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Dizzy drive gears

Posted: March 2nd, 2009, 7:34 pm
by jsawduste
Like to get a feel for what you folks are seeing/doing on the dizzy drive gears.

My stroker is set up with the Hesco 274/480 cam and supplied lifters. Mopar rollers but went with a lighter set of valve springs then most folks would.

Hesco did a blueprint (whatever that means) on the mellings HV oil pump.

Was`nt real impressed with how the drive gear got lubed but since stockers seem to run many a mile I compromised and used the Hesco bronze.

At about 3,000 miles the gear wore to the point that the dist. would no longer engage. Fortunately right by home.

While all the teeth of the bronze gear were worn. Approx 120* of the gear teeth had actually worn concave. As though the dizzy shaft or cam gear is slightly out or round.

As bronze is a bit more forgiving then steel to bearings and such I did replace the gear with another Hesco bronze.

The external oil line is something (Thanks DWG sp ?) I am looking real hard at. Don`t trust the copper so braided hose will be my choice.

Opinions, comments, personal experiences ?

Re: Dizzy drive gears

Posted: March 3rd, 2009, 4:14 am
by dwg86
Just curious...why are you running a bronze dizzy gear? There was a thread on the Hesco forum where a guy went through 2 bronze gears then changed to a steel one, and had no problems after that.

Re: Dizzy drive gears

Posted: March 3rd, 2009, 6:21 am
by jsawduste
dwg86 wrote:Just curious...why are you running a bronze dizzy gear? There was a thread on the Hesco forum where a guy went through 2 bronze gears then changed to a steel one, and had no problems after that.
I recall that post on the Hesco forum.

That is a good question. Bennie (or is it Benny) suggested it.

I think (my own opinion) is that with the cam failures that having a sacrificial gear of bronze was better then a steel gear that might take out the cam and send steel through the engine.

Running a bronze gear is pretty normal in a modded engine.
Bronze is a lot softer and would not cause much damage if it got into the bearings.

Re: Dizzy drive gears

Posted: March 3rd, 2009, 8:08 pm
by IH 392
Bronze gears are for STEEL roller cams.

Re: Dizzy drive gears

Posted: March 4th, 2009, 7:26 am
by John
Some old school motors used bronze gears, Check out the older Caddy motors, non roller.
John

Re: Dizzy drive gears

Posted: March 6th, 2009, 9:45 am
by jsawduste
John wrote:Some old school motors used bronze gears, Check out the older Caddy motors, non roller.
John
Hi John,
from your reply, are you stating that the older Caddillac bronze gear is a replacement for the 4.0 ? Or you stating that the Caddillac`s simply used the bronze gerar.

Thanks !!

Re: Dizzy drive gears

Posted: March 8th, 2009, 7:04 pm
by John
I know nothing about them swapping, was pointing out that bronze dizzy gears have been used on non roller cam motors.
John

Re: Dizzy drive gears

Posted: March 8th, 2009, 7:58 pm
by jsawduste
John wrote:I know nothing about them swapping, was pointing out that bronze dizzy gears have been used on non roller cam motors.
John
Thanks for the clarification John