Anyway to check if your cam is worn without pulling engine?

[AKcharger]

Have to pull engine to paint bay. If there's ever a time to change it its now BUT if its good don't wanna mess with it.

Any tricks? Vacuum test perhaps?

[Nacho-RT74]

With valve covers out measuring the valve lift? Dunno if using hyd tappers would get a correct measure.

[INTMD8]

Best would be remove the intake manifold. Mechanical you could measure at the rockers but you won't have a visual of the cam.

[AKcharger]

Thanks guys, yeah those came to mind, I was hoping something else 

[XH29N0G]

Why can't you remove the rocker arm assembly and then measure from the pushrod? 

It would require some way to hold the pushrod so it didn't flip about, but I would think that could be figured out.  Even with the hydraulics, I would think you could at least get the lift.

If you drop a pushrod into the valley or something else you have other problems. 

Is there a reason to suspect the cam? 

[bee1971]

First post said your pulling the engine anyways for paint ?

You could always do a simple compression check before yanking out the motor

Then if you suspect something based on low compression , then you know what you have to do

[AKcharger]

XH - That was my thinking, I was going to measure all the rockets for uniform measurement but that will on;y find gross errors
Bee- Correct, Paint is done but I kept car intact and drivable do bay looks horrible in comparrison. I'm trying to make a comprehensive plan to pull-paint-reinstall engine in a 3 day period to limit down time, I'll put compression test on the list!

The Delema of course is there's a host of things to do to the engine while it's out is I wanted...SOOO much easier BUT you enter the "rabbit hole" of "well while this is out you should do this...now that that's out of the way you should do that, well now that you changed that you HAVE to change this.." and on and on and on

[metallicareload99]

Have to pull engine to paint bay. If there's ever a time to change it its now BUT if its good don't wanna mess with it.

Any tricks? Vacuum test perhaps?

Flat tappet cam? I would definitely take off the intake and turn the motor over with the starter! Make sure the lifters are rotating

[AKcharger]

[quote author=metallicareload99 link=topic=139116.msg1722871#msg1722871 date=1608575897

Flat tappet cam? I would definitely take off the intake and turn the motor over with the starter! Make sure the lifters are rotating
[/quote]

Easy enough I guess

[metallicareload99]

Easy enough I guess

Absolutely, I had a lifter that wouldn't rotate. When the cam was pulled, that lobe had lost a lot of lift