Camshaft removal: It's stuck!

Okay, so putting the timing gear back on temporarily gave me enough leverage to pull the cam out.

But for those of you who might have been wondering "Can you remove the cam without removing the A/C condenser?", the answer is no. That, of course, has opened up its own can or worms.

I'm well on my way to really hating this truck. The A/C was one of the few things that worked really well, and now it doesn't work at all. Grrr...

It will be close but due able.
Did you remove the a/c lines or just removed the compressor and set it over to the the left side of the engine.

I just assembled my 2004 4.6 and yea like simpson said put the timing gear on the cam, give you something to hold on to. be gentle don't scar the bearings... condensor was only about 8 screws more than usual lol but not to bad I pulled the grill and slipped the trans cooler out and left it in place HUGE PAIN IN THE BUTT lol. I'm a collision tech lol I do rads and condensors all the time so it wasn't to bad.

fyi tape up all the A/C lines you open up, a vacuum and recharge shouldn't cost that much if your really feeling froggy you can buy a vacuum pump at harbor freight, I don't know how well they work, I own a cornwell 6hp works pretty quick but pricey.

You do not need to remove the a/c lines, just remove the compressor, hoses attached and set it over the the left side of the engine.

Disco Mike said:

You do not need to remove the a/c lines, just remove the compressor, hoses attached and set it over the the left side of the engine.

Click to expand...

Four bolts that hold the compressor to the bracket, lift and move it over.

mbruneaux said:

Four bolts that hold the compressor to the bracket, lift and move it over.

Click to expand...

Just to be clear, the ultimate goal here is to remove and replace the camshaft, and the question was "do I need to remove the A/C condenser" (the radiator-like thing), not the compressor, to do that. The answer, unfortunately, is yes. Oh, you can disconnect the lines feeding it and twist it out of the way, but once you've done that the charge is lost and you may as well remove it entirely.

As for a lube to use on your new cam and lifters, look at Royal Purples cam/assembly lube not break in oil.
Also consider reading my sticky on head gasket and valve train noise so you can replace as necessary any warn valve train parts that are also shot.

wmsimpson said:

Just to be clear, the ultimate goal here is to remove and replace the camshaft, and the question was "do I need to remove the A/C condenser" (the radiator-like thing), not the compressor, to do that. The answer, unfortunately, is yes. Oh, you can disconnect the lines feeding it and twist it out of the way, but once you've done that the charge is lost and you may as well remove it entirely.

Click to expand...

You do not have to evacuate the AC system to remove / install the cam.
You will need to remove the radiator and disconnect the condenser and lines from it's mounting brackets. Do not disconnect the lines them self or evacuate the system. There is enough flex in the lines to lift the condenser up and slide the cam underneath. Be carefully not to tweak the aluminum hard lines connecting to the side of the condenser. Flex should come from closer to the frame.