Another fiber timing gear bites the dust

TerryH

TerryH

Well-known member
I had recently developed a noise in the engine area of my Model A, and was taking it to Jim Nichols, our local Model A guru/mechanic, earlier today, when it suddenly got real noisy.....then just quit. Felt just like it had run out of gas. Called AAA and they had me over to Jim's very quickly. We quickly determined it was the timing gear, so in about 30 minutes he had it out. He had one of the figerglas laminated gears on hand, and has had very good luck with them, so it is going in right now, and I should get my car back by 4:00 pm this afternoon. That fiber gear was about 20 years old and had about 12,500 miles on it; thank goodness it did not happen out on the open road somewhere far away from home.
 

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Re: Another fiber timing gear bits the dust

Timing gears (like everything else) sure have gotten expensive. Why, only 40 years ago you could get one for $10!
 
Re: Another fiber timing gear bits the dust

Went with the bronze at $120. If 62 is the price, that's only a few bucks less than an aluminum gear. BTW, the bronze gear is very quiet.
 
Re: Another fiber timing gear bits the dust

Just remember over 5 million cars were produced with that fiber gear and ran millions of miles.
 
Re: Another fiber timing gear bits the dust

700rpm said:
Timing gears (like everything else) sure have gotten expensive. Why, only 40 years ago you could get one for $10!
Click to expand...

yes and 40 years ago bread was 19 cents and gas was 40 cents a gallon. The average new car was $3500 dollars. You have to put everything into perspective. Wayne

P. S. Maybe you should have invested in timing gears!
 
Glad everything worked out for you and you got it fixed so quickly. It might be the boy scout in me, (always be prepared). So I always travel with an extra timing gear. I do believe in mr. Murphy, what can, go wrong will go wrong out on the road. I also carry an extra carburetor,distributor and a complete set of gaskets. If not for me, I might be able to help the ones I travel with.
 
folks need to re-read what Mitch said.

as far as the gears years ago; like everything else, they were made much better then; no comparison
 
Thanks.....I did get my A back later this afternoon, and it runs great again. I bought this car, fully restored about 10 years ago, from a man in upstate New York. He had the engine re-built over 15 years ago, so I have no idea what type of fiber gear was installed in it then. I was very lucky to have it repaired so quickly.
 
For tbird and Mitch, if and when the timing gear comes apart, what is the next step? Can you drive any distance safely with the debris in the screen? And what steps are needed to clean screen?
 
1930-fordor said:
For tbird and Mitch, if and when the timing gear comes apart, what is the next step? Can you drive any distance safely with the debris in the screen? And what steps are needed to clean screen?
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Think of it as a restricted artery feeding your heart. Without a cleanout it will be a slow death. Drop the pan and pump, pop out the dipper tray, cleanout the pump intake screen and pan sump.
 
forever4 said:
I would drop the main caps and chase the main bearing feed holes from the valve chamber with a pipe cleaner also.

The old macerated gears break into crumbs, but the modern macerated gears I saw turn into fluff. Much finer.
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You sir is what is referred to as a perfectionist. You know motors! Wayne
 
forever4 said:
I would drop the main caps and chase the main bearing feed holes from the valve chamber with a pipe cleaner also.

The old macerated gears break into crumbs, but the modern macerated gears I saw turn into fluff. Much finer.
Click to expand...
What good would dropping the caps do? The crank will still be covering the holes and nothing can be gained unless the crank is removed. This is why some of the advice here should be taken "with a grain of salt".
 
forever4 said:
I would drop the main caps and chase the main bearing feed holes from the valve chamber with a pipe cleaner also.

The old macerated gears break into crumbs, but the modern macerated gears I saw turn into fluff. Much finer.
Click to expand...

James Rogers said:
What good would dropping the caps do? The crank will still be covering the holes and nothing can be gained unless the crank is removed. This is why some of the advice here should be taken "with a grain of salt".
Click to expand...

forever4 said:
Do you even know what a pipe cleaner is?
Feel free to do it whatever way you prefer.
Or not.
People should look at the photos of 'cleaned' blocks you have posted on your web site and consider that as well when making decisions.
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Okay guy's,....I've built custom / racing engines for almost 50 years so I
know what they look like inside.

I know what Jame's is saying. I think Vince's idea would work with the valve
cover off and using air pressure (forced) down the feed pipe AND rotating
the crank to force the "fluff" out of the top side. It's not the best way with
the engine in the car..but it would be better than nothing. Vince,..is this kinda what you had in mind?
 
Not just Model A Ford related fiber timing gears ...... ??????

Had a "new" timing gear totally fail after about 10,000 miles (40) or so years ago.

It was in a "new" 1974 Pontiac.

Like anything else in Life ...... when it is your turn .... it is just your turn.

Installed a quiet aluminum gear in my A ..... how sad? ..... I will never get a second turn.
 
Here's my take on this. If the clearances are correct, you are not going to force anything out of the mains even if you rotate the crank. .0015 is just too tight to get any "fluff" out. It is so close even oil has a hard time passing, is this not what keeps the rear leaks from happening. A pipe cleaner might work if you bend a L on the end and rotate it to snag the "fluff". Even this is no guarantee. You might think the tube is clean and it could still be clogged. To be frank, there is no way to be sure except to remove the crank and clean everything.

As far as my method of cleaning blocks and parts for rebuild Vince, till you call for a rebuilt engine and can prove I do substandard work, it's none of your business. I really don't appreciate you making that kind of snide remarks.

Like I said, take all information here "with a grain of salt" and beware of the consequences, including mine.
 
Mr. Foster, thanks for #18 reply & correction ...... all I remember was ..... it was not metal.

Many who owned Model A's years ago will agree Ford's original A & B timing gears were very long lasting.

Then, just like my 1974 timing gear, somebody though of how to make a cheap, cheap version and the wild eyed GM board of directors & investors loved it ..... more money in their pockets ..... engineered & planned obsolescence.

Much "later" manufactured copies of many Model A parts were no different ...... cheap, cheap brings on smiles to everyone but the Model A owner who had a timing gear or any other kind of failure.

Choosing a long lasting canoe paddle today is not difficult ..... but when a cheap paddle breaks, all that happens is .... one is just up the creek without one ..... not too bad.
 
Here is my take on the fiber gear vs the aluminum one. The price difference is about $15 between the better fiber gear and the aluminum one. I have found that the aluminum ones are not noisy if mated with a new steel crank gear. ( the whine I believe is caused by differences in the pitch angle and roughness in gears.) Is the $30 cost of a new crank gear and the upgrade to the aluminum gear worth the risk of future failure? My customers and I say no. If you are throwing a motor together to go to the auction, I will send you a box of used timing gears that I usually throw away, cause they aren't worth the risk to me.
 
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