Plastic Camshaft?

[springfieldscooter]

I see some of the 4 stroke engines utilize a polymer or plastic camshaft.
How are these holding up?
Seems like a bad idea to me.
Any thoughts?

 

[Old Bob]

Why would it be a bad idea if it works for hours on end with no wear?

 

[springfieldscooter]

How many hours is the question!

 

[Old Bob]

I wouldn't worry about it, I don't keep track of hours, but these things on trimmers last virtually forever.I've never seen one wear out. The GX31 I bought 14 years ago is still running.

 

[Deleted member 12676]

I think Honda designed it for less pressure on the camshaft lobe which is easier to do on a small engine.

 

[springfieldscooter]

This just seems like a horrible idea.
I spent a good portion of the day researching, and just as I thought, they fail all too soon.
Horrible idea for longevity .
The only good thing is they are cheap and quiet.
Briggs, Kawasaki, Honda, and probably a lot more mfgs. are going this route.
Sad.

 

[Old Bob]

That's not a Honda cam.Not GX25,25,31,35 nor GXH50

 

[gary55]

If I was going to worry about something on that cam shaft it would be the gear.

 

[springfieldscooter]

This is a cam removed from a newer Briggs.
It seems that other manufactures are following suit.
Quiets the valvetrain operation, but shortens the life as well.
Moral of the story.....BAD IDEA!

 

[Old Bob]

I knew it wasn't a Honda part.
That cam is from an engine size that's not legal to run on a MB.
So why bother with it here, this a MB forum.
Moral of the story is that you are second guessing companies with an engineering dept that better funded than you are.