@#$%$@ Cams!!! I'm Gonna Snap!!

Red2000GT · Apr 19, 2005

I am ready to drive down to @#$% your sister,Alabama or wherever the hell Comp Cams is located and kick some red-neck ass!!!! This cam swap has been nothing but hell since the day it got started! What should have been an 8-hour job has turned into a multi-week ordeal that I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy!!!Here's the story

FRIDAY APR.8TH-DAY 1)Drop the car off at the mechanics with the cams and valvesprings. Expect to pick the car up sunday or monday night.

DAY 2) Get call from mechanic,new cams use bolt on cam gears,mine are press on. Old gears can't be put on new cams for various size and fitment issues

DAY 4) Order new cam gears,spacers,bolts and washers from FORD

DAY 6) Pick up parts from FORD and leave 130 bucks with them(no mention has been made from Comp on requiring these parts anywhere in their literature,also install instructions included with cams are for a small block chevy,but no matter,mechanic knows his stuff)

DAY 7) Call to check on car,valvesprings are major headache to replace,especially with head on motor,progress is slow but continuing

DAY 9) Engine done! It runs! go to pick car up,passenger side head is making all kinds of LOUD weird mechanical noises,car stays at mechanics so he can check it out.He was unsure of how much noise the aftermarket cams would make

DAY 10) Nothing found to be wrong,all parts line up,mesh together properly,run true. Do some heavy research and find that ALOT of people are having issues with the COMP XE270's that I have. Anger begins to set in.

TODAY DAY 11)Run bore scope down spark plug hole,discover piston to valve contact,my nice forged pistons have small divots in them. The cams I have are unusable in my application.Much anger sets in.

Apparently,Comp grinds 5 degress of advance into the XE270's to make them more "drivable". When this is combined with the FORD cam gears that have an "acceptable" tolerance of UP TO 6 DEGREES of ADVANCE and put it together in an engine with interference fit(parts much be timed properly to not hit each other) you get about 75% of owners with these cams having the same problem I am. Comp is aware of the issue but continues to make the product,without changes,and without warnings. I called Comp today and the person I spoke to made no mention of the possiblity of P2V problems. He suggested it was a cam with too small of a base circle causing excessive follower slap(he admitted that some got through the system about a year ago). So now I"m not sure what to do. Luckily we didn't run the engine long enough to bend the valves so hopefully I'll be able to just replace the cam with a different model and go. I'm so disgusted with this whole process,I just want to drive my car. I've got stuff to finish working on once I get the car home. It feels like it's been summer for months and I haven't put on a mile yet.

SPEED FREAK · Apr 19, 2005

WOW do i know this game...... Are they sending you some free cams at least and some money with them???

vristang · Apr 19, 2005

I'm sorry to hear of your troubles. We have all felt your pain with some performance part at one time or another.

However, I have never heard of a cam company selling a cam without recommending that piston to valve clearance be checked. Production tolerances are far to high to take this risk. I would go to the mechanic and ask why he though it unnecessary to check the clearance before starting the motor. Comp Cams may not be completely innocent, but I think their liability will only go so far.

Will you have any troubles running the damaged pistons? Possible hot spots leading to detonation?
Best of Luck

Red2000GT · Apr 19, 2005

Not sure what's going to happen with the pistons. There is only one small mark from the intake valve on each,about 30 degrees of a circle and only about 10 thou deep. I think I"m just gonna wait and see,if there's issues,then I'll deal with it then.

WOT · Apr 19, 2005

Should haev given MPH a call for their cams. They are a better set up then Comps. Plus you are going to need a tune anyway now with the cams and nitrous.

If not you will be replacing those pistons sooner then you would like.

mnbf · Apr 19, 2005

..

Thats rough man ... im gonna say its your piston's fault cause i have same cam's and did install myself and they seem to be working fine... sorry to hear about your troubles... did your mechanic degree the cams? and if you do compression test one both side are they both the same ? just to make sure its timed right ...

TGJ · Apr 19, 2005

Red2000GT said:
I am ready to drive down to @#$% your sister,Alabama or wherever the hell Comp Cams is located and kick some red-neck ass!!!! This cam swap has been nothing but hell since the day it got started! What should have been an 8-hour job has turned into a multi-week ordeal that I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy!!!Here's the story

FRIDAY APR.8TH-DAY 1)Drop the car off at the mechanics with the cams and valvesprings. Expect to pick the car up sunday or monday night.

