Comp Cams Custom grind Billet Roller Cam; Int. 224° @ .050 w/.536 valve lift, Ex. 230° @ .050. w/ .544 valve lift. Cam end-play would seem to have no bearing on issue but it is near .005-.007. Melling MEL-M22FHV oil pump turns easily with smaller drill motor and cold 10w-30, Dist shaft end play good for Olds, (rotation pulls gear to block).

Have 100 miles on engine and bronze gear tooth thickness has reduced by approx. 80% put another way gear lash has increased by said amount and total failure is minutes away. What are your ideas?
I want to retain roller profiles and want to drive more than an 1-1/2 hrs from home before I need a gear change. I expected 5ooo miles per gear minimum.

Patrick

 

My thoughts as well. Is the hole in the plug plugged (excuse the pun), a Blank plug with no hole. I believe you can remove the distributor and turn the oil pump counter clockwise with a drill to see if oil is squirting out of the hole like it is supposed too.

 

Some roller cams are made to not need the Bronze Dist. gear. I have heard that the harder Cam Gear will absolutely eat a Bronze gear if used. Check to see if this may be that type of cam??

Danny

 

Thanks guys,
The dist. lube plug is clean as new with the .040-.050 dia. hole in it. I checked 20 times as I assembled to be sure it was in. Comp says the cam is ground from billet blank and requires the bronze. They agreed 100 miles was a bit short. Like yah, less than 2 hours out of city limits at 60 MPH is not going to work for me... I think a rule of thumb would be 2 race seasons for a big block and 1 for a small block would be reasonable. Not sure what to think. Maybe it wasn't deburred and to run an OEM gear to deburr in block for 25 miles then back to a bronze would work...?

 

I got about 6 years out of my first bronze gear,and it still had life left when I changed it.I also opened up the hole in that plug,to allow more oil to lube the gear.

 

Check the cam gear for burs and sharp edges that could eat the bronze gear. Make sure the wear pattern on the cam gear looks good and is in the middle of the teeth. Check the height of the bronze gear teeth above the bottom compared to a stock gear--it needs to be the same so the teeth ride where they should. The oil pump is the major load on the gear; a stock HV Melling should be OK with moderate weight oil.