VETDRMS

At least this time I didn't drive it...:mad:

Ran it for 20 minutes or so so I could bleed the cooling system.
Decided to pull the dist. and check it out.

Sure enough it was chewing into the bottom 3/8" of the gear....
I'm going back and fourth trying to figure out why on earth its doing this.
Nothing is "raised" from stock, I had absolutely no problems with my previous HR cam.
This SR has a cast gear for use with a cast dist gear.

I DO have a LOT of oil pressure: 80+lbs cold, 75lbs hot cruising 3000rpm.
40lbs idle. (900-1000rpm)

I'm not sure what to do next, looks like it may end up sitting for a while. :'(

Thanks for any suggestions.

:cheers:

comp

just logged in... are you the one that has lost 2 others ???

Ironcross

Some camshafts {Steel} require a bronze distributor gear. Price is around 40 bucks :thumbs:

VETDRMS

comp No, this is #2. At least i'm not alone. :yesnod:

IronCross This is a Comp "-8" Solid Roller with a cast gear.

Ironcross

Most roller camshafts are steel billet shafts and the bronze gear should apply and fix the problem as long as the timing set up at the chain is correct. I personally do not use roller shafts with chevys. But I believe there is a walking factor requiring the use of a camshaft thrust botton in chevys using a roller cam. My Donovan Hemi and other Chryslers use a thrust plate to prevent this, Chevys dont. If you are already using a cam button, probably replaceing the distributor gear will correct the problem.

Desertdawg

I had a ferd 460 eat the gear, DO NOT use the pin hole in the gear. you have to drill a new one.

Now you need to look into the motor with a flashlight, and be honest. Do you see any damage to the cam gear. I said, it looks ok. tiny bit of scuffing...Yeah right, it ate the second gear in 150 miles...

Once again DO NOT use the pre drilled hole in the dist. gear, you have to drill your own to align the gears.

I might be completely wrong here, but this is what I went through with my 460. BTW I had to pull the cam, there was just a little to much scuffing to survive. :mad

MassVette

Check to see if the distributor is 'bottoming out' on the intake, or is sitting slightly 'up'. You may need distributor shims- Moroso makes them.

:yesnod:

SmokedTires

Icalled Comps Cam help line (1-800-999-0853) last week & spoke to them about what distributor gear they recommend I run with my cam. They needed the serial number off my cam card to verify what the cam core was made of & what cam gear they have on it. They recommened I run either a bronze or composite gear on my distibutor. Give them a call :smash:

Fevre

Am going through the same thing right now with my Formula, just pulled the dist and the gear is chewed up. The gear is from a stock 89 Firebird and the first one that was chewed was bronze. It is only showing wear on about the lower 3/4 of the gear so I suspect there is some geometry issues.

cardo0

:( :sad: Hang in there VETDREAMS.

Smokehouse69

If you are running a steel camshaft, and roller camshafts are billet steel, you need to run a Melonized cam gear. Regular bronze or cast iron gears will not last! A Melonized cam gear can be bought from any Chevy dealers parts department, or from GM direct.
http://www.flatlanderracing.com/distgmbb.html
10456413
Distributor Gear
$51

This melonized steel gear is required on all crate engines and roller camshafts that are made of steel. If engines are assembled not using this gear it may affect your engine warranty.

Technical Notes: Components in these groups are interchangeable with small-block Chevrolet V8s. GM Performance Parts distributors cannot be used with "tall deck" Bow Tie block P/N 14044808. This gear is part of distributor assembly P/N 1104067.

VETDRMS

Sorry, but all roller camshafts are NOT steel. The "street-roller" cams from comp are a hardened cast core with a cast gear. No special distributor gears are needed. The 180 degree ofset on the wear pattern suggests that there is a non-concentric mating of the two surfaces, either by angle mis-alignment or a problem with the gear itself. After inspecting the cam gear there is some wear on it. The cam needs to come out, I will be talking it over with Comp on Monday and I'll get back to you all.

Thanks for all the suggestions, your input is appreciated!

:cheers:

MotorHead

I hope this isn't another one like their lousy High Energy pushrods ( the ones with the little ***** of crap on the end ), you install them and after 100 miles you hear rockers ticking so you adjust them about five more times before you realize the pushrods are actually wearing down for no apparent reasion, never did get an answer for that one just a lot of metal in the pan. :mad


[Modified by MotorHead, 12:08 AM 4/4/2004]

Fevre

I have a crane roller cam I got through Motorhead and while it is a steel core it has a pressed on iron gear that can be used with stock non roller cams (cast iron), I have no problems with it and my MSD dist. My formula has a home made retro fit intake from a new LT1 that the previous owner made and it requires drilling and hole for the dist since the new LT1's do not have traditional dist, I think there is an alignment problem with hole or installation height.