Cam has grooves in it HELP!
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TECH Regular
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 450
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From: Texas
Cam has grooves in it HELP! I ordered a cam from a reputable speed shop, cam was advertised to only have 10K on it but there are groves all over it. They are very small but I can feel them with my fingernail. What do you think?
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 1,937
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From: "Tr"Asheville
don't waste your time, if you try to get grooves like that out it will either (1) decrease the lift and duration of the cam from them having to resurface the lobes or (2) decrease the diameter of the journals that ride on the bearings because they will have to grind it to the size of the deepest groove if the grooves are on the journals. My advice, send it back!
-Sly
-Sly
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I am not to worried about the lobes as long as they are not to deep that you have to remove enough material to alter the lift specs. But if the bearing surfaces look bad then I would look for a possible refund. Billet steel cam are pretty tough so you can get minor scratches out. But every one has there own opinion and that is my .02. I have done it with out a problem on other cars and trucks.
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On The Tree
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 100
Likes: 0
From: texas
have anybody ever heard of this company and if so have you done business with. if he decides to get rid of the cam and they will not give him his money back for false advertisement and grooves all in his cam we may have to make a trip to their shop. this could get nasty am i in the wrong if the refuse to take it back what other choice do we have. 
11 Second Club
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,426
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From: Beaver Falls, PA
Originally Posted by Taspeed
have a machine shop take a look...its probably fixable.
Originally Posted by goober35
None. If you will post up in ls1.com in the Texas form there are a lot of people that live over there that could give you some help.
. I would give them a call. A good shop will help you out. 
Well, when I pulled the LT4 hotcam out of my 94Z, it had grooves all over the bearing surfaces (not the lobes, just the bearings). I never let it roll on the ground, was very meticulous during the install. But still, it came out grooved.
I had a cash buyer for the cam lined up before I pulled it, and he was there with cash in his pocket that day. Guess where it is now? On a shelf in my garage. I refused to sell it to him. I would not sell it to run in a car again. And I doubt it could have been 'polished out' unless you put in new oversize cam bearings (which completely defeats the purpose of saving a few bux on a used cam
).
I put a different cam in my car, and it ran OK until something else happened and the motor went kaput. The new cam (a XE-230/236) is still fine. The rest of the motor is not tho.
I'd try to get money back... Bearing surfaces should be smooth, and shops know that. I'm not a shop, and I know that.
-Andrew
I had a cash buyer for the cam lined up before I pulled it, and he was there with cash in his pocket that day. Guess where it is now? On a shelf in my garage. I refused to sell it to him. I would not sell it to run in a car again. And I doubt it could have been 'polished out' unless you put in new oversize cam bearings (which completely defeats the purpose of saving a few bux on a used cam
).I put a different cam in my car, and it ran OK until something else happened and the motor went kaput. The new cam (a XE-230/236) is still fine. The rest of the motor is not tho.
I'd try to get money back... Bearing surfaces should be smooth, and shops know that. I'm not a shop, and I know that.
-Andrew
6600 rpm clutch dump of death Administrator
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 4,983
Likes: 13
From: Texas
Anything with a groove that is noticable with your finger, or you can catch it with your nail is VERY bad. Engine tolerances, bearing tolerance, etc... don't allow for a finish like that. In a word, don't use it...
On The Tree
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 100
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From: texas
well i have seen the cam and felt the grooves for my self in the cam and the grooves were deep enough to feel thim with my finger nail looks like it is time for a refund they should have never sold that cam to him also the lobes have a lot of wear on them to there is no way this cam has 10 thousand miles on it.
10 Second Club
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 1,471
Likes: 3
From: Berkeley, California
I am concerned that some people are missing an important point. A properly lubricated cam doesn't wear. You can not tell the age of a cam by inspection. A cam with 10k or 50k miles should look like new. Obvious scoring or abrasion is not wear it is damage.
NO 10K mile cam should have groves in it much less a roller cam....... 
I have seen roller cams with 100K+ miles on them that looked like they were just off the grinder.......SEND IT BACK!!!
I have seen roller cams with 100K+ miles on them that looked like they were just off the grinder.......SEND IT BACK!!!