Does anyone know how much of the distributor gear actually meshes with the cam gear on a 302?

I know some engines like sbc`s for example only the bottom half of the gear actually is engaged with the cam gear but I am not sure on 302`s. I tried looking online but no luck there.

I ask cause below is a photo of my D.U.I. distributor that came in that has a nick in the cam gear and I have a new cardone distributor for a '85 DSII 302 mustang with a steel gear that I can drive the pin out of and swap but just curious if its high enough to not contact my cam gear and let it ride.

 

You could look at the wear pattern on the dist gear and see where it rides on the cam gear.

 

It's the whole gear... why wouldn't it be?

Seriously....

 

Thats what I am going to do this weekend. I applied some driven assembly grease on the gear when I installed the distributor last weekend. Before I pull it to measure the shaft, I could rotate the engine till the rotor is back at number one cylinder and then check the pattern. I talked with the engine builder I know; I told him that D.U.I. informed me that it shouldnt be a problem with that chip cause the chip is on the outside edge of the tooth and the cam gear will be riding on the inside of the teeth. The engine builder told me that if D.U.I. will warranty the engine if it wipes the engine out then go for it otherwise, he informed me I should replace the gear. He told me of a tool that is for the TFI distributors for 83 and up Fords but the distributor housing didn't change so it should work at removing the gear. Only thing is it looks like this tool holds the distributor and pushes the distributor shaft up and off the gear. My distributor has a collar that is roll pinned just below the distributor housing so I really didn't want to do a whole disassembly, but this tool will install the gear. He just told me to send it back to D.U.I. and just tell them that Id like to have it replaced just for peace of mind since the engine the engine has a lot of money in it. I would do that, but it took me a good 7 months since I ordered this custom-built distributor to get it, I hate to send it back to them.

Thats what I thought but when I was looking, I found lots of people talking about sbc`s and lots of patterns show the cam gear was only meshing with the bottom half of the distributor gear.

I do think I am going to just replace the gear, first I have to decide which way to go. I found the tool on Ebay I have to try and bid on and win that is discontinued for removal and installation of the distributor gear on TFI distributors which is no different than the DS II distributor. It also would make it easy to install the gear seeing as I can line it up and press the gear on to get the roll pin to line up again. Only question I really have is do I use the distributor gear off my new Cardone distributor I won't be using it has no damage to the gear and I could pull it off and use that distributor as a test to try the tool out. That is if the gear is the right diameter there is two different sizes and I have seen some people state the TFI used with EFI was the ones with the larger ID gear, but I can't find confirmation on that. If both gears are the same, I wouldn't have to buy a gear, if I have to buy a gear, I don't know what steel gear to get cause some that I saw had reviews where people were stating the roll pin was drilled higher on the distributor gear since they want you to install the gear 90* to the OE roll pin and drill a new hole once installed. I don't want that, I want an OE spec steel gear and I will take my time and pull it off multiple times if I have to, to get it pressed on properly for the roll pin to line up.

 

Regarding Cardone: I recently purchased a Cardone for a 1986 Mustang to drop in my truck's 302 roller. The only thing holding the steel gear in place on the shaft was the roll pin. Gear spins freely on the shaft with pin out. should be a very tight. press on fit. It's the shaft that's too small.
EDIT: and I only discovered this because I had to remove the gear so I could get to the collar on the shaft above it. That spacer was too thick and bound up the distributor when I attempted to lock it down. I had to turn .025" off it to get proper end play. Be sure to check the endplay.

Ignore all this at your peril.

 

On Ford engines the way the gear is installed on the distributor is a pretty critical thing. The way it should work is to have it so that the gear can be forced against the block by the engine rotation yet free to float away from the block. It is never preloaded downward by the distributor but at the same time it doesn't float above the block surface either. The hole through the gear doesn't really control this dimension and it can vary.

What some people do is install the gear with the hole purposely turned a 1/4 turn away from the old hole. They get it installed at the right position and then they drill a new hole through the distributor shaft. This does work.

