Distributor gear looks chewed up???

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hummer784

Founding Member

Sep 1, 2001

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Danville, Ca

Feb 18, 2004

#1

• Feb 18, 2004

• #1

I was timing my car today and my distributor gear felt funny so I looked at it and the teeth look thinner then before, and there was also lines on the bottom of the teeth where it was thicker. I compaerd the gear to the gear on my mallory unilite and the unilite gears are thicker and have flat spots on the top of the teeth. The teeth on my dist now (stock ford) come to a point. What is going on? Should I be worried? Btw, cam is a comp solid lifter that is mabey 4 months old. Thanks, mike.

 

SuperDave

Early-Model Mentor

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May 3, 2000

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Tacoma, WA USA

Feb 18, 2004

#2

• Feb 18, 2004

• #2

hummer784 said:

I was timing my car today and my distributor gear felt funny so I looked at it and the teeth look thinner then before, and there was also lines on the bottom of the teeth where it was thicker. I compaerd the gear to the gear on my mallory unilite and the unilite gears are thicker and have flat spots on the top of the teeth. The teeth on my dist now (stock ford) come to a point. What is going on? Should I be worried? Btw, cam is a comp solid lifter that is mabey 4 months old. Thanks, mike.

Click to expand...

This problem was experienced by the GBM. He can explain the solution. DON"T DRIVE THE CAR TILL YOU FIX IT!

 

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gp001

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Jun 30, 2001

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So. Cal.

Feb 18, 2004

#3

• Feb 18, 2004

• #3

Hummer,

What material dist gear do you have and are you sure it is compatable with your cam?
Did you have the distrib gear replaced ? If so was it done correctly?

 

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hummer784

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Sep 1, 2001

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Danville, Ca

Feb 18, 2004

#4

• Feb 18, 2004

• #4

gp001, the distributor gear is just like the distributor, a stock ford replacement. I have no idea....to me it looks cast. If I had to make a guess, I would say cast iron but I could be wrong. The gear on my mallory unilite looks to be stronger then the stock ford one. However, I woul rather chew up the distributor gear then the cam. What should I do?

 

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bnickel

Founding Member

Aug 21, 2002

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lubbock, texas

Feb 18, 2004

#5

• Feb 18, 2004

• #5

you need to get a cam gear that is compatible with the roller cam, period. the stock cast iron gear is not compatible with the steel roller cam, i would call comp and get a gear from them that is compatible with cam. as Dave said DO NOT DRIVE IT UNTIL IT IS FIXED!!!!!!!!!! you could end up causing internal engine damage from the pieces of the gear floating around in the engine

 

SandSprite

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Feb 8, 2003

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L.A., CA

Feb 18, 2004

#6

• Feb 18, 2004

• #6

steel gear for roller cams
cast iron gear for non-roller cams

 

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hummer784

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Sep 1, 2001

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Danville, Ca

Feb 18, 2004

#7

• Feb 18, 2004

• #7

But dont have a roller cam?!?!?!? I have a solid lifter cam. Do I still need a new gear? Thanks.

 

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bnickel

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Aug 21, 2002

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lubbock, texas

Feb 19, 2004

#8

• Feb 19, 2004

• #8

sorry mis-read your post i thought you said solid roller, ok i'm old and blind if that is case you have another problem somewhere, possibly the distributor shaft is slightly bent or your timing chain is worn out causing the cam to "rock" back and forth so to speak, for lack of a better term. it is also possible that the cam was hardened differently than it should have been creating an incompatibility with cast gear, kind of a stretch but it is possible. the best thing i can tell you is to call comp and see if the cam you have is supposed to use a special gear, IIRC some solid cams require a bronze gear

 

SandSprite

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Feb 8, 2003

332

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L.A., CA

Feb 19, 2004

#9

• Feb 19, 2004

• #9

IIRC, bronze gears are for short-run motors-- i.e. strip only, not for street motors. They are very soft. Ask GP about bronze gears.....

hummer: sounds like you're still gonna need a new gear if yours is excessively worn-- pretty sure you need a cast iron gear. keep an eye on the new one. maybe your old one was just old or a bad unit?