folow the firing order and do one cylinder at a time ,once we have the cylinder filled up with air there is some special tools that really allow you to switch the spring within a couple of minutes , of course times 24 , so count on 16 hours including replacing the cams . Here are some pics to demonstrate the process notice the rod that sits in place of where the camshaft would be, this tool allows you compress the spring and change it easily. Courtesy of GT Motorsports technical support team

-Sam

GT MOTORSPORTS


.

 

Interesting....... course, turn the motor by hand. Nylon rope would be best if you went that way.
If you take a socket the size of the retainers (slightly smaller) place it on the retainers and give each a quick short lick with a hammer, it will free up those locks.