Is This Camshaft Reusable? Or Too Pitted?

[jmo2610]

Not necessarily. If yours has VVT, it's probably worth the extra 15 lb ft around town to keep it. In which case, you'll want to keep the factory-style tensioner, though I do recommend replacing it with new. In my case, I was working on a 6.2 and the dyno tests for the cam I used showed no losses down low but nice gains in the midrange and higher, where I need them for towing. So I didn't care about VVT in my application since it's mostly for fuel economy on these anyway.

All of this reminds me - I don't think we ever established which model year and engine you're working with.

Mine is a 2013 Yukon XL Denali. 6.2

 

[West 1]

Unless there is hidden damage not shown in the photo that is what used roller cams look like. With roller lifters they do not wear down. Failed roller cams are caused by a bad lifter. Owners run the broken AFM lifters while they are clacking till the cam gets damaged. Does not look like you did that. The cam would run 300,000 miles or much more. If they could just provide lifters that could do that also............ And it would be nice if they modified the block so we could change these dang lifters without pulling the heads.

 

[Just Fishing]

Mine is a 2013 Yukon XL Denali. 6.2

VVT?

 

[Just Fishing]

Non VVT camshaft: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/nal-12638427
I believe this is the one I'm running in my 6.0, I like it.

ETA: Well that's the 3 bolt version, I have the single bolt... I'm not finding it doing a quick search.

 

[West 1]

The cam looks fine to me, if you don't think it is good have a shop polish it, it will look brand new again. Roller cams last one heck of a long time. The same design goes into the Duramax Diesel, no one tears them down for a cam and they last 300,000+ miles. Not saying it is pretty but I don't see anything on that cam that will make a lifter wheel fail. Roller cams are durable. When I see bad ones it is because the owner had a bad lifter and kept driving it while it was broken till the bad lifter did damage to the cam surface.
Every lobe needs close inspection to make sure you don't have hidden damage. It sounds like you already made a decision to install a new cam. At least the Non AFM lifters cost much less!

 

[jmo2610]

VVT?

Yep. Deleting the VVT, too. I decided to go ahead and replace everything, so 3-bolt cam, new sprocket, new chain damper.

 

[jmo2610]

The cam looks fine to me, if you don't think it is good have a shop polish it, it will look brand new again. Roller cams last one heck of a long time. The same design goes into the Duramax Diesel, no one tears them down for a cam and they last 300,000+ miles. Not saying it is pretty but I don't see anything on that cam that will make a lifter wheel fail. Roller cams are durable. When I see bad ones it is because the owner had a bad lifter and kept driving it while it was broken till the bad lifter did damage to the cam surface.
Every lobe needs close inspection to make sure you don't have hidden damage. It sounds like you already made a decision to install a new cam. At least the Non AFM lifters cost much less!

Jesus I almost wish you wouldn't have said all this. I'm already waayyyy too deep now.

 

[j91z28d1]

Jesus I almost wish you wouldn't have said all this. I'm already waayyyy too deep now.

if it helps. your lifters was toast and you can't run a non afm lifter on a afm cam. so you'd have had to replace the afm lifters with new ones. all the aftermarket ones fail almost instantly, so oem dealership, which I believe are 800$ a set these days. and then if you're like I just put new lifter in it. I may as well leave afm enabled. you'd want to replace the vlom too. that's a few 100 more and then a 100k from now it fails all over again.

 

[Geotrash]

if it helps. your lifters was toast and you can't run a non afm lifter on a afm cam. so you'd have had to replace the afm lifters with new ones. all the aftermarket ones fail almost instantly, so oem dealership, which I believe are 800$ a set these days. and then if you're like I just put new lifter in it. I may as well leave afm enabled. you'd want to replace the vlom too. that's a few 100 more and then a 100k from now it fails all over again.

This. You’re getting rid of the problem system.

 

[jmo2610]

Do you guys know if local stores sell the red pickup tube o-ring? My pump came with two black o-rings... am I supposed to stack those?