My cams were $499 then buddy of mine and myself put them in. Took right around 4 hours. Then had the car flashed. Didn't get 40 hp though...

 

this is for anyone that did the work themselves on the cobalt cams, did you guys run into any issues, or anything that will make the install go quicker?

 

does anybody know how hard it is to change the cams? like i know the process of how to and what not but does anybody know hard it is to get the chain off? and how long that usually takes? thaks a lot


ryan

 

If you have the right tools you can do JUST your cams in 1.0 hr or so (you don’t even need to pull the front cover off) However if you plan to change your timing gears, as well, then you will need to take significant precautions to make sure the cams remain timed to the crank. This CAN be done in a guerrilla "mark everything" fashion and still be OK (like that shown in the piston swap in the build book)

But to KNOW for sure that everything is correctly timed up (so you don’t knock a valve into a piston on start up) you will need to pull the front cover and have the necessary info for PIPing the valve timing. In that case you're looking at closer to 2.0-3.0 hrs for a professional and even DOUBLE that or more with someone less experienced.
WopOnTour

 

There's an article in the Dec. 2005 HCi magazine that has a write-up on how to degree and install camshafts on a 2.0 ecotec.

 

I tried to change the cam gears on my zx5 focus. And I didnt know you werent soppouse to move the cams around and I When I tried to turn on the car, it wouldnt turn on. Then i noticed it was because of the timing. So I kept moving the cams around and testinsg and ghessing to seee if they would turn on. Well, Last try came and I I heard a big boom!!!!!!!! Then i blew like 8 valves and retainers and i dont know how many more things. It costed me around $ 1500 for the intall. lol Never again will i try something like this backing up on instructions only.