Looks like I need a new cam. Replacing it is beyond my mechanical ability. How much can I look to pay for replacing it? It is a 97 LT1.

And is their anything else that can be easily replaced and/or upgraded while the cam is being installed?

 

why does it need to be replaced?
what kind of cam are you looking at getting?

and yes, there are some other parts to replace while changing out the cam. timing chain for one. i would also look into getting the valvetrain refreshed. personal preference. and if you havent done a tune up in a while, i would consider getting one done.

and by mechanical ability, do you mean that you dont have the tools to do it or the mechanical knowledge to change the cam out?

 

Car died the other day under normal operating. It gave no signs of trouble prior to dying. It shows no oil pressure, (but it has a full level of oil), and will not fire while restarting.

Brought it to a shop I trust and they are thinking it is either the cam or valves that have gone bad. The checked fuel pressure and it is fine. They are suppose to take the valve covers off today and inspect further as well as conducting a compression check. The car is not driven hard, has never been to the track, and has less than 55k miles on it, so I am a little disappointed that the engine might have failed.


both

 

I think you took it to the wrong place...My opinion.

 

Did it have oil pressure before it died? Because it won't show any oil pressure until it starts anyway. If it stopped running suddenly with no mech. noise or vibrations then It may not be something mechanical. It is probably something having to do with ignition since the fuel pressure is fine. But if you trust the shop then hear them out. Then maybe get a second opinion.

 

Dude, you're at the wrong shop. Cams don't just "go bad" and shut the car off unless they break. And chevy cams don't break often. The fact they would even suspect that makes me think they're a bunch of goons. An experienced mechanic wouldn't go there unless the car had a full electronic diagnostic. An experienced mechanic would also know that LT1s are not a flat tappet engine. H*ll, I've had flat tappet engines with a bad cam, they don't shut down until they run like sh*t for a year and you've had plenty of warning. I sure wouldn't let them pull the valve covers without a full diagnostic. Even if it dropped a valve, the other 7 cylinders would be trying to work, and it would at least sputter.

LOOK AT THE OPTISPARK AND COIL!

You're probably looking at an electronic failure. Mechanical failures don't just shut the car off unless there's a big bang as metal starts flying. By all means, get it away from those goons before they soak you for a bunch of cash and probably screw your car up beyond whatever is actually wrong. Just my opinion.

 

Sounds like bad mechanics to me.... for all the reasons in the posts above

If they haven't torn your engine apart yet, and they told you that the cam is probably bad, they're making it up as it could be any number of different things. Cam's don't just go bad....

Always get a second opinion when its something bigger like that and your not mechanically inclined enough to diagnose it yourself...

 

Yep
SPEEDYGUN read up a bit and you might learn whats wrong with your car

 

aaaahhh, ive been to one of those mechanics before. get it out of there. even if you have to tow it away! youll spend less money in tools and learn something if you try the few basics that are pointed out already (check coil/opti). there are plenty of writeups on how to do everything yourself on this website (and lots of pictures). or try shbox.com

lol, reminds me of the time a mechanic tried charging me $600+ (not including labor) for putting in a new opti (i wasnt as mechanically inclined at the time, but still not retarded). and his reasoning for it costing so much....it was a racing opti . i called his bluff on that one. got my car back and never saw the guy again.

 

Thanks for the info guys. Looks like I'm going to be taking it somewhere else. The more I think about it, the more I think that the guys don't have the capability of diagnosing the problem. The have done some great work in the past as far as repairs on vehicles of mine, but they have been minor repairs. They were always my 2nd opinion and their price are always much lower than anyone elses.

I don't think it is the opti as I JUST had it replaced and when it went bad, it didn't sound anythoing like it does now when I try to turn it over. It sounds like it is out of gas, but it has fuel as well as fuel pressure

 

like everyone elseis saying, sound like a ignition/ electronics or spark problem to me
check the coil and wires, maknig syure everythingis connected before you spend a ****load of money

 

I tried. I search cam and got over 500 matches

 

Here's an awesome story-
In high school 10 years ago, I bought a 77 monte carlo for $30. The car just shut itself off on the side of the interstate, and the owner's mechanic insisted it "threw the rings out". If you know anything about engines, then you know they don't "throw rings out". I was 16, and I knew better, but couldn't convince the car's owner that his mechanic was a baboon. Rather than watch it go to the junkyard, I scored it for the cost of the tow, threw a $20 ignition module in, and beat the snot out of it for 2 years. Still ran great when I wrecked it.

Moral of this story- Some mechanics have their head up their @ss, and it can cost their customer big time.

 

It's obvious the originator of this thread is now aware that his mechanic may not be the right choice this time. My advie to you is buy a Helms manual since they are on sale for $30 each, buy some tools, and start making repairs to you own car.

Just to add my $0.02,, I had an 81 cutlass with 305,, two cam lobes almost worn to nothing, six teeth missing on the cam gear, the timing chain so loose it was hitting the timing chain cover,,, car still ran,,, gutless but actually ran pretty good,,, gotta love the small block Chevy.

 

Racing Opti.....