Matatk wrote:
Talked to Rick for a few minutes and we kicked around a few ideas. I think I agree pulling the pan is the best idea, but I've already done three oil changes since the motor was new, and I didn't observe anything unusual. I also drained the oil the other day to check for fuel and didn't find any unusual contaminants. So I'm up in the air.

What we were more concerned with was what caused the damage. It is the fact that the distributor gear had 20 years and 90,000 miles on it already? Was it previously worn when I reinstalled it and I didn't inspect it closely enough? Or is my cam walking? Are there problems with my cam bearings?

So those are some real issues I have to deal with I'm gonna mull it over and see what I decide. I'm also going to email comp cams and see what they say.

Matthew

Matatk wrote:
Thanks, Bill. I emailed comp a minute ago and I'll wait to see what distributor gear they recommend. I also found an article in one of the car rags about checking the distributor height when installing it (I'll try that) and using assembly lube on the gear (which I didn't do!).

Read this:

http://www.circletrack.com/techarticl ... tion_practices/index.html

matthew

Matatk wrote:
I didn't know the original distributor was bronze?

Matatk wrote:
I'm also gonna look into the shim kit.....

BillH wrote:
Quote:

Matatk wrote:
I didn't know the original distributor was bronze?

I'm not sure about that.

Matatk wrote:
Quote:

BillH wrote:
Quote:

Matatk wrote:
I didn't know the original distributor was bronze?

I'm not sure about that.

I meant distributor gear.

CentralCoaster wrote:


What does the cam gear look like? Is it an aftermarket cam? I've seen some that had some nasty sharp edges out of the box and had to be filed smooth.

If there was any damage to the cam, you would be able to see it while it is
still in the engine. That looks like the normal wear with a high volume oil
pump and stock gear. The correct material is iron or steel, but it has to be
melonized. That is the process that makes the gear compatible with our cams.
Now the wear issue will still be there with a high volume oil pump, which is
inevitable, but it may not be as bad with the correct gear. I also spoke to
one of our engine builders and he said that the original gear was worn with
the original cam, and then it was put on a new cam, so that was most of the
culprit. As long as the cam gear isn't damaged, I would recommend the GM
part # 10456413 distributor gear and some gear marking compound just to make
sure the gears mesh correctly. Thanks,

In an effort to handle the overwhelming volume of e-mails we recieve, please
limit your replies and if a reply is necessary, please reply to the original
and ask all questions in one e-mail. Thank You
William Hood
Technical Consultant

RickAnthony wrote:
[quote]
Also have you checked to make sure the dist. shaft is still turning? I'd pull the cap off and have someone crank it and watch to make sure it's spinning like it should. We've seen some strange failures on dist. drive gears lately.

-=Rick

flyboy wrote:
Quote:

RickAnthony wrote:
[quote]
Also have you checked to make sure the dist. shaft is still turning? I'd pull the cap off and have someone crank it and watch to make sure it's spinning like it should. We've seen some strange failures on dist. drive gears lately.

-=Rick

Good call Rick.

I hope the cam is O.K. and no major disassembly to be done.

flyboy wrote:
Apparently this gear was the wrong material or something wasn't lined up proper.

Matatk wrote:
Read the email above from comp - it's the right material, just mismatched due to the old cam. I talked to my dad about it, too. He's been a machinist in the car industry for 30 years. When you mate two gears, they develop a certain pattern together. When you change one of those gears (in my case the cam gear), that pattern changes and it wears the metal. I am pretty confident a new dizzy gear, properly installed and checked will be fine.

Matthew

flyboy wrote:
Wow! I'm sure the new cam old dist. gear combo has been done thousands of times with good results. I guess you got the short straw this time. I better look at mine, although the gear looked new to the eye and it's a G.M. cam. Hope you get it sorted out. Good thing you baby proofed the garage with the new floor coating.

Matatk wrote:
Quote:

flyboy wrote:
Wow! I'm sure the new cam old dist. gear combo has been done thousands of times with good results. I guess you got the short straw this time. I better look at mine, although the gear looked new to the eye and it's a G.M. cam. Hope you get it sorted out. Good thing you baby proofed the garage with the new floor coating.

I've found a lot of anecdotal evidence online of the same problem I had. It's not uncommon in the least bit. Since you changed the your cam, I would recommend pulling the dizzy and checking the drive gear. A new GM gear is around $45-50. Better to have the piece of mind. From what I've read, too, guys "in the know" always change the gear whenever they change their cam. Something to consider.

Matthew

Matatk wrote:
Quote:

flyboy wrote:
Wow! I'm sure the new cam old dist. gear combo has been done thousands of times with good results. I guess you got the short straw this time. I better look at mine, although the gear looked new to the eye and it's a G.M. cam. Hope you get it sorted out. Good thing you baby proofed the garage with the new floor coating.

