Cams + install = $3000? - Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community

Superhatch · 11-11-2012, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reputable Vendor

Is it reasonable to spend $3000 to get some cams installed? Yes. If you ever wanted more power, its another $3000 to get more agressive cams installed.

I'm coming from a mainly Honda background, where you could swap K20 cams in 15 minutes on your own and they cost about $700 for a stage 2 set.

Is this 3K number something we should expect for FA20 cam swaps? I'm looking at other sites and seeing about $600-800 for a set of EJ20 cams...is the install cost really going to be $2400?

Tansey86 · 11-11-2012, 03:58 PM

Well we need 4 cams, so a set of 4 will probably be around 1500 dollars, and right now 1500 for an install I guess isnt out of the question. This motor is a pain in the ass to work on apparently.

Drift-Office · 11-11-2012, 04:01 PM

I'd like to see anyone install a set of cams on the FA20 in 15 minutes...

track_warrior · 11-11-2012, 04:02 PM

I think i heard my mechanic say we need to drop the engine to do cams

. Might as well save up and do more mods like valve springs, retainers, arp head studs, as well as some porting.

Supermassive · 11-11-2012, 05:04 PM

This is one of those things that makes me happy I have the patience to do my own work. I would never pay that much for cams to be installed thats just not worth it. I would do it for an excuse to pull the engine out of the car just so I know how to do it in the future. I cant imagine that this car would be too difficult to pull the engine. I think after doing it a couple times you could pull it in 2-3hours tops.

Calidrifter · 11-11-2012, 05:16 PM

I heard that the engine can be pulled out pretty quick as well. The estimate might be based on how new the car is and techs not knowing how fast you can pull the engine.

xwd · 11-11-2012, 05:17 PM

It might be possible to do it without pulling the engine but given the instructions on jacking up the engine to change the spark plugs, it would probably be faster and much less painful to just pull the engine. I used to be able to pull my EJ257 engine in like 45 minutes and there is no turbo stuff on this car so it can't take that long.

There are also four cams and lots of stuff which needs to be put back together correctly, but $2400 for labor seems excessive.

I would recommend doing it whenever you need to swap the clutch and just do that as well when the engine is out.

jkonquer · 11-11-2012, 07:30 PM

Timing belt change on boxer motor costs around 800 bucks. Considering you will have to take the engine off, i would say somewhere around 1000 is a average price.
And yes we need 4 cams with twice of work

ANTI_LAG · 11-11-2012, 09:02 PM

Engine must be pulled, complete front timing covered pulled, valve covers, then you can finally get to the cams. Then reverse it all. That's going to be a pretty labor intensive job, so a reputable shop will charge for thier time spent. I see cams only being sold for this when someone is already building the motor. Pretty much how it goes for the subby guys.

OrbitalEllipses · 11-11-2012, 11:28 PM

This ain't your daddy's inline 4. Headwork on a boxer is a PITA.

11-11-2012, 04:02 PM	#4
track_warrior Track Junkie Join Date: Mar 2012 Drives: Faster than the Stig! Location: TX Posts: 1,338 Thanks: 530 Thanked 770 Times in 363 Posts Mentioned: 10 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	I think i heard my mechanic say we need to drop the engine to do cams . Might as well save up and do more mods like valve springs, retainers, arp head studs, as well as some porting. __________________ Compensating a heavy car with horsepower is like giving an alcoholic cocaine to sober him up...

11-11-2012, 07:30 PM	#8
jkonquer Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Drives: 2005 Subaru STI Location: Socal Posts: 418 Thanks: 4 Thanked 73 Times in 55 Posts Mentioned: 7 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Timing belt change on boxer motor costs around 800 bucks. Considering you will have to take the engine off, i would say somewhere around 1000 is a average price. And yes we need 4 cams with twice of work __________________

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11-11-2012, 03:58 PM	#2
Tansey86 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Drives: 2003 Subaru Outback Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 1,318 Thanks: 154 Thanked 528 Times in 300 Posts Mentioned: 3 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Well we need 4 cams, so a set of 4 will probably be around 1500 dollars, and right now 1500 for an install I guess isnt out of the question. This motor is a pain in the ass to work on apparently.

11-11-2012, 04:01 PM	#3
Drift-Office Senior Member Join Date: May 2012 Drives: AE86 / FRS / FC3S / GC8 / S14 / R32 Location: Auburn, WA Posts: 789 Thanks: 633 Thanked 1,431 Times in 372 Posts Mentioned: 169 Post(s) Tagged: 2 Thread(s)	I'd like to see anyone install a set of cams on the FA20 in 15 minutes...

11-11-2012, 05:17 PM	#7
xwd Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Drives: 2013 DGM Subaru BRZ (Subie #9) Location: ATL, US Posts: 2,667 Thanks: 123 Thanked 860 Times in 552 Posts Mentioned: 32 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	It might be possible to do it without pulling the engine but given the instructions on jacking up the engine to change the spark plugs, it would probably be faster and much less painful to just pull the engine. I used to be able to pull my EJ257 engine in like 45 minutes and there is no turbo stuff on this car so it can't take that long. There are also four cams and lots of stuff which needs to be put back together correctly, but $2400 for labor seems excessive. I would recommend doing it whenever you need to swap the clutch and just do that as well when the engine is out.

11-11-2012, 09:02 PM	#9
ANTI_LAG Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Drives: Ones with Big Turbos Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 182 Thanks: 0 Thanked 153 Times in 68 Posts Mentioned: 5 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Engine must be pulled, complete front timing covered pulled, valve covers, then you can finally get to the cams. Then reverse it all. That's going to be a pretty labor intensive job, so a reputable shop will charge for thier time spent. I see cams only being sold for this when someone is already building the motor. Pretty much how it goes for the subby guys.

11-11-2012, 11:28 PM	#10
OrbitalEllipses Banned Join Date: Jan 2012 Drives: Attitude Location: MD Posts: 10,046 Thanks: 884 Thanked 4,889 Times in 2,902 Posts Mentioned: 123 Post(s) Tagged: 4 Thread(s)	This ain't your daddy's inline 4. Headwork on a boxer is a PITA.

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