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Looks like the gear unbolts from the front of the cam and you can just replace the gear by itself.
Yes, you can definitely change the gear without removing the cam. The thing you want to check is that the cam gear is indeed plastic. They're made of plastic so that the gear breaks before something else more expensive breaks - sort of like a fuse. A lot of the distributor drive gears are like that too.
If it is munched, you need to determine why it got munched - it could be just old and brittle, or it could be something jammed in the valve train...
Yes, you can definitely change the gear without removing the cam. The thing you want to check is that the cam gear is indeed plastic. They're made of plastic so that the gear breaks before something else more expensive breaks - sort of like a fuse. A lot of the distributor drive gears are like that too.
If it is munched, you need to determine why it got munched - it could be just old and brittle, or it could be something jammed in the valve train...
Good call, if some jammed up the valvetrain and prevented the cam from rotating freely, the still-rotating crank gear would chomp right through those plastic teeth on cam gear. Just thinking out loud here
At 155k could have just been worn down and hit tooth to tooth and that was all she wrote.
But yea I'd put on the new gear "set" and then rotate the motor by hand to be sure everything was rotating freely before I even put the cover back on it.
Question: Do the V8's in these trucks have timing chains or gear to gearing timing? I seem to remember that we having timing chains...
Yea they have a chain, I know you can get a gear to gear for a SBC but never seen one for a ford. Not to say they don't make em, just haven't seen one, never looked.
For a SBC it is two small idler gears and a bracket that holds them right and left of the center line between the mainshaft and cam gears, I would think they'd make em in a similar fashion for Fords.
Always just went for the double roller chain and gear set.
yup...good call everyone. def take a look at your cam gear and tell us what it looks like. If its ground off flat in one spot then its mostly likely something jammed in the valvetrain not allowing the cam to turn. youll have to dislodge it and replace the gear. if it looks like the whole gear is destroyed it probably is just old brittle and worn out. If thats the case and the teeth lined up tooth to tooth like danr1 said thats all she wrote.
BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY....make sure your get all of the old cam gear pieces out of the motor or they could get sucked up and lodged somewhere else and cause real damage....just my 2 cents
yup...good call everyone. def take a look at your cam gear and tell us what it looks like. If its ground off flat in one spot then its mostly likely something jammed in the valvetrain not allowing the cam to turn. youll have to dislodge it and replace the gear. if it looks like the whole gear is destroyed it probably is just old brittle and worn out. If thats the case and the teeth lined up tooth to tooth like danr1 said thats all she wrote.
BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY....make sure your get all of the old cam gear pieces out of the motor or they could get sucked up and lodged somewhere else and cause real damage....just my 2 cents
Good point, if it is plastic and all busted up get all the pieces out or the oil pick up screen will get em all.
I would go ahead and do as mentioned above and make sure the rotor is spinning in the distributor.. otherwise like he said the gear on the cam is shot (not the one on the front, the small one in between lobes in the picture franken posted). So you'll need a new cam for that. I guess it's also possible the gear on your distributor or the big gear on the cam is toast as well. Although it's makes me wonder.. wouldn't he be smacking valves? or is the I6 a non-interference engine?
Yea, that whole no compression on any cylinders thing sounds extremely fishy to me.. you'd hear a hell of a lot of racket if that happened. I'm with the others, too. Make sure you flush the motor thoroughly to remove any debris (as well as check the pump screen). Good luck.
Last edited by TheRoadVirus; Dec 12, 2007 at 01:43 PM.
Gear/gear or timing chain doesn't really matter - the cam gear could still be plastic.
But if you turn the crank and the distributor doesn't turn, then something broke, that's for sure. In that case, yank the distributor (it'll have to come out to pull the cam anyway and check that gear. If that's ok (which it probably is if there was no compression measured), then you can go right for the timing cover or pop the valve cover - you should be able to tell if the cam is rotating from there...
<I>i don't believe that the cam gear is bolted to the cam, it is a pressed on gear same as the gear on the crank. at least the 89 I6 was a pressed on one. not sure if ford decided to change that or not..</I>
Yea the gears are both pressed on but you can use any appropriate two jaw puller to get em both off the shafts while they are in the block.
Then you need the right tool to press them back on with, looks like the same tool does both with the aid of a large socket.
danr1 thanks for the tool number. Where would I find this exact tool? Can i get it off the internet somewhere or must I get it through ford?
I would check with local rental shops, a tool lending library perhaps or like places.
My local Napa loans me special tools right off the shelf (with the understanding if I make a mark on it I own it), but I’ve been doing business with them for years and buy all my parts from them. Never had a problem doing it that way, some tools I want to have on hand so I buy them out right.
One of them there tools you might need for this issue, I’d want to just barrow it, I’d probably never need it again.