Technical Wiped out a cam or lifter in the past 5 years? Take this poll

Let's see if this "issue" is more brand related or wide spread!

 

I own and have built the three small block Chevy engines in my cars. My coupe has a Comp 268 hydraulic lifter cam, been running since '86. My roadster has a Engle hydraulic lifter, been running since '08. My '55 has a NOS 097 solid lifter camshaft, together since '14. Having always followed the recommended break-in procedure and valve spring pressure I have yet to lose a lifter or camshaft in any engine I've built. The only cam I had go flat was in a GM Target Master 350 that I had installed in my one ton van in '79. Cam went round after about 20k miles. So far the only one to fail was a GM factory product.

 

Interesting poll, but anyone voting should also post as the whether or not they did proper setup and break in runs.
Lots of consumer/end user things out of the part manufacturer's control that can effect the product results; cam lube, lash, spring pressure, pre oiling before start up, break in oil type and following break in run procedure. O& F change after break in, etc.
I've seen guys mix new cams with old lifters and vis a vis, then blame the manufacturer.

 

you might want to add some type of "I installed a flat tappet cam and had no problems" choice, also?

 

Agree with Jim. I put a Summit cam and lifter set, timing chain and comp springs in a 460 for a friend in ‘08 or ‘09. He never has had an issue with it.
I haven’t done one for myself since the mid/late 90’s in an SBC, was still fine when I sold the PU.

 

^^^This--I'm no pro but have installed many over the years--no failures yet-Crane, Crower, Lunati ,Schneider,Erson, factory etc

 

I installed a flat tappet cam and had no problems.

 

I have not wiped a cam or lifter since '97. In a recent thread I described that issue, and yes it was a manufacturer issue.

I did change a cam in this century (the last decade don't remember the year) in a 307 GM motor. it was the factory cam and was so flat that you could see it with the naked eye. In its defense of the cam what it lost in lift it made up for in duration. LOL That was also a manufacturer problem, whomever made the cams for GM small blocks in that era got a load of bad cam blanks.

 

Son lost one in his car well after break in. Car had sat for about 6 months, we had been displaced due to a fire in our house. Went back to it, fired it up and a few minutes after it started knocking and misfiring. This was a custom grind from Jones cams.

He had lost another one is that same motor previously when the oil pump pickup fell out and there just wasn't enough oil to get to the front lobes. That one was an Edelbrock, but it wasn't the cam's fault. We didn't build this motor.

After 2 failures with this block he got pissed off and scrapped it.

Devin

 

Well I just did a quick refresh and cam swap to the 8ba in my coupe. It hasnt been together long but I broke it in at the drag strip in the pits then thrashed it hard all weekend. Its a regrind from Delta cam in Washington. I cannot say enough good about those guys. Super knowledgable, willing to answer questions, super fast turn around and the cam was a thing of beauty. So far so good I think its a success story.

 

My dad lost one in a 79 GMC half ton 305 in about 1980.

I lost one in a 326 Pontiac Tempest in 1976.

Also failed a Comp in a 302 in 1990 or so. It was an installation error on my part, though. No Locktite on the cam thrust plate, so the cam walkers did ate the gear.

Lots of lab failures on durability engines with flat tappers, and a bunch on a cost reduction gone wrong when attempting to change needle bearing roller lifters to bronze bushings.

Never a failure on the many Crane, Comp, or Sealed Power cams on my personal junk (except the one previously mentioned as an installation error). All SBF or SBC.

Using my data as a benchmark, one would conclude the issue is with factory stock engines when running old style high zinc oil!!!!

Not a popular opinion, though!

 

Seems like most of the other threads are pushing people to roller cams, personally i don't want a roller cam. But I've also never had an issue. I'll continue to use my flat tappet cams. And if i was to wipe one out, I'll stick another flat tappet in it.

 

The other thing to consider when you ask the question as posed is. : what market share does each of the cam manufacturers each have? If Comp sells 90% of the cams in a given segment, they should have 90% of the failures, everything else being constant.

Similarly, if a particular manufacturer sells more aggressive grinds, with high contact stresses, and another sells mostly street cams with mild grinds, which would you expect to have higher failure rates?

Polls like this are generally poorly designed, in my experience, and lead to questionable results.

 

Installed a Comp Cam in my 72 Vette back a few years ago. Did the proper break in procedure and had no problem for over a year, ran really great. Then started having problems with the engine. Upon breakdown you you see the worn out lobes. Since it ran good for a year I have no idea what happened to it. But after I bitched to Comp Cams, they generously replaced it for me free of charge.

 

I haven't had one fail for some time, but voted for "other" so I could see the results.

 

Hey Lloyd,
Can you edit the choices ,,,and add a choice of no failures ?
I’m with squirrel,,,,I believe that would be a valuable piece of data .

Tommy

 

I lost one in a big block Chevy, this was when I found out that the zinc was removed for motor oil.
Cleaned engine out replaced cam and lifters then used a zinc additive in the oil, no problem after that.
This was a Comp Cam.

 

Have had nothing but bad luck with Comp Cams. Within a 15 year span I lost 3 of them, hydraulic and solid flat tappet's and a solid roller, all with proper kit's and recommended break in procedure's, running Rotella-T with zinc additive for oil, so no lack of zinc, and all failed within 5,000 miles. Switched to Isky and the cam failure's disappeared. But that's just how my luck runs...

 

You had a solid roller cam fail ?
What in the world happened !

Tommy

 

I wish to hell I could tell you for certain, Tommy. I'm guessing that it was soft, the roller's in the lifter's cut groove's in a few of the lobes. The lifters were in perfect condition when I took them out. Kept losing the lash adjustment, and after 3 times of it, I finally had enough and pulled it down to find roller groove's in the lobe's of cylinder's 3,4,5,and 6. I'm still baffled by it! I'm done with Comp Cams.

 

I’m assuming it was a steel cam,,,,,most solid rollers are ?
I have a few new rollers for hydraulics too,,,,,but I think most of them are iron .
I have a factory roller for hydraulic,,,,it’s steel,,,,SBC,,,350 .
Most all my other stuff is flat tappet,,,,,,Mopar .

Tommy

 

I'd assume it was steel core, too. Although I did find it odd that it didn't require a bronze distributor gear, so maybe it wasn't steel. Either way though, it shouldn't have done what it did, especially with all of the recommended component's installed with it. But like I said earlier, that's just my shitty luck in action! LOL!
F.W.I.W., It was a Comp Cams part # 12-704-8. Maybe someone knows for sure what it was made of?

 

Well,,,,no matter really,,,,,even the iron ones are supposed to be hardened .
However,,,,,iron won’t hold up to the extreme valve spring pressure required for large lifts .
Sounds like Comp has been scrimping on the hardness process .
Hmmmmmmm,,,,,interesting !

Tommy

 

Comp Cams shows that cam being made of Austempered Ductile Iron....that's a cast core.

You're not the first guy I've heard of with that issue, and the issue was found to be the cast core is not tough enough for solid roller use and the surface crumbles and flakes away under the roller wheel tracks.

 

Well, that explains it! Thank you for shedding some light on the situation.

 

My buddys had four different Comp XE series cams go bad on them. One guy had a vintage 1964 Dodge Max Wedge 413 block and the cam wrecked the block. They couldn't get the cam out, it was bent!
I also know many people who installed Comp cams without any issue, every one of those installs were vintage, more mellow grinds..

I always use Crower cams and never had an issue. I've done 7 engines in my whole life so I'm not a big time builder..