WolfpactVI

I was reading through the articles about cams wearing and breaking. Seems like every brand has had trouble - Crower, JUN, Skunk2. And I was wondering, what is it about these cams (compared to the stock ones) that causes them to break? How is it that stock cams can last well beyond 150k miles reliably?

And then there is the clicking with the JUN setup. Why is it that we have to put up with that? Seems performance parts are supposed do just that - perform, and better than stock.

I ask the questions because I would like to upgrade my cams, springs, retainers, etc. I want to do it right, so I can drive the car hard without worrying about things breaking in a few thousand miles.

I'm having a hard time sort of getting things all layed out in my mind. I know there are the main things - cams, springs, retainers, cam gears, manual tensioner conversion. But what about things like valves, valve guides, seats, etc? What would be the best way to upgrade the valvetrain to a more aggresive setup, but retain the stock reliability?


- Wolf

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precisionelite

I'm no mechanic, but from what I've read, cam breaking is due most of the time to improper installation. People over torque the cam caps..stuff like that. I could hypothosize more, but I don't want to speculate.

I don't think you can get stock reliability w/an aftermarket setup personally. Because its just that...it's not stock. If you want stock reliablity the best thing to do is to stick w/stock compenents. I.E. Type S cams and their associated valve springs. There's always trade-offs in life and modifying cars is no different. Internal work is a big step...bolt ons are one thing, but once your crack the head, it's like entering a whole different world. I'm going through the same thing man. I've done all my bolt ons and am examing cam options now. I'm most likely going with the type s for my setup.
Cheers,
-Greg P
P.S. now that's not to say all aftermaket cams will blow up on you...they won't. But just don't assume you'll get the awesome reliablity you get from Honda components.

71dsp

I wonder how many people actually check the cam journal clearance when installing cams. hmmm....

WolfpactVI

That clearance (or lack thereof) would affect what in particular?

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Artifex

A valid question, but I wonder though: what to do if the clearance is off?

With a crank, you can resize the bearings if the clearances are out of spec. With a cam, you are pretty much SOL.

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dvsracergirl

haha good question billy.

majority of the time cams do break because of improper installation. BUT...on occasion ive seen TODA cams, Crower, Skunk2 and Nismo cams all break when hand cranking the engine....or worse when the cars breaking in the cams.....and so far everytime this has happened its been a casting flaw or poor quality cores. remember that most of these aftermarkt cams are mass produced and there is going to be defects in the bunch.
Ive yet to see a set of JUNs snap....but they are a lot more rare to see...but ive installed 4 pairs on ludes and theyre all still running strong...and if mine hold up then i have complete faith in them ....only because im known to break **** and these wont break

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71dsp

I've seen some of the castings, and some have very sharp corners right around the lobes, which is where I've seen many of the break.

precisionelite

<----going OEM

precisionelite

Does anyone know the difference between the Euro-R cams and the Type S cams?

marcucci

I challenge this. The issue is that stock engines are tested, designs changed, retested, tested some more... there is a lot that goes into design and analyzing operation over a myriad of conditions and interoperability with other systems. The issue is that most performance parts are designed around a specific application, attention is not paid to materials, the "little old lady" factor, etc.

I've had performance parts fail one me, some very badly. I've had many of them perform excellent and in some cases under some pretty extreme conditions. All mfrs are guilty to some extent of not covering all the bases. Skunk2 is a PRIME example of this- I'm sure they make some good parts but I haven't found any yet.

You generally shouldn't consider upgrading ANYTHING unless you are prepared to do with out it. There is always some risk involved. You mitigate that by going with a reputable shop or doing the work yourself and becoming the expert. Don't rely on other people (especially aftermarket manufacturers) to do the research for you. Keep in mind that OEM parts cost a premium for a reason, and that Honda has more than 50 years of experience and knowledge behind them.