Hello to all you fine people.Ok here it is.I have recently installed a used distributor in my 94 aerostar 3.0L because the gear at the bottom that connects to the camshaft was damaged (some of the teeth were broken off)All was fine and dandy for about 30 days only to be standed on the highway AGAIN.What is it now I thought.First thing I checked was the distributor and sure enough it had done the same thing (sheared of a few teeth on that damn gear).I put a camera inside the hole where the distributor goes and the gear on the camshaft looks O.K.Now I dont know what to do .Any thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated. < THANX >

 

Hmm ....two distributors being eaten up in one month ...if the distributors were properly seated and secured, then I can't help but think that there is something wrong with the camshaft ...maybe the end with the spiral gear is moving around or is damaged.

 

Thanx for the replies Rock...I have since put another one in and is ok ,SO FAR! One more quick question if I might I am timing it up now and it says before I time it I should remove the inline spout connector.There is only one connector I can see on the distributor and I assume that is for power any Idea where this thing is ?I have a manual but it only talks about the distributor with the module in it mine doesnt have it naturally. thanx in advance

 

On my 92 Areostar the SPOUT is next the master cylinder for the brakes.

 

Thanx for the reply saddletrout I'll have a look there I timed it by sound and sight and it runs great but will feel better when I get the timing light on it....( thanx again )

 

Hi 94Ford Guy,

I hope everything is going fine.

Hey, I was just wondering: when you took out your distributor did it show any other signs of wear besides the gear?

The reason I ask is because I replaced my distributor not so long ago for a chewed up gear without replacing the cam, and ever since I've been keeping my fingers crossed that the new gear won't get eaten up too. The van is running fine, but it still crosses my mind.

I'm hoping the failure was with the distributor alone and not the cam gear. My old distributor was a mess. The shaft was so bent you could hardly turn it by hand, and the stator was hitting the little magnet under the rotor. My guess (and hope) is the bearings in the distributor housing went bad and caused vibration that ate the gear.

I looked down in the hole with a mirror and flashlight as best I could and the gear on the cam looked ok, so I just put in the new distributor, didn't have time or money to do a cam job, and still don't.
My questions are:
What did your old distributor look like? Was it in as bad a shape as mine, or was it just the gear? And if so, did the second distributor do the same thing? Thank you in advance for a reply.

Again, I sincerely hope everything is going fine. From someone who's been stranded on the road before, I know what it's like.

 

Thanx for the replies saddletrout. The first distributor was a mess like yours the stator banging off the magnets and the gear was toast.The second one was'nt as bad but there was some play in the shaft but like I said earlier it was a scrapyard part so I guess you get what you pay for I think it was 100.00 (Canadian)not bad considering Ford wanted 644.00 plus tax for a new one !Just was'nt in the budget.Also the gear on #2 looked not bad some wear but thats to be expected and it was still under warranty(90days) so I was happy about that.By the way what did you pay for your new distributor ?Anyway thanx again for the info and if I can help you with anything just hollar. cbrown.@sympatico.ca