Hello, This past friday i picked up my car from a local performance shop,where they installed a CC-502 cam,(had the CC-501), My mods are listed below. Dont know the specs on my aftermarket springs that were installed with the CC-501--Just the cam was changed this time. --My son drove from the shop with me in car to show his big brother, then i drove to our house where i noticed my oil level gauge was lower than before the cam swap, at lights it would point close to the neg red side but go up when the pedal was pressed,but still not where it has been before this cam install. I thought maybe this guy didnt have enough oil, so i waited till sat. morning to check level,was ok--crank the car and heard a light banging noise that i think came under the passenger side valve cover--turn car off, tried again and the car wont fire up. Im thinking a rocker nut or spring is off.-Wild quess- Car will have to be towed back to the shop. When just a cam is installed do they have to take the Pro Mag Rockers/springs off as part of the cam install. The starter sounds bad also--Not a good vacation This car was not raced from the shop, it was babied, i did call the guy about the oil pressure and he said he would put a mechanical gauge on it, doesnt know about it not firing up,closed on Sat. Whats would be his responsibility on this?? Who pays for the tow etc??Thanks Dwayne

 

They should give you a break on the towing charges. Looks like they're pointing in the right direction by hooking up a mechanical oil gauge to diagnose the low oil pressure problem.

No, they didn't have to take the rockers off, but probably had to loosen them up to get the pushrods out, and lifters to install the cam. Do you know the condition of your lifters? Are they up to par for the new cam?

 

No i dont know anything about my lifter condition, I just know that my oil gauge was way higher up before the cam only install and the car was running. Im thinking since i heard that banging/tapping noise under the passenger valve cover(not knowing better), that a rocker nut or something came off and wont let it fire. Im trying to fiqure whats his responsibility on this, if he had to loosen the rockers then he may have fouled up Thanks dwayne

 

I think it's all their reponsibility. No matter how you look at it, they had to set the lash on the valves regardless, and that involves loosening up the rockers, and tighten them up to spec.

 

There is no getting around removing the rockers to get the cam out. I think cam bearings have something to do with oil pressure? Maybee they gouged one removing/installing the cam.

I'd pull the valve covers to see if a rocker didn't come off a push rod. I wouldn't drive till you know your rockers are on and secure. It will make a very pronounced knock/tap if you dropped a pushrod.

Z

 

I had the exact same thing happen to me by a shop.....i drove it home and sounded like silverware in the engine...i popped the covers and sure enough the RR were not adjusted properly and it spit the pushrod down into the block.

As far as who is responsible...unless they are really dependent on there reputation and are known for quality work they should take care of it even the tow (that is if they bought the parts- if you gave him the parts to install) you'll be lucky to receive a return phone call even though it was his workmanship- The shop that screwed me walked right away from the problem (i gave him the parts) and its hard to find a legal loop hole in performance modifications.

 

Yikes you let a shop work on your car I would recheck all your rrs and see if they are tight enough. Hope you didn't spin a bearing.

 

Great i hope this guy stays true, he told me awhile back he would do a good job for me, said he knew or knew of(cant recall), Bryan at Pcmforless. Said he knew LT-1's well. The only thing i gave him was the CC-502 cam, the rest of the stuff is in my sig. I would think if some shop installed a part and messed something else up it would be on them. He seemed like an ok kid, im almost 49- Thanks for your help Dwayne--P.S. My wife told me we have prepaid legal help, that she has been paying on. Hope it doesnt come to that--will see Monday.

 

Your not still using the stock valve springs are you??

 

From the sounds of it this is the third cam that's been in the motor...stock, 501, now 502. I'm guessing the cam bearings have never been changed?? If the motor is getting up there in miles....this really needs to be looked at.

 

Would a loose RR have any significant effect on the engine's oil pressure? If the oil pressure is considerably lower, it sounds like it could possibly be that a cam bearing has been spun (probably a result of the bearings getting crap in them during the install). But definitely have the shop hook the car up to the gauge to make sure about the oil pressure problem. Not sure why it is not starting now either?

But Dwayne, I really wish you would have just left that CC501 in your car bro and gone with a cutout + 3.73 gears or something...Hopefully your engine won't need rebuilt because of the install, but hang in there and just make sure to cover every base before jumping to any conclusions (because maybe the problems are only minor after all).

Keep us updated,

Mike

 

You should have a copy of all the parts and labor done. Does the shop warranty their work? Bottom line is that some shops (owners) will not acknowledge that they might have been responsible for the problems and are willing to take care of them. If this happens to be the case then sorry to say, but you are most likely SOL, especially if it was a bad cam install.

If it is the top end, you should be able see obvious signes when you remove the valve cover(s), but regardless, DO NOT run the engine until you find out the problem. As far as towing, does your insurance cover it? If not, you are again SOL unless the shop takes care of it for you.

I have total sympathy, since I went through the same thing twice ( I finally switched mechanics) Mechanics are like a box of chocolates--you never know what your going to get. As someone mentioned, by all means, make sure you have the proper springs for that cam. Good luck. JMHO

 

Dwayne, you should have just gave me the 502 the first time and you wouldn't have to be worrying! Who installed the cam? Send me a PM if you have to.

 

Boy i hope you guys are wrong about a rebuild, this guy seems alright, said he couldnt find nothing wrong with the car, fired up for him He did pick up the car on a flatbed-said i needed a tune, knew that, said i needed a bigger stall,kinda knew that-this suppose to be the biggest i can go on a stock tc-- Still concerned about the oil pressure gauge deal, told him what you guys said may have happen about nicking a bearing--said he was real carefull. Said his meter said my car idled at 600 plus range, even though my cars gauge has it way higher--Dont know--Thanks for your help on this--I hope i dont regret my upgrade. Thanks Dwayne

 

I would say that our rpm gauges aren't very accurate. So if indeed your car is idling at 600 rpm, then this would cause a drop in oil pressure. I don't know how much? But if you rev the motor, does the pressure come up. When I mean rev the motor, don't floor it, just bring it up to 1000-2000 on your rpm gauge. If the oil pressure rises, then you might have a idle problem, like a a bad or need to be reset IAC valve.

Did the shop inspect the rockers and make sure you didn't drop a pushrod?

ZMAN