I have been itching to get my camshaft replaced in my 2002 Dodge Cummins ever since I saw the article in Diesel Power magazine. I researched it and made an appointment with DynoMite Diesel in Monroe, WA to get it done. I also needed some better injectors because the ones I was using gave me really bad Idle and I needed to upgrade to something bigger due to my recent twin turbo installation. DynoMite Diesel specializes in injectors and acually hones and balances their own nozzles. I chose their 150HP Injectors.

The Camshaft that I chose for this project was from Diesel Dynamics in Nevada. I have only heard good things about their camshaft and their camshafts are new, not regrounds. Another sweet thing about Diesel Dynamic's Camshaft is that it comes with the gear already mounted to it. Having the gear already mounted to Cam saves the mechanic a lot of time in the process.


The Mechanic working on our truck today is Mike. Mike has been working with diesels for several years now. I really appreciated the care and detail he put into working on my truck. He really payed attention to the little things and did not rush anything for the sake of getting the job done fast. The operation went smoothly and no time was wasted.







The first step that was taken was putting protective liner on the sides of my truck right outside of the engine compartment to keep anyone leaning over my truck from scratching it. The next step in the camshaft upgrade is to drain the coolant, remove the bumper, intercooler and radiator to give complete exposure to the front of the engine. The head cover is then pulled and the rockers removed.






Before the gear and camshaft are pulled out, each of the tappets must carefully be lifted up by sticking wooden dowels in the centers and holding them up with clothes pins. There are other ways of replacing the camshaft, but this is the most efficient way to do it. Great care must be taken though, if any one of the dowels or tappets fall while the camshaft is being pulled, they fall into the engine or oil pan and removing them is a big deal. It is really important to make sure that the wooden dowels are not worn out so that they will hold well.





The front engine cover gets taken off to expose the gears. The big gear in the middle of the picture is the gear with the camshaft connected to it that will be removed. Mike took great care in removing the gear without forcing it so that none of the dowels or tappets fell. This process is almost like watching a locksmith pick a safe. Mike has never had a tappet or dowel fall in all the camshaft installations he has done but we all still hold our breath while the camshaft is out.






The round tray that you see in the picture is placed in where the camshaft was. One by one, each dowel is lowered onto the tray and the tappet pulled out with a magnet. Using the same tray, a system of strings and springs, the new tappets are pulled through the engine on the tray into their positions. Each of the new tappets is then held in place with a wooden dowel and clothes pin. Before the new tappets are installed, Mike places them in a foil tray and makes sure they are completely covered in oil.





Now for the moment we have all been waiting for! The new Camshaft is oiled and gently installed the same way it was removed. The gear on the end of the camshaft has little dots on each side that must line up with the dots on the gears to the right and left. For the picture, we added some white dots where the real ones are so you can see them better. If you look through the bean shaped hole in the gear you can see the spacer that Mike put back there. The spacer keeps the Camshaft from moving back and forth. The Cam bolt in the middle of the gear gets tightened to 85 Ft/Lbs.





Now that the camshaft is installed, each of the tappets can now be lowered back on to the cam and the dowels and pins removed. The old gasket material is stripped from the front of the engine block and front engine cover and new gasket material is installed on the cover. The cover is then put back on the front of the engine and bolted on. The rockers are put back in the same order that they were removed and tightened to 27 Ft/Lbs of torque.






The radiator, intercooler and bumper is now back on and we put the coolant back in the radiator. They dont always do oil changes at the same time, but I figured it wouldnt hurt and I'm due for an oil change anyways. For the oil change I brought 12 quarts of AMSOIL 15W-40. While my pan was draining, Mike installed my fresh off the press 150HP injectors.

After it was all said and done, Mike brought the truck out of the shop and let the truck idle at 1500RPM for 15 Minutes. This allows the new Camshaft to break in.

I took the truck and went for a test drive, and wow, I definitely noticed the difference. Nothing quite as amazing as adding a 120HP chip, but the whole truck just seemed to run better. Between the new Camshaft, my new Dyno-Mite 150HP injectors, and my new twin turbos from BD Power, the truck just sailed smooth. At any given time I can break the back tires loose, but with me, I would rather not and just know that I can.

It almost makes me sad that I dont tow for a living because the truck is so setup for it now. The EGT's on average are 200 degrees lower, and the cool thing is I have a hard time bringing it over 1000 degrees now when I floor it. Even going up a grade on the freeway, and punching it, I have a hard time going over 1000 degrees. Before the camshaft upgrade, I would have a hard time staying under 1000 degrees doing anything.

As far as my fuel economy goes, I'm getting about 2 more MPG better if I keep my foot out of it.

The Cummins Forum Truck now has 456 RWHP, and 910 Ft/Lbs of torque without any chemicals. Dyno-Mite Diesel did a great job on my truck and I would definitely recommend them to anyone looking to get new injectors or the Camshaft upgrade. They do really thorough, good, clean work and on things like replacing camshafts and injectors, you cant afford not to have that.