What's up with Comp Cams ?
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 651
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From: North Carolina
Simple answer . . . It shows what Comp Cams has "told" people, "promised" people, and "sold" people . . . Now, with the problems shown in this thread, it shows us what they actually "bought", in comparison !
Last edited by ez2cdave; Feb 25, 2014 at 08:43 PM.
Martin@Tick has been working with "Billy@Comp", whom I believe to be Billy Godbold, the Engineering Group Leader at Comp Cams.
Here is a "rah-rah" article from 2011, BEFORE these problems appeared . . . Makes me wonder how much was only "HYPE", given what we see now.
http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb...hining-237600/
Here is a "rah-rah" article from 2011, BEFORE these problems appeared . . . Makes me wonder how much was only "HYPE", given what we see now.
http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb...hining-237600/
You make it sound like everyone that is running a comp cam is having issues.
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 651
Likes: 10
From: North Carolina
Not really . . . I am simply basing things on what has been reported here, both by individuals and vendors, too. Read the entire thread, all 456 posts of it, so far. I did and didn't like the "pattern" of what I saw, at all.
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Verdad Gallardo TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 651
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From: North Carolina
I'm sure that Comp will fix things, eventually, but I won't trust their cams for quite some time, until enough time has passed that the "old units" are gone from vendors. That would probably take at least 2 years, possibly longer.
I don't think you can claim that from any of that. Their process is their process. It seems to work for the vast majority of cams.
Is there an issue? Possibly. Is it related to their process? Probably not. QC would be an audit of the process. QA would look at the broader problems and determine if the process, materials, surface hardening, polishing etc were the culprit. But they'd need to do a root cause analysis of failures... Which so far has not be acknowledged that there is even an issue.
Is there an issue? Possibly. Is it related to their process? Probably not. QC would be an audit of the process. QA would look at the broader problems and determine if the process, materials, surface hardening, polishing etc were the culprit. But they'd need to do a root cause analysis of failures... Which so far has not be acknowledged that there is even an issue.
I was a victim of the bad run of springs Comp had for LT1 engines. Dropped a valve and it caused enough havoc to destroy the head, piston & cylinder bore. I scrapped the car to move up to an LS1 car.
Not a camshaft failure but it left me with a lasting bad taste for Comp products. My current build has a Lunati core.
Not a camshaft failure but it left me with a lasting bad taste for Comp products. My current build has a Lunati core.
Last edited by Paul Bell; Feb 26, 2014 at 07:34 AM.
I had issues with them several years ago when they had problems with the 918 springs, I dropped a valve in tore up the motor and they paid to have it all fixed heads and all.
I am sure they will do the stand up thing once they have determined what the problem is.
I am sure they will do the stand up thing once they have determined what the problem is.
This is a quote from an AMSOIL press release dated June 2011 discussing zinc (ZDDP) in motor oils;
The problem did not show up in newer cars because they employ a roller cam instead of the flat tappet. But street rod guys and engine builders were running into problems they’d not had experienced before.
First off, the cams themselves are somewhat soft. They need to be heat cycled which will season it, making the metal on it very hard and resilient to wear. It also needs to be broken in. That is each lobe on the camshaft is mated, so to speak, to a lifter. All the little imperfections on that lobe need to match all the imperfections on the lifter and that usually takes place within the first 15 to 20 minutes of that engine’s run time. So when you first start it, all of this is going to take place and that break in procedure produces heat. The lobes on the cam are not pressure lubricated like the bearings in the engine would be. They’re splash lubricated so they’re getting run off oil from the cam galley, getting splashed from the crank shaft when the engine is running. Because that’s all that lubricates these parts, anti-wear additives are critical in this area.
The problem did not show up in newer cars because they employ a roller cam instead of the flat tappet. But street rod guys and engine builders were running into problems they’d not had experienced before.
First off, the cams themselves are somewhat soft. They need to be heat cycled which will season it, making the metal on it very hard and resilient to wear. It also needs to be broken in. That is each lobe on the camshaft is mated, so to speak, to a lifter. All the little imperfections on that lobe need to match all the imperfections on the lifter and that usually takes place within the first 15 to 20 minutes of that engine’s run time. So when you first start it, all of this is going to take place and that break in procedure produces heat. The lobes on the cam are not pressure lubricated like the bearings in the engine would be. They’re splash lubricated so they’re getting run off oil from the cam galley, getting splashed from the crank shaft when the engine is running. Because that’s all that lubricates these parts, anti-wear additives are critical in this area.
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2007
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From: Raleigh, NC
I've heard the original good 918s were made by PAC in the USA, I don't know all the people that made them but pretty sure the bad ones were made by Associated Spring in Brazil.
Gotta love the imported stuff.
http://www.barnesgroupinc.com/about-bgi/locations.aspx
Gotta love the imported stuff.
http://www.barnesgroupinc.com/about-bgi/locations.aspx
You can't just blame the vendor, Comp may have cost reduced the spring in more ways than just a vendor change.
And frankly, I've designed alot of products and put them into production, and I find quality control out of lower cost geographies is really no worse than quality control out of the USA. This is first hand experience.
