Motor is back in and running mint. The cam gear was the issue because they were AVCS cams but with no oil pressure running to them (running on a non avcs ecu and the oil lines are blocked off). I was very close to thinking I needed a new motor, glad I found it was an easy fix. The engine was put in back in 2013 so they lasted a long time so im not worried about it becoming an issue again for a years.