Do I have to take the engine out to change camshaft?

I bought this 2015 Z51 corvette about 6 months ago and now it has been in the dealership for 4 weeks. The engine is covered under a aftermarket warranty, so the repair is covered. I have been told it took sometime to get all the parts in to fix it. It seems like #2 &4 lifters and camshaft are worn so bad, I went and looked at it last week for myself. Left head is off to get at the lifters.

I have not worked on this new LT1 type engine. I have rebuilt a few older LT1's and older Chevey 327s and 350s and I never had to take the engine out. Radiator had to be removed.

I am tired of listening to the service manager telling me one thing after another about why it is taking so long. I really do not want to have to put the parts in a bin and have the vette towed to someplace else to finish the job.

I apricate any help anyone can provide.

Thx

 

The issue is the oil pan has to come off. The oil pump has a connector that can't be removed with out the pan coming off. Quite a few shops remove the engine for a cam swap.

 

When I did my cam swap, I took out the motor. This route was much easier as you had a lot more room to work. Also, the oil pumps on these cars need to be aligned exactly, so special alignment tools are required (EN-51267). I found with the motor out it was much easier to get the alignment of the oil pump correct. Alternatively, you can lower the cradle and remove the pan and timing cover that way to keep the motor in the car and change the camshaft. This becomes tricky in my opinion because of the alignment that is needed and because the timing cover and oil pan do not use gaskets and rather use RTV to seal them, so getting them placed correctly and sealed correctly can become difficult while the motor is in the car. Either way it is up to you on which route to go and which you feel will yield you the best results. Also, while you are in there, (especially if you are installing a performance cam) I would recommend deleting the VVT sprocket gear with a LME VVT delete kit and using an upgraded C5R chain. Also, a Katech oil pump would not be a bad idea to get increased oil pressure all throughout the RPM range, but it is up to you. After I did my cam swap about a year and a half ago, I decided that I wanted to do the new oil pump along with deleting the bag, bulky VVT sprocket gear in order to make the car even more reliable as I am pushing it harder than I initially thought I would. These extra parts are just for peace of mind, but while you are in there, it could be beneficial to do. Anyway, good luck with getting the car back and running and if you have any other questions feel free to ask.

 

I am still waiting for the dealership to fix my vette. Lifters on 2 & 4 were bad and took out the cam lobes. It has been 6 weeks now.

Getting tired of there excuses. Damage covered by warranty. Problem caused by the great "8 to 4 to 8 GM design. I would recommend that you retune the vette and tune out the "8 to 4 to 8" out of the tune.

I am still

 

Hello, sorry to revive a dead thread. But my wife just bought a 2015 Z51. It’s got 58k on it and I’d like to throw a pro charger on it with exhaust and all the other fixins. I’ve been looking online and I haven’t been able to find a rebuild kit outright. May I ask where to look or what to get. I’m just extremely paranoid about putting a supercharger on a stock motor. Never touched a vette before so I’m extremely excited to rip through it. Thanks for any and all info.

 

why are you going to rebuild it ???

63,000 On the car , last 10 to 12 thousand procharged ....raced and driven hard , almost my daily ..... AFM is just turned off in the tune ... Pro charge it and stop worrying but make sure your wife can handle the power .....
Dave

 

Thats sweet. I appreciate the pic and the info. Yes safety first, thank you for your concern.