What I do is use a little fixture that I made that makes it easy to duplicate the hole position and transfer that to the new gear. Then I install the new gear and put the pin through the old hole in the shaft.

On Chevrolet engines the whole width of the gear is supposed to be engaged with the cam. Unlike a Ford engine the Chevy doesn't have the vertical position of the distributor all that closely controlled because it sits on the intake manifold not the block. On those engines if the distributor sits too deep it can damage the oil pump. Too high it can be rough on the distributor gear.

 

Special tool?
I used a puller(gear/pulley) and a press(hydraulic and drill).
Make sure you have the correct gear material. Must be same or softer than the cam gear, other wise you will chew up the cam gear.
When I got my 'melonized' gear, there was a hole, with a 'S'.
So many people complained the hole is too big and in wrong place.

I read the instructions that came with my gear, it stated "The S is NOT the roll pin hole. YOU MUST DRILL A NEW HOLE."

 

What the special tool does is duplicate the position of the hole in the old gear on the new one so that the same hole through the distributor shaft can be used to put the new gear in the same position as the old one.

 

I guess I was lucky first time when I measured three times, drilled one hole in gear, put gear on using a hand puller and a bench hydraulic press.
Holes lined up, pin installed.

 

Yet another reason why I didnt want to use the cardone new distributor. The biggest thing is the D.U.I. one was drilled out with a full length bushing that stabilizes the distributor shaft more than the stock bushing. As far as disassembly goes, I have been asking around showing the chip and just about everyone I have shown to, they all said that they wouldnt worry about it and run it as is and not waste time pulling the gear and replacing it. I decided this weekend if I have the time I will spin the engine over to transfer the assembly grease to the cam gear then pull the distributor and see what the pattern looks like if it leaves one which it should with how sticky this grease is and go from there.

Correct, I just wasnt sure if the gear as its being pulled down by the cam gear is pulling the gear down enough to make full contact across the whole thickness of the cam gear or not. I was concerned about this chip in the gear tooth on my distributor that is up near the top side of the gear. Just about everyone I talked with else where from Muscle Ford`s forum to calling D.U.I and else where, it seems to be the consensus is to let it ride that the chip isnt as big a deal as the material of the distributor gear. Just deburr it is what I was told but there isnt a burr on the chip Ive ran my finger over it and never felt a sharp edge

Yes, the tool is for the TFI distributors but will work on the DS II distributors as well as the housings are the same. Its designed to pull the gear as well as press the gear on without a press and its supposed to make it easier for placing the gear back in the same spot and get the roll pin lined up properly. From what I understand the cup that presses the gear on will only press the gear up so far before it runs out of depth.

Guy at work has been lucky as well, but I dont have a press at the house and the one we have at work is so shady I would never trust putting my distributor in there for disassembly. But as of now I think I will just let it ride cause the feed back I have been getting else where is that I shouldnt worry about the chip as that chip is not a big deal and that I should be more concerned about proper gear material. I just never seen a chipped gear and was concerned this might cause a weird wear on the cam gear itself or take out the distributor gear or maybe both. I wanted to see what others think and then go from there.

 

Here's what my fixture looks like: It has dowels for gears with different ID's. First the old gear goes on the fixture and the whole thing is put into the Bridgeport vice. Then the gear is rotated and the original hole is picked up. Next the new gear is put on the fixture and rotated so that there isn't any hole. Using a little center drill a new hole is drilled that matches the position of the the hole in the old gear. new gear gets pressed onto the shaft and the pin goes back in through the original hole in the shaft. This works slick and it makes it easy to install a new gear.

 

A gear is what $40-$60 bucks? that cheap if your engine has a lot of money in it.
Send it back, get it right. 7 months, no biggy, I'm still waiting after 2 years for parts.

You ordered a part that is flawed. Send it back, or put a good gear on it.
If that gear, because of that little chip, takes out your cam gear, puts shavings throughout your motor, because of feed back that you shouldn't worry about!

Either way, your going to be putting more money into it, be it a little or be it a lot.