FE distributor gear lash
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Tuned
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 355
Likes: 0
From: Oregon
FE distributor gear lash
Finally started working on my '76 F250 project. Right now I'm trying to keep the old 360/390 (not sure which yet) alive until I get a new engine built for it, and maybe fix about 153 other problems it has.
Anyway, during a tuneup the other day I grabbed hold of the armature in the distributor and discovered that there's quite a bit of rotational play in it. It doesn't move up or down, or wiggle side to side. It turns about 1/4 inch in both directons before it stops, like it has a bad distributor gear or cam gear. It has the old SSI ignition (the one Ford made before Duraspark).
Is that kind of slop normal? It seems to me that it would raise hell with the timing. It also has an intermittent low RPM misfire that comes and goes at random, and I think this might be the culprit. I know it should have a tiny bit of lash, but this seems excessive.
Anyway, during a tuneup the other day I grabbed hold of the armature in the distributor and discovered that there's quite a bit of rotational play in it. It doesn't move up or down, or wiggle side to side. It turns about 1/4 inch in both directons before it stops, like it has a bad distributor gear or cam gear. It has the old SSI ignition (the one Ford made before Duraspark).
Is that kind of slop normal? It seems to me that it would raise hell with the timing. It also has an intermittent low RPM misfire that comes and goes at random, and I think this might be the culprit. I know it should have a tiny bit of lash, but this seems excessive.
FE "Freakin Expensive"
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 6,461
Likes: 4
From: Smith Mountain Lake, VA
Well it is obviously worn a bit...But some lash is just fine..and a long as the motor runs good dont worry about it..as the motor when running will take the slack out one way..and you just make up for it with turning the Cap (dizzy) when you set the timming...No Biggy! as long as your timming isnt jumping around while your running Dont worry about it... JMO..
RJ
RJ
Elder User
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 970
Likes: 3
Since the dist. shaft is not one piece what you are seeing is movement in the mechanical advance. You would have to pull the top shaft off the lower to see the lash between the dist. gear and cam gear. The dist.shaft drives the oil pump putting a very steady load on the driven side of the gear teeth and very little if any movement in the lash between the two gears.
kotzy
kotzy
