Wonder if springs are getting coil bind or something...

 

I'd be surprised with a spring that's rated at .050 more lift than the cam lobes were throwing at it. Do you know your install height?

 

Damn, this worries me. I put a 215/223 0.604"/0.610" 112+5 Comp LSr cam into my 5.3 with PRC 0.650" dual springs. I'll have to check install height and make sure they're not binding. I wish comp would man up and admit they were selling subpar stuff. Would I be risking the engine by leaving the cam in? I bought it used with 2K miles and all lobes looked good.

The failures and flaking you're seeing looks like rolling contact fatigue (exactly how I would expect these to fail). I'll look into a paper I wrote for a fatigue course, but it's pretty obvious that the cam isn't hardened as it should be.

 

Had the same issue with a Crower cam in a 5.7 Hemi. Looked identical. Never pulled the XFI grind Comp out of the truck before I traded it off. Almost wish I had just to see how it held up. The last couple of cams I have put in have been the old Crane, Isky, and Lunati. I have a Comp Cam in my Express that has a ticking valvetrain currently. Started out of nowhere and getting worse.

 

Better check out your cam bearings. Do a complete inspection of each bearing and you may find a problem there. Any material other than aluminum showing on those bearings will indicate a failed bearing. A very reputable LS engine builder in East Texas has found the cam bearings as more of a problem than the cams (even the comp cams). Can be a cam bearing oiling issue or even a cam bearing installed incorrectly!
Did you check your seat pressure and open pressure during assembly?
Not doubting your engine building abilities just hate to see some one invest this kind of cash on an engine and not get decent longevity.

 

So, the new EPS cam came in today. I admit it looks (from a looks standpoint) much better finished than the Comp cam did.

It looks like EPS is now using Cam Motion (which is awesome, fast turnaround on grinds AND local) as the cam source.

My new cam is a 113LSA 226/230 .605" on EPS lobes. It appears to be an 8620 Carburized Nickel-Chromium-Molybdenum core. Still putting the engine back together so no idea how it runs yet.

PS: On a side note, Lucas Assembly Lube is so sticky that if you wave your hands around in the air fast enough, it will stick to the air and hang there like a cobweb. True story.

 

Cam Motion all the way.

 

dont forget about howards cams. Customer service was great on a 2nd hand 2 year old cam that i bought. They seemed more like a mom/pop operation that cares instead of a huge corp that only wants the next sals.