What's up with Comp Cams ?
I use comp cams and trunions all the time and don't have any warranty's. Comp Rocks in my humble opinion.
Alot of companies stuff fail all the time, comp cams just have 10 times the amount of business as most companies so your bound to hear about a comp problem before any other..
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 24,241
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From: Turnin' Wrenches Infractions: 005
There is plenty of proof. What I've found is some victims don't want to bash the vendor that sold the cam, or put them in the middle of it. Recently several guys lost new engines BC of comp cams. Sometimes you have to personally know the people to see the proof firsthand. However, I had one years ago and I didn't have trouble with it. I'm running a can motion now. If vendors are changing suppliers pay attention, BC they would not do that unless there was a guaranteed problem somewhere.
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THIS. I just wish the shops and cam gurus that are no longer using comp at least share a little of the story even if it is bad press for COMP so the little guys like us steer clear or are at least informed.
***Cracks knuckles***
The short version of the story, Comp QC has gone the way of the dinosaurs. I'm not sure if it's their way of trying to keep up with demand, using Chinese metals, who knows. I've removed over 30 Comp camshafts the last 2 years due to lobe failures. Comp continues to give the same responses, it's either "the oil" or "the installer". Well if Comp is right there isn't an oil on the shelf that's working and there isn't an installer in the entire country that knows how to install an LSX camshaft since I'm removing these things out of cars coming from all over the southeastern United states.
If you're reading this and have a Comp camshaft in your engine, your best bet is to run lots of Zinc additive to try and prolong the life of your cam. Even then, it's not a matter of "if", just a matter of "when". This is the additive I recommend.
Bottom line, almost every shop selling Comp cams has seen at least a handful of failures come back to their shop. I know because I've talked to a lot of them. This isn't something that should be kept from the public and I guess I'll take the opportunity to let you all know. A LOT of shops know about it, but of course they're not going to say anything due to it being a popular product they sell.
Give me a few minutes, I'll throw up a couple of pics of some of the dead Comp cams I have laying around....
The short version of the story, Comp QC has gone the way of the dinosaurs. I'm not sure if it's their way of trying to keep up with demand, using Chinese metals, who knows. I've removed over 30 Comp camshafts the last 2 years due to lobe failures. Comp continues to give the same responses, it's either "the oil" or "the installer". Well if Comp is right there isn't an oil on the shelf that's working and there isn't an installer in the entire country that knows how to install an LSX camshaft since I'm removing these things out of cars coming from all over the southeastern United states.
If you're reading this and have a Comp camshaft in your engine, your best bet is to run lots of Zinc additive to try and prolong the life of your cam. Even then, it's not a matter of "if", just a matter of "when". This is the additive I recommend.
Bottom line, almost every shop selling Comp cams has seen at least a handful of failures come back to their shop. I know because I've talked to a lot of them. This isn't something that should be kept from the public and I guess I'll take the opportunity to let you all know. A LOT of shops know about it, but of course they're not going to say anything due to it being a popular product they sell.
Give me a few minutes, I'll throw up a couple of pics of some of the dead Comp cams I have laying around....
Here's a couple. Doesn't really do them justice as my camera sucks and the cams are covered in dust from sitting but these are a few I've got sitting on my junk parts table. My scrap metal guy took most of my other ones.
There is plenty of proof. What I've found is some victims don't want to bash the vendor that sold the cam, or put them in the middle of it. Recently several guys lost new engines BC of comp cams. Sometimes you have to personally know the people to see the proof firsthand. However, I had one years ago and I didn't have trouble with it. I'm running a can motion now. If vendors are changing suppliers pay attention, BC they would not do that unless there was a guaranteed problem somewhere.
Correct. It's also not the selling vendors fault that their supplier is having QC issues. Hence the reason I will not mention any vendor names nor show the backs of any of those camshafts.
As moderators and admins, we have to walk a very fine line between disclosing issues that might alert forum member of things going on with performance vendors and manufacturers because those vendors are often supporting site sponsors. Nobody wants to go out and purposely hurt a sponsor's business.
Damian has taken the high road by warranty replacing cams and switching to a different cam supplier. No digs were ever directly taken at Comp.
