2012 Yukon XL Denali 6.2L Cam Swap Thread

[Geotrash]

Damn Dave, just got caught up on the latest.

Hopefully you nail down the root cause of this.

Thanks Jeremy. I've decided to pull the oil pan again and install the new Melling M395HV pump I originally bought for this project, along with the proper o-ring for this application. I'll also pull the valley pan and install a set of plug in the towers just in case. I'm also thinking I'll either plug the oil bypass in the oil pan or replace the pan with a new one with a new bypass valve.

 

[1BADI5]

Sucks you have to tear everything back down, but lessons learned will ensure you're mint this time!

 

[iamdub]

Thanks Jeremy. I've decided to pull the oil pan again and install the new Melling M395HV pump I originally bought for this project, along with the proper o-ring for this application. I'll also pull the valley pan and install a set of plug in the towers just in case. I'm also thinking I'll either plug the oil bypass in the oil pan or replace the pan with a new one with a new bypass valve.

That pop-off valve in the pan isn't needed if you don't have AFM. Just replace it with a $4 oil plug. I'm a fan of plugging the towers, too. It's another $5 insurance premium against possible oil leak points.

 

[Geotrash]

Sucks you have to tear everything back down, but lessons learned will ensure you're mint this time!

That's exactly right. I don't even feel upset about it. It's just part of the process.

 

[Geotrash]

That pop-off valve in the pan isn't needed if you don't have AFM. Just replace it with a $4 oil plug. I'm a fan of plugging the towers, too. It's another $5 insurance premium against possible oil leak points.

Thanks Chris. Question though: I bought the Melling M395HV oil pump for this build. Should I just reconsider and buy a standard volume pump instead?

 

[Geotrash]

For the group wisdom: Given the oil leak-down issue I saw (big plume of blue smoke on each startup), I'm wondering if the dual spring setup and the finicky oil seals are more trouble than they're worth. Understanding that I'll have to buy a new cam and lifters given that the damage was caused by inadequate lubrication to the tune of $600, I priced out a Stage 1 truck cam kit at Summit with the springs and one-piece spring bases with integrated seals, new beehive springs and matching lifters for $650. Good reviews on all pieces. What say you? What I care most about is long term durability and hassle-free component service life. The Vinci setup, while higher performance, feels more experimental than I have the patience for, long-term.

 

[ls1frc]

Id do the oil pump first before swapping cam/lifters. Your cam isn't damaged with those lines on it. Swap pump and run it first imo.

If you can return the oil pump, I'd do that and get the 10295 oil pump. That is meant for non dod/non vvt but will be higher pressure than stock. 10296 is high pressure, 18% more volume. 10355 is high pressure/33% more volume. It's for DOD/VVT.

If you can't return it, I'd just run it. Not like you're gonna suck the pan dry while road racing your truck lol.

As for the springs, my BTR duals were fine for years on my G8 with the felpro seals I recommended.

If you wanna switch, PAC 1219 are solid.

 

[Geotrash]

Id do the oil pump first before swapping cam/lifters. Your cam isn't damaged with those lines on it. Swap pump and run it first imo.

If you can return the oil pump, I'd do that and get the 10295 oil pump. That is meant for non dod/non vvt but will be higher pressure than stock. 10296 is high pressure, 18% more volume. 10355 is high pressure/33% more volume. It's for DOD/VVT.

If you can't return it, I'd just run it. Not like you're gonna suck the pan dry while road racing your truck lol.

As for the springs, my BTR duals were fine for years on my G8 with the felpro seals I recommended.

If you wanna switch, PAC 1219 are solid.

Thank you again, Mike. That's exactly the kind of input I needed - thank you. I reckon I will leave everything else intact, swap the valve stem seals and the pump, and make sure I get good oil pressure everywhere, then see where we end up. My only fear is either those lifters or the cam starting to make metal at some point and doing damage to the rest of the engine. Roger said he would take a closer look at the pictures I sent tomorrow and give his best professional opinion on the cam's chances for survival with good oiling.

 

[ls1frc]

The little light lines are nothing. If it was a deep gouge already, I'd be concerned. The noise you were getting was a lack of oil for sure. I remember when my relief valve stuck open in my oil pump in my GTO, the valvetrain sounded exactly the same.

 

[thompsoj22]

I heard from Roger this morning. He says he has cams with 100,000 miles on them that don’t look like this or have any detectable wear patterns. I believe him. In his opinion, this is classic lack of oiling issues, but even though the oil pressure was lower by about five psi than before the cam swap, it’s still well within spec for this engine. So I don’t know what to do next.


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I cant find where you found the cause? The cam/lifters/stem seals/springs/retainers/pushrods you installed imo require no more "oiling" or a different viscosity than the cam and oem components you removed? If you cant find an installation error on teardown than i would not reinstall any of the divinci kit! can you compare oem /divinci cam journal measurements? Throw those lifters in the deepest pit you can find and replace with oem, are you certain there is no spring bind in your valve train setup? The wear looks like extreme pressure more than lack of oiling imo. you saw a 5 psi drop in oil pressure with the installation of the new parts, That should not have happened. We also tow a 4500 lb TT and i rarely see rpm in excess of 5k. Are you sure oem valve springs wont work? This rant hinges on the pick up tube o ring and the valley cover having no defect.