I've found a lot of anecdotal evidence online of the same problem I had. It's not uncommon in the least bit. Since you changed the your cam, I would recommend pulling the dizzy and checking the drive gear. A new GM gear is around $45-50. Better to have the piece of mind. From what I've read, too, guys "in the know" always change the gear whenever they change their cam. Something to consider.

Matthew

rayquayle wrote:
This is excellent and timely info for me. I'm just about to install a new cam in my flat tappet L98. Guess I'll put a new distributor gear on my order list. Sorry to hear about your problem Matt, but what you've learned and shared is a help to me.

Properly Matching Your Camshaft and Distributor Gear



Matching camshaft and distributor gears is one of the most critical, yet often overlooked step in engine assembly. The proper distributor gear for your camshaft differs by both the material and the kind of lifter for which your camshaft was designed. Using the wrong material can lead to premature gear wear, possible camshaft wear and ultimately engine failure.

First off, no steel distributor gear is compatible with both flat tappet and hydraulic roller cams. This is because hydraulic rollers can be made from two possible materials and either of those materials requires a different gear than the flat tappet cam. Regardless, a steel gear is not compatible with a cast iron flat tappet cam.

Distributor Gear Materials:

1. Cast Iron

2. Composite (offers great life, conforms well to the mating cam gear, and is compatible with ANY camshaft gear material)

3. Melonized or hardened steel (material that OEMs use with factory roller cams; many aftermarket distributor manufacturers use these as the default gears for their distributors)

4. Bronze (conforms well to the mating camshaft gear and will not damage the camshaft gear, but it is a self sacrificing gear intended to be used in race applications only and should be replaced about once a year)

If you have a cast iron hydraulic or solid flat tappet cam, your distributor gear options are:

1. Cast iron distributor gear

2. Composite distributor gear

If you have an austempered ductile iron hydraulic or solid roller cam, your two options are:

1. Melonized or hardened steel distributor gear

2. Composite distributor gear

If you have a billet steel hydraulic or solid roller cam, your two options are:

1. Bronze distributor gear

2. Composite distributor gear

COMP Cams recommends the composite gear because it is compatible with all camshaft gears – flat tappet, austempered cast iron cores, and billet cores. If the steel gear is not hardened, it is not compatible with either of the roller cam types.

Note: If you have an austempered core hydraulic roller cam and a .500˝ shaft distributor with a steel gear, verify with the manufacturer of the distributor that the steel gear they use is a melonized or hardened steel material and it will work fine.

–Tech Tip courtesy of Comp Cams

Matatk wrote:
Ray - from what I read, the flat tappet cams use a different material on the cam gear, so you just use a standard cast iron distributor gear.

Matthew

RickAnthony wrote:
BTW Now that you got the car going.. want to rebuild my trans with me LoL... I may pull it next weekend not sure yet.

Matatk wrote:
Quote:

RickAnthony wrote:
BTW Now that you got the car going.. want to rebuild my trans with me LoL... I may pull it next weekend not sure yet.

Yes, because I think when mine goes again I'll rebuild it myself with one of the high hp kits.

Matthew

biggrizzly wrote:
Quote:

Matatk wrote:
Quote:

RickAnthony wrote:
BTW Now that you got the car going.. want to rebuild my trans with me LoL... I may pull it next weekend not sure yet.

Yes, because I think when mine goes again I'll rebuild it myself with one of the high hp kits.

Matthew

I have given this some thought as well. I wonder how hard it would be with the carefull guidance of PeteK?

Mine is out and a good candidate, why don't you guys come on over next weekend?

Matatk wrote:
Quote:

RickAnthony wrote:
BTW Now that you got the car going.. want to rebuild my trans with me LoL... I may pull it next weekend not sure yet.

Yes, because I think when mine goes again I'll rebuild it myself with one of the high hp kits.

Matthew

flyboy wrote:
Quote:

Matatk wrote:
Quote:

flyboy wrote:
Wow! I'm sure the new cam old dist. gear combo has been done thousands of times with good results. I guess you got the short straw this time. I better look at mine, although the gear looked new to the eye and it's a G.M. cam. Hope you get it sorted out. Good thing you baby proofed the garage with the new floor coating.

I've found a lot of anecdotal evidence online of the same problem I had. It's not uncommon in the least bit. Since you changed the your cam, I would recommend pulling the dizzy and checking the drive gear. A new GM gear is around $45-50. Better to have the piece of mind. From what I've read, too, guys "in the know" always change the gear whenever they change their cam. Something to consider.

Matthew

It's on my agenda. I do have my drain oil tested, nothing abnormal, so that's a good sign.