I myself have been disappointed that many of my custom cams from Comp were not ground at the centerline I ordered, so I have quietly enlisted the help of another supplier who guarantees the valve events of my custom cams to be within 1/2 degree of what you order. Did I make a big thread about it? No. I just quietly made the change and got set up with an alternate supplier. It wasn't fair to blast Comp online. I will still use Comp and really like their people. They just won't be my exclusive cam supplier any more.
Damian has taken the high road by warranty replacing cams and switching to a different cam supplier. No digs were ever directly taken at Comp.
I myself have been disappointed that many of my custom cams from Comp were not ground at the centerline I ordered, so I have quietly enlisted the help of another supplier who guarantees the valve events of my custom cams to be within 1/2 degree of what you order. Did I make a big thread about it? No. I just quietly made the change and got set up with an alternate supplier. It wasn't fair to blast Comp online. I will still use Comp and really like their people. They just won't be my exclusive cam supplier any more.
__________________
2013 Corvette Grand Sport A6 LME forged 416, Greg Good ported TFS 255 LS3 heads, 222/242 .629"/.604" 121LSA Pat G blower cam, ARH 1 7/8" headers, ESC Novi 1500 Supercharger w/8 rib direct drive conversion, 747rwhp/709rwtq on 93 octane, 801rwhp/735rwtq on race fuel, 10.1 @ 147.25mph 1/4 mile, 174.7mph Half Mile.
2016 Corvette Z51 M7 Magnuson Heartbeat 2300 supercharger, TSP LT headers, Pat G tuned, 667rwhp, 662rwtq, 191mph TX Mile.
2009.5 Pontiac G8 GT 6.0L, A6, AFR 230v2 heads. 506rwhp/442rwtq. 11.413 @ 121.29mph 1/4 mile, 168.7mph TX Mile
2000 Pewter Ram Air Trans Am M6 heads/cam 508 rwhp/445 rwtq SAE, 183.092 TX Mile
2022 Cadillac Escalade 6.2L A10 S&B CAI, Corsa catback.
2023 Corvette 3LT Z51 soon to be modified.
Custom LSX tuning in person or via email press here.
2013 Corvette Grand Sport A6 LME forged 416, Greg Good ported TFS 255 LS3 heads, 222/242 .629"/.604" 121LSA Pat G blower cam, ARH 1 7/8" headers, ESC Novi 1500 Supercharger w/8 rib direct drive conversion, 747rwhp/709rwtq on 93 octane, 801rwhp/735rwtq on race fuel, 10.1 @ 147.25mph 1/4 mile, 174.7mph Half Mile.
2016 Corvette Z51 M7 Magnuson Heartbeat 2300 supercharger, TSP LT headers, Pat G tuned, 667rwhp, 662rwtq, 191mph TX Mile.
2009.5 Pontiac G8 GT 6.0L, A6, AFR 230v2 heads. 506rwhp/442rwtq. 11.413 @ 121.29mph 1/4 mile, 168.7mph TX Mile
2000 Pewter Ram Air Trans Am M6 heads/cam 508 rwhp/445 rwtq SAE, 183.092 TX Mile
2022 Cadillac Escalade 6.2L A10 S&B CAI, Corsa catback.
2023 Corvette 3LT Z51 soon to be modified.
Custom LSX tuning in person or via email press here.
Last edited by Patrick G; Apr 23, 2013 at 09:55 AM. Reason: typo
Are there specific batches that had problems or is it just luck of the draw? I got an EPS cam in December 2011 that was ground by Comp and Im a bit worried seeing all this. Is there any way of knowing if the cam is bad/going bad or is my motor just going to commit suicide one day?
Comp Cams IS correct. It's the oil. While the camshaft metallurgy may be part of the issue, the root cause is modern engine oil.
The failures are going well beyond just camshafts or valvetrain components, and certainly isn't limited to just one brand.
The failures are going well beyond just camshafts or valvetrain components, and certainly isn't limited to just one brand.
Rotella T6
Valvoline VR1
Amsoil
some Mobil 1 product lines have a high amount
http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/...duct_Guide.pdf
Last edited by 03Sssnake; Apr 23, 2013 at 11:01 AM.