DAY 2) Get call from mechanic,new cams use bolt on cam gears,mine are press on. Old gears can't be put on new cams for various size and fitment issues

DAY 4) Order new cam gears,spacers,bolts and washers from FORD

DAY 6) Pick up parts from FORD and leave 130 bucks with them(no mention has been made from Comp on requiring these parts anywhere in their literature,also install instructions included with cams are for a small block chevy,but no matter,mechanic knows his stuff)

DAY 7) Call to check on car,valvesprings are major headache to replace,especially with head on motor,progress is slow but continuing

DAY 9) Engine done! It runs! go to pick car up,passenger side head is making all kinds of LOUD weird mechanical noises,car stays at mechanics so he can check it out.He was unsure of how much noise the aftermarket cams would make

DAY 10) Nothing found to be wrong,all parts line up,mesh together properly,run true. Do some heavy research and find that ALOT of people are having issues with the COMP XE270's that I have. Anger begins to set in.

TODAY DAY 11)Run bore scope down spark plug hole,discover piston to valve contact,my nice forged pistons have small divots in them. The cams I have are unusable in my application.Much anger sets in.

Apparently,Comp grinds 5 degress of advance into the XE270's to make them more "drivable". When this is combined with the FORD cam gears that have an "acceptable" tolerance of UP TO 6 DEGREES of ADVANCE and put it together in an engine with interference fit(parts much be timed properly to not hit each other) you get about 75% of owners with these cams having the same problem I am. Comp is aware of the issue but continues to make the product,without changes,and without warnings. I called Comp today and the person I spoke to made no mention of the possiblity of P2V problems. He suggested it was a cam with too small of a base circle causing excessive follower slap(he admitted that some got through the system about a year ago). So now I"m not sure what to do. Luckily we didn't run the engine long enough to bend the valves so hopefully I'll be able to just replace the cam with a different model and go. I'm so disgusted with this whole process,I just want to drive my car. I've got stuff to finish working on once I get the car home. It feels like it's been summer for months and I haven't put on a mile yet.

That sucks, who is doing the cam install?

I have to say it is a bit of the mechanics fault for not checking PTV clearance before starting the car. Even degreeing these cams does not always correct the PTV issue as it is also known that Ford allowed for a lot of tolerance in the Cam gears. There is thread on Modular Depot with a person trying to get a set of adjustable 4.6 Cam gears made, similar to what FRPP used to offer.

In my case, I am waiting to hear about these gears and that is why the SVO's are not on the car. I also ordered my Comp's without the 4 degrees of advance.

Green4.6GT · Apr 19, 2005

that sucks russ, sorry to hear that..

but as joe said MPH or bust..

MPH VT custom cams for your application > MPH stock VT cams > anything else

DELUXE MW · Apr 20, 2005

I am not a big fan of comp cams either their "generic" SBC cams are a comprimise of driveability and power adapted to fit other makes I have had a few of their cams go round on a couple flat Tappet motors, however the more exotic and better engineered ones are even more finiky to clearances and ALL cams should be degreed and checked for Piston clearance, Valve Spring Coil Bind, Spring installed height, and Rocker Bind! and if that isn't above and beyond the average Journeyman's realm don't forget the stock valve seals usually get munched by the retainer and or Springs

Red2000GT · Apr 22, 2005

The springs are supposed to take care of the coil bind and as for degreeing,there is no adjustment other than basic timing(line up the dots with the appropiate links),so even if they were found to be out,there's nothing that can be done about it(except spend another big chunk of money to buy adjustable cam gears). HOWEVER,I guess the big issue is with my aftermarket pistons. They are Probe units with slightly raised compression. I talked to a guy directly at Probe and he knew axactly what I was talking about.(Even knew the brand of cams and total lift involved before I told him) He said very clearly that those pistons would not clear the XE270's. So my anger with Comp has subsided,live and learn I guess. The mechanic is gonna check all the valves to make sure there's no bent ones before he bolts it back together. I told him to go ahead and tear the engine down to put reliefs's in the pistons.

WOT · Apr 22, 2005

I feel for you Russ. But like all of us in the hot rod game know...

You play you got to pay. But damn that still sucks nuts.

Green4.6GT · Apr 22, 2005

hey russ, that sucks, i was down there talking to grahm last night and saw your car.. thats too bad, hopefully you wont have any more problems after you get the relifs cut in... he said its not hitting by THAT much, maybe 10 thou, on only the one edge(im sure you know that, just stating it for the sake of the post), so it could be ALOT worse.

good luck

mnbf · Apr 22, 2005

..

mnbf said:
Thats rough man ... im gonna say its your piston's fault

hehehe

@#$%$@ Cams!!! I'm Gonna Snap!!

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