Distributor Gear

[oldtimer]

Is there any need to change the drive gear on an MSD distributor to be compatible with a Comp Cams solid roller cam ? No one seems to have brought this topic up and I know in years past, this was a problem ( not with Buicks that I'm aware, but certainly with Chevys ) with the gears on the cam and dist eating each other up.

Am I aging myself here ?

George

 

[norbs]

As long as the gear on oyur cam your using is not billet hardened steel it will be ok.

 

[disco stu]

I'd like to hear more about this as well. I can't remember what material the gear is made out of.

 

[norbs]

The factory gear is a very soft steel, i think its cast iron. SOme aftermarket cam gears are hardended, i would contact ta performance they would know.

 

[disco stu]

Stock is cast iron.

Not sure what Strezo's gears are made out of though. Maybe someone else will.

 

[chevyII]

If your talking about the chevy engines that was old technology. When the first billet cams came out you needed to run a brass/soft dist gear. The newer cams press on a gear to the cam so the factory dist gears work now. This was switched over years ago unless there really cheap cams.

 

[Lee Thompson]

Sorta on topic

After showing wear on both gears (1 season of street driving and some track run) I raised the ? about gear wear. This was few years back. I have a Comp billet cam and a factory cam sensor. The gear on the cam is a factory 350 buick gear. Did not get a clear answer. After going through 2 sets of gears I decided to look into this farther. On a factory GN cam there is a hole drilled @ an angle from the front cam bearing journal out to the end gear. It looks like enough oil will weep out onto the gear to keep them from eating each other up as I have not seen factory stuff show wear. With a billet cam that oiling is eliminated. I drilled and tapped a 1/8 in. NPT hole in the front cover just above the cam sensor gear. I had to drill the brass fitting out so the 1/8 in. copper tubing will slide on through the fitting and you can aim it so it sprays directly on the cam sensor gear. (there is not enough room for a fitting inside the cover.) The cam sensor gear turns clockwise looking down on it and the cam gear turns clockwise looking @ it from the front.The oil on the cam sensor gear is carried around to lube when they mesh. 2 years now and 0 wear. I could post a pic if needed. BTW I pick up my oil supply by Teeing into the brass factory fitting on the front of block.

 

[oldtimer]

After showing wear on both gears (1 season of street driving and some track run) I raised the ? about gear wear. This was few years back. I have a Comp billet cam and a factory cam sensor. The gear on the cam is a factory 350 buick gear. Did not get a clear answer. After going through 2 sets of gears I decided to look into this farther. On a factory GN cam there is a hole drilled @ an angle from the front cam bearing journal out to the end gear. It looks like enough oil will weep out onto the gear to keep them from eating each other up as I have not seen factory stuff show wear. With a billet cam that oiling is eliminated. I drilled and tapped a 1/8 in. NPT hole in the front cover just above the cam sensor gear. I had to drill the brass fitting out so the 1/8 in. copper tubing will slide on through the fitting and you can aim it so it sprays directly on the cam sensor gear. (there is not enough room for a fitting inside the cover.) The cam sensor gear turns clockwise looking down on it and the cam gear turns clockwise looking @ it from the front.The oil on the cam sensor gear is carried around to lube when they mesh. 2 years now and 0 wear. I could post a pic if needed. BTW I pick up my oil supply by Teeing into the brass factory fitting on the front of block.

Thanks Lee for posting. I'd like to see those pics

George

 

[Lee Thompson]

I'm trying

Again

 

[oldtimer]

Again

Thanks Lee, that's quite ingenius. Where are you tapping in for your oil source?

George

 

[chevyII]

Thats the way my stage was set from RPE. Small feed tubre to feed the gear/chain.

 

[Lee Thompson]

Tee

Remove the oil pressure sending unit and add a Tee there. Cutting the 1/8 in. tubing with MINI tubing cutters leaves a nice .040-.050 hole in the end. I left mine @ that (the end in the cover---reamed the one @ the block bigger).

 

[disco stu]

Thanks for posting Lee. Any substantial drop in oil pressure?

 

[Lee Thompson]

no

no

 

[disco stu]

Drive/cam sensor gear oil jet, the Lee Thompson way...... It's pointing directly at the cam sensor gear, used carb cleaner for the picture. You can see the stream in the second picture.

 

[RmvBfrFlght]

Lee's feeding of oil right to the gears is a great idea. I pulled the cam sensor out a few days ago to install the RJC fix and found the cam sensor gear rather worn. Not wanting to pull the cover I used the 1/8 NPT hole in the top of the cover to feed oil. Slightly different then what Lee did, but should work as it is directly above the cam shaft gear..

Picked up the oil at the same place, the oil switch port on the block. There was a -6 AN fitting there feeding an analog gauge for oil pressure so installed a fuel pressure type tap to pick up the oil.

Threaded the bottom of a 1/8" NPT to -4 AN fitting at 12-24 for a short screw that was converted to an oil squirter. Drilled it at 0.046" for the restriction/jet.

Then connected the feed and the jet via a piece of -4 line.

Pictures are in no particular order, not sure how to embed & order them

RemoveBeforeFlight

 

[ttypewhite]

Oiling the gear set helps lubricate the moving parts but you got some serious wear going on there. Dan at DLS makes a billet cam/distributor gear and cam gear that mesh better then the factory stuff, and also makes a remote oiling system that is also better then stock and addresses oiling the moving parts in the front cover. But keep in mind, this new gear set DLS carries doesn't fix an alignment issue. Lots of variables cause the alignment to be off.

DLS oiling system

oils the front cover

After 2 years of street driving with a solid roller and Dan's gear set I pulled my distributor and the gears look amazing.

 

[RmvBfrFlght]

I was going to get a new gear, but then decided to run the extra oiling for a while. If it stops the wear then get a new gear, otherwise look into it further when I have more time. Not sure if the cam gear is also getting worn.

RemoveBeforeFlight

 

[Squid4life]

I pulled the cam sensor out a few days ago to install the RJC fix and found the cam sensor gear rather worn.

Can we assume with the wear on the gear you are running a high volume front cover? Nice work on the oiling mod, I am digging it!

 

[ek02]

The worn out cast iron gear looks just like mine when I noticed the cold oil pressure jumping around at idle. I thought the timing chain was gone. I went with a T/A bronze gear and have no wear after a few thousand miles. Theoreticaly, the bronze gear should wear, but it has not. Maybe there are some soft cast iron gears?