MXT's ordeal with his Toda Cams is very well documented in a very long thread about this issue. Oh and LearnersPermit I warned you about these cams please make sure that you get those dynos done because I would very very much like to see them perform well for you.

 

kane: It's would be a little difficult to mic the lobes on the original cams for comparison, since the tips of the lobes sheared off (plus I no longer have them). As part of my troubleshooting roadmap, I do intend to have the new cams mic'd and compared to another set... unless I can resolve the problem before I get to that point. Unfortunately, I don't know anyone local that has the equipment to do that, or I probably would've had it done already. Toda did state, however, that the specs for both sets were identical.

bluesaint: I have done several compression tests since the original set of cams grenaded. Only one of those tests were lower than my original compression numbers. That test was performed while the new Toda cams were in the car (not sure if that is relevant), and the ambient temps were in the 80s that day (again, not sure if that is relevant). Those are the only two things that I can think of that might play a role in the different numbers. Now that the temps are back in the 40s & 50s, I'm going to do a comp. test with the Toda cams in the car, just to see if they were in any way part of the cause of the low compression numbers from my previous test.

I never claimed that Toda stated that you don't need cam gears to tune the gears. I simply stated that my original cams were supposed to be identical to this set, and the original set made power (without any cam tuning), while the new set does not currently make power. To me, that indicates that either the cams are not identical, or there is something else going on.

Edit: By the way, I think this mentioned in the other thread that I linked to, but just out of curiosity one day, I dropped the stock cams back in the car and put it back on the dyno and found that it was making more power with the stock cams than with the Toda cams, especially on the low-cam.

 

For valve spring removal and replacement you can use a valve spring tool. https://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?P6...ore&dir=catalog

 

I've come to realize that in this shady automotive industry, a lot of mis-information is told to the consumers by many companies. If you have access to a caliper, then I would even try and compare the stock cams to the toda see if they have more lift and eye ball it to see if the duration is greater with the toda's.

 

Make sure your installer knows what he is doing, My roomate had a set of Toda's installed and he dropped a valve and destroyed his engine and when we looked at the camshafts they had flat spots at the crown of several lobes!

 

The flat spots on the lobes sound like the "normal" problem with the early Toda cams. I wouldn't be surprised if the failed lobes contributed to the dropped valve.

 

SO does anyone have any positive results from these Cams? I called TODA and they said there shouldnt be a faiure problem with the First ones,, IF>.. they are installed correctly. And also I was told that MR. TODA in Japan has been running the first edition ones since they came out and hasnt had any porblems.

 

O yea BTW mine are the Black cams the Spec A ver 2 is on the box. The Silver Caks are the 3rd version that Toda Spec V version A or somthign like that?? and its polished out.

 

I can't say from personal experience though, but through brave guinea pigs, I have read enough on the forums to give an opinion.......Mr. Toda, two thumbs down

 

i had the first edition spec a cams in my car for two months and made power on the dyno but then after my mechanic did a valve clearance check, he noticed that my exhaust cam lobes were flat....as mxt said the first edition has a tendency to have the lobes shear off. as for toda saying it has to be installed right...i called them and they said the same thing but once i let my mechanic(who they know and is a very knowledgable mechanic) talk to them, they gave him some bull$*# answer. since then i went back to stock cams and flushed my oil pan coz there were a lot of metal shavings in it. i still have the toda valve springs and Ti retainers in my car though. in my opinion, if i have to do it all over again, cams are just a waste of money on our cars!