I have an 89 roller motor and I understand that you have to use a bronze distributor gear. Well, I've put around 4000 miles on my car so far just running a stock 78' dis. I've been told that it shouldn't work at all but it does....the question is, do you think I've caused any damage to my cam?
The stock '78 distributor gear is iron, and the later roller cam is made of steel. Iron generally wear MUCH better than steel, so most likely, your camshaft gear is probably starting to wear. Some people can get away with it for 10,000 miles, others 100 miles and the gears are trash. It'd be best to upgrade to a steel gear as soon as you're able. As a side note, everyone told me that bronze gears are not to be used on the street--well, I've got around 5000 miles on the turbo maverick, and the gears look like the day I put them in. I also cut the filter open and checked it, nothing unusual there either. The factory roller-cam engines came with steel gears, so it might be a good idea to have one pressed onto your dizzy. Good luck
