has your "new" cam failed ?

at how many miles?

who made it?

what series/model?

 

Comp 284 xe flat tappet.........@500 miles
Comp 268 xe flat tappet.........@500 miles

I have used many other Comp cams(excluding xe line) with much success and many other various cam companies' products. The only flat tappet cams I have ever had fail are the comp XE line!

 

my comp XE274 is doing fine, maybe I got lucky and got a good one

 

My XE268H is doing fine, I bought the cam and lifter kit. The first thing I did was throw out the lube they provided and used crane lube.
After I did the 20 min break-in with 10w30 oil I changed the oil and took her for a test drive (5500rpm). Anyways it’s been about 3 months now with many full throttle blasts and she’s still fine.

 

I use Comp Cams version which is diff then what comes with the cam, it is red.

 

Last summer I installed a Comp Cam XE 268H. I have driven over 2000 miles and there have been no problems. I did purchase the complete valve train kit, timing chain, roller tip rockers, etc. I'm happy with my purchase.

 

I have the XE268H as well, only 1000 miles on the motor but no problems to date, knock on wood.

 

This really sux as I have my eye on the XE274....

Brett

 

I've been running an XE274 for about 5 years and no problems.

 

COMP XE262 6 years 25K+ miles wiped 4 lobes
COMP XE268 1 week less than 100 miles wiped 7 lobes
I have a brand new un used COMP XE268 CL Kit. It was the warranty replacement. Its for sale.

 

I don't want to make anyone feel bad here but I am trying to figure out who is to blame with this XE cam failure thing going on here. On one hand you have a company in business for many years making cams. I think they should be pretty good at it by now. On the other hand we have a bunch of back yard mechanics retrofitting engines with these cams with who knows what pressure springs, are the pushrods the right length, any coil bind? etc. etc.

Now you have XE cams failing, but the majority of cams installed are probably this line. Next you have Comp Cams, they know about the failures and on a few occasions that I have heard about someone telling Comp cams about it they replace or refund the cam. Now are they doing it because they know this cam line is bad or because they are good company that treats it's customers properly ?

My Extreme Energy cam is going fine but then again I have little wheels on the lifters

 

Here is a thread from Nasty28.com talking about the same topic

http://www.nastyz28.com/ubb/Forum8/HTML/008995.html

 

I'm running an XE268 and I have about 750 miles on it with no issue's at all.

 

I had 3 cranes wipe a lobe before I figured out my builder had overshimmed a weak spring and it was going into coil bind. Replaced it with the same cam again and haven't had a problem since. This was in my 68 Camaro, not the Vette.

 

My Comp Cams HE268h is doing fine.

 

i agree w/ motorhead



lets get more info from the rest of us here

R.

 

Well said Wayne. Who knows if they failed because of an improper installation??

 

I have about 8,000 miles on an XE262 in my 327. I bent a pushrod a few years back (just before Toronto Shark Pack Dyno Day) added guideplates with hardened rods, with no problems since. I think it's critical with the XE to carefully match all valvetrain components. I did have the correct springs, but should have upgraded everything at the same time. All is well now, but if I'd known then what I know now, I might well have chosen a different cam series.

 

This is a very good point,however; From what I read on the web, there is a high failure rate on this cam line(XE). I do not have any official info from Comp ,so it is really all speculation. I turn wrenches for a living and have been doing so for the last 15 years. I have used Comp Cams parts almost exclusively for the last 8 years because I get a really good price on them from a local wholesaler. I still use their parts to this day. I just installed a 268 high energy cam in a early chevy 350 two weeks ago and it is working fine so far, no problem. I have broken in dozens of new cams/engines in my career. In this time I have had 3 cams fail. The first was a comp cam that failed during the break in procedure. Im not sure what killed that one, I didn't build that engine. Replaced it with another comp cam, still runs to this day. That was 7 years ago. Two years ago, I had two comp xe cams fail, both in the same engine, for no good reason. The engine had all comp valvetrain components; brand new comp pushrods, brand new comp roller rockers, brand new comp springs and retainers installed at the correct height, not to mention the cam and lifters...even the timing chain set. Everything was adjusted properly and routinely, nothing unusual. Two XE's in a row wiped several lobes. The engine was removed from the vehicle, completely torn down and inspected with no anomalies to be found. Everything was cleaned up and reassembled, this time with a Comp Magnum cam, and it still works fine to this day. So I don't know, it just seems like too much of a coincidence to me. I'm not saying Comp is a bad company and I still use their stuff, I just think the XE has a too aggressive ramp for a flat tappet cam. YMMV.

 

I have about 4000 miles on my XE262 and no problems yet.