gretchen/jason Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 I had a machine build my engine this included a edelbrock gear drive set . Well after 500 or so miles i was trying to find TDC as i took the dizzy out and forgot to mark the thing dumb me . Well as i grabed the crank pulley i noticed i could turn the crank about 2 degrees acording to the timing mark either direction before it engaged the camshaft . Now i know there is a certain amount of freeplay involved in setting the gears but is 2 degrees either direction normal . Or should i ditch the gear drive and get a good double roller chain . Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
280Zone Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 You mean the crank has two degrees of play before engaging the cam correct? If so, that sounds correct and normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gretchen/jason Posted April 6, 2008 Author Share Posted April 6, 2008 Yep thats what i mean i can move the crank 2 degrees left or right before engaging the cam shaft i just figured it would have no play what so ever . Thanks for the info im not so nervous now Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravRMK Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 I had a Pete jackson gear drive in my Camaro when I sold it. It came with offset bushings for the cam gear so you could have it a 0 or advance/retard it up to 4 degrees I believe. Check your cam dowl area on the cam gear to see if it has one and is still in there. BTW Mine was dead on, no play at all. That is the main reason for geardrive setups. Accurate cam timing all the time since there is no chain to stretch. I would look into where the slop is coming from. Are the gears worn at all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gretchen/jason Posted April 6, 2008 Author Share Posted April 6, 2008 Oh gret im worried again , they shouldnt be worn they only have 500 miles on them not sure if the dowl insert is there as im still driving the car . Not sure if what im feeling is the cam i can turn the crank 2 degrees either direction before it get " very hard to turn " . By no means is it very easy to turn the 2 degrees it takes a bit of effort to do so . In other words i can rotate the crank by hand 2 degrees left or right before i need a socket and breaker bar on the crank bolt . This is going to suck if i have to take the engine apart again after i just spent 2 grand to have it built 6 weeks ago i fired it up aaarrrggghhhh. Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_hunt Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 Your ok, the gears are solid, the distance between the cam centerline and crank centerline vary engine to engine, creating some play. Also not all gear drives are the same either. I tried to put a PJ gear drive on one of my new dart blocks and the idler gears wouldn't go in at all, yet on my other one it's as you described with some slack. I ended up running a billet timing gear with a roller thrust against the block on my little motor. Seems to work ok, but I'd rather have the gear drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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