Comp Cams Bad Tech Support Blew my Engine

[FFRCobraMike]

After getting incorrect advice on which distributor drive gear to use from Comp Cams Tech Support, my engine blew after only 150 miles. After eight months of going back and forth with them and putting 1000 miles on the rebuild, which was the agreement I made with them, this is their final response. They will replace the camshaft if I send them my old one. So even though their bad tech support cost me $4000 and I have done everything they asked over the last eight months to prove that it was their bad advice, which by the way, they continue to give out to customers. This is their final word. What exactly am I supposed to do with a new camshaft now when my engine has been back together for eight months. And why wasn't that offer made up front? I think it is time to teach thses corporate giants that they can not treat customers this way. I am hoping that many of you will make your voices heard and write and e-mail Comp Cams and boycot their products in the future. If there are any Lawyers out there that want to take up my case, please let me know. If they are not stopped from giving out this incorrect advice on which distributor drive gear to use, then many more of us will have blown engines and costly repairs. Several of you have already contacted me to share their same experience and blown engine stories due to Comp Cams bad advice. We can not let them continue to give out this incorrect information without taking responsiblity for the damges it causes. Please help. Make your voices heard.

Mike

[wtm442]

Small Claims Court - usually $10K limit and you do not need a lawyer. Trying to start a boycott is a waste of your time.

Confusious said "Don't try to get even - get ahead."

[CJ428CJ]

Mike,

Sorry to hear about your situation. What advice did they give you that caused the problem so none of us make the same mistake?

Chris

[marcalan]

I too am interested. I just put together a motor with a comp cams cam, not fired up yet.

[52chevyred]

Which gear did they tell you to use? Sorry to hear of your trouble.

[FFRCobraMike]

I have a retrofit roller cam in my 408 stroker. The MSD distributor had a warning tag on the drive gear to call the cam maker to determine if the gear was compatable with the cam. I called comp cams and they told me no the cast iron gear that came on the distributor was not correct and to change it to a hardened steel gear. I did so and the cam gear shredded after only 150 miles. When I called the engine builder he said they were completely wrong and the cast gear was correct. So we rebuilt the engine the exact same except for the distributor gear being changed back to the original cast gear. The rebuild now has 1000 miles on it and there is no problem. I think the point has been proven, yet comp cams is still telling customers to use a hardened gear on these camshafts.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by FFRCobraMike

I called comp cams and they told me no the cast iron gear that came on the distributor was not correct and to change it to a hardened steel gear.

Did they answer in India?

[427 S/O]

Have you got all the emails and any other documentation?. I ask because this was ask of me when I had a disagreement.

[FFRCobraMike]

Yep I have printed out all the e-mails and I have phone records showing the calls i made to them. I also have all the receipts before and after the problem. They do not deny they gave me the information. They are just saying it was the correct information. Even though i have proved beyond a reasonable doubt that it was wrong.

[thudmaster]

Warren, you changed your avitar.

I'm sorry to hear about your problem with comp cams. I run a roller cam with steel gear on my MSD.

[Rick Parker]

Oops.................

[FFRCobraMike]

From what I understand from the engine builder, certain roller cams use the steel gear, but a retrofit roller cam for an old style early 351W block does not. I made the model of cam and the engine block style very clear to Camp Cams when I called.

[marcalan]

Thanks for this information. I had gotten the same info from comp cams, but the speed shop where I got the cam (I am running a 289 with a retrofit roller as well) told me not to change the cam gear on the distributor as they had run into this problem as well with another customer.

Sorry to hear about your trouble. Hopefully your posting will alert others to the issue in the future

m-a

[tmareina]

If you have all of the documentation you can sue in small claims court, in California, for up to $7,500.00 and you don't need a lawyer...actually lawyers aren't allowed. Everyone has an equal playing field. Sorry to hear about your problem and good luck. It sounds as if you have a better than an even chance of a victory.

Tom

[Excaliber]

There was another thread the other day talking about the advice given by a cam manufacturer which was at odds with what many of the members of this forum had to say. Who to believe? Well you weigh the evidence and lean HEAVILY on the members of Club Cobra when in doubt, thats just my opinion of course. But I think it's solid advice. MANY of us have 'been there, done that', and you just joined that brotherhood.

[767Jockey]

I just ordered a solid roller cam for my FE from Keith Craft. I also have to buy a new MSD distributor, about $300 from Summit. I asked him what gear to use, and he asked me what distributor I was using. I told him I had to buy one and his response was, "I'll send you a new distributor, with the right gear already on it, installed by us, and custom curve it for you as well before I ship it." The cost was just a few dollars over what Summit would charge for a part in a box. Now THATS a no brainer.

Working with a custom shop like Keith's who knows what they're doing and offering service and expertise at a price that's so reasonable is to me is far better than dealing with an anonymous Cam rep over the phone. I'm sure that Keith, Barry R. and so many other well known and highly qualified engine builders would offer this service. Why deal with some cam company rep? Who knows who will be on the phone that day and what they do and don't know? Sorry to hear about your troubles and thanks for the heads up to us all. I would guess that while Comp Cams obviously knows what they're doing, who knows who answers the phone on any given day.

[Rick Parker]

I think the reps are only passing on the information told to them by their engineering team. They are reading from a card. One item we can all keep in mind is to burnish the gear on the cam before installing it. If the sharp edge on the gear teeth where it is faced off is left it will make short work of ANY distributor gear. (even the correct gear) Sometimes there is a minute curl of metal left on the leading edge of each tooth from the grinding process when the cam gear is ground or machined. Some are worse than others. On a hardened core such ar a roller it is going to present a problem.

[iwantacobra427]

Comp Cam told me the same thing! I bought the hardened distributor gear from them and had MSD put it on for me.

[Badger]

Comp Cams "plastic" dristributor drive gears are also recommended. Was this combination never mentioned? Steel is not always too compatible with a cast cam, so I don't understand why they wouldn't have mentioned their "plastic" gear which is a proprietary design. Badger

[FFRCobraMike]

I do not think that it was available at the time I was putting in the distributor. It came out a few months later.

Mike