Comp cam

[united1]

I just ordered a custom grind comp cam but after reading of other peoples problems with them I'm a little worried . Have the problems been resolved ? Any recent cam failures ? I have a top notch shop doing the install so I have faith in them ,but comp not so much.

[rberns]

hope it all works out for you. I haven't heard if its been fixed yet...my guess is that it hasn't

[jonnyb]

Look at the price of a new engine and compare it to the cost of the cam. I would not chance it right now. I would buy from another company that does not use Comp cores! On the up side I love my new engine but I am about as broke as I can get!

[united1]

A new engine would not be a good thing , considering I only have 4200 miles on mine .

[united1]

Originally Posted by jonnyb

Look at the price of a new engine and compare it to the cost of the cam. I would not chance it right now. I would buy from another company that does not use Comp cores! On the up side I love my new engine but I am about as broke as I can get!

How long ago did this happen ? Was this a problem batch of cams from a certain date ?

[Josh @ Spartan LSX]

It really depends on what core your camshaft was cut on. If it was cut on an 8620 core and has a copper colored base to it, you should be OK. If it looks like a standard silver / metal camshaft all throughout you probably got one of their cheaper 5150 cores that won't last 20K miles before wiping out and failing.

Also, if you bought the cam new the price you paid will usually indicate what core you got. If it was below $400, you got a 5150 core. The 8620 cores are a lot more expensive.

Comp cam cores isn't the only thing to be worried about when running one of those cams. Comp's most popular lobes sold are severely abusive to valvetrain components. Lots of bounce / jerk in the lobe.

[jonnyb]

My cam failed last August after being in the engine for 10K miles. Comp has still not responded to my failure. But they did with another owner by saying they had over ground the base and had gotten beyond the heat treating. We put in a 1050 billet cam in the new engine. $400 to $500 for a new cam vs several thousand for an engine, to me the choice is now easy. Comp could promise me anything and I would not trust it. I got burned one time and it will not happen to me again!

I will have to do a little research but I will not be able to give an exact date when the cam was produced and I don’t have the specs handy right now but I can find them. I believe we put the cam in the car in June of 2012 if that helps.

[Avenging Orange]

You'll be fine. All cam makers suffer failures......most due to 'self installs.' A reputable shop will give you good advice and warrant their work to an extent. I have said this for years....as many others have. And its my personal opinion...to use dino oil for the "break in" period.
Now git r done and enjoy!

[GONIF]

You would think Comp would have sorted out these problems by now ,for many years they were the biggest .

[united1]

Originally Posted by GONIF

You would think Comp would have sorted out these problems by now ,for many years they were the biggest .

That's what I'm thinking .
After talking to my tuner about this I feel pretty good about it now . Fingers crossed .

[blake-b]

Just after I got my comp cam a few months ago (not yet installed), I talked to the person who speced it, Martin@Tick. He really killed my fears. He said that in the 3000 or so cams he has speced, only four were ever complained about and only one had any real issues (it whined very loudly). He said all the cams were within spec but after dealing with comp cams about it, he told me they tightened up their specs for even better QA.

My previous cam was also a comp speced by him (in 2012) and it didn't have any issues.

[Ivan @ Southwest Speed]

Originally Posted by blake-b

Just after I got my comp cam a few months ago (not yet installed), I talked to the person who speced it, Martin@Tick. He really killed my fears. He said that in the 3000 or so cams he has speced, only four were ever complained about and only one had any real issues (it whined very loudly). He said all the cams were within spec but after dealing with comp cams about it, he told me they tightened up their specs for even better QA.

My previous cam was also a comp speced by him (in 2012) and it didn't have any issues.

+1

I've literally heard, not seen with my own two eyes, of 2 issues with Comp Pieces from another reseller in the last 4 years.

I don't know where the bad press has been coming from lately. Guess it's just their turn for it.

Ivan @ Southwest Speed

[united1]

Good to hear a good story . Thanks

[BGKySS]

This fear of comp cams is only due to a few failures in thousands of cams made. I run a comp cam in the boosted 6.0 in my fox body and have ran at least a dozen more over the years with zero failures. Sucks that some people have lost engines over it, but sometimes you have to pay to play.