Cam bearing replacement with rotating assembly?

[bsampson]

Lq4 6.0L with 180,000 miles.

In attempting to remove the cam for a cam swap, it got hung up, and I had to tap it back in. After that, it came out easily. Looking through the lifter holes though, I see the center cam bearing is pushed half way out. So, I guess I’m doing cam bearings too.

If the cam bearings are bad, should I be concerned with the main bearings?

Should I pull the crankshaft so I can more easily replace cam bearings? I’ve seen videos or people doing it with the crank installed, but it seems awfully tight.

And finally, if I pull the crank, do I risk anything? (Assuming I put the caps back on the same location they are now).

This is going to be a weekend cruiser, not a race engine.

[71cadc10]

I've never tried to put them in with the crank in the way...I guess it's possible but would be tough.
If that cam bearing walked out far enough it likely was rubbing on the lifter, which will put a lot of soft debris in the engine. You'll see a nice half-moon shaped notch in the side of the bearing if the lifter rubbed it.
I've had this happen...oil pressure drops too if it walked far enough to uncover the feed hole.

If you pull it apart to inspect, probably a good idea to check the main/rod bearings I think. Just keep all caps orientation and locations, and you should be good to re-assemble it. Replacing the rod bolts with new is often done at this time. Main bolts are not torq-to-yield so you don't have to do new main bolts.

[bsampson]

Thanks Cad. It will be a couple weeks before I can get back to it, but I will pull the crankshaft. If I find anything interesting, I’ll update the post.