Distributor drive gear

[moparwmac]

Hi Everyone,

I have a curiosity question and we all know what curiosity did to the cat, but here goes.
How much, if any, does the distributor drive gear being a tooth or two off have on cam timing or overall timing?

Thanks

 

[Meep-Meep]

It has nothing to do with cam timing but ignition timing can be affected if you move it together with the distributor in relation to the cam.

MoPars have the slot on the oil pump drive shaft with corresponding feature on the dist shaft, so you always have a 50/50 shot in getting the dist correct. If you take the oil pump drive out and put it back a tooth off, your timing will be off that amount. A slant 6, like many other cars of the era, have a gear on the dist shaft and you have to be more careful when removing and installing the dist.

 

[HitIt]

Yeah, the way you set the shaft in really has no affect on engine timing if you set your distributor cap and wires to match. Worst case is you have some resto nazi come and tell you your distributor looks funny.

But to do it correctly, you get your engine at TDC, and install the shaft so the slot runs parallel to the cam and crank. Then you drop the distributor in and use the rotor’s position at #1 to set your cap and wires up.