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reverendjim

reverendjim

Member
Hello,

I have just recently bought a 1928 Tudor. I have owned a couple of Model T Fords but when we sold them we decided to move up to a car we drive more, so we seyttled on the Model A because of the ease of getting parts and the reliability. So i found this 28' and am trying to get aquainted with her. The car was repainted in the late 60's, somewhere around 68 or 69 and has held up quite well. I got her after more than 6 years setting in a garage, piled up with junk and with a burnt up electrical system. I have rewired the car, draind the fuel lines, flushed the tank, put on a new shut off, cleaned the carb, put new points, condensor, lower plate, cap, rotor, and dist. body and the car runs well. It has a "knock in the front of the engine. After reading several books and several post here I determined it to be in the timing gear. When I pulled the cover off the gear was so loose that it nearly fell off. I tightened the cam nut and there is very little apparent wear to the gears but the fiber cam gear "wiggles". It is tight on the cam the give seems to be where the gear is seperating from the center "hub". My question is ..... Should that loose motion be there or do I need to replace the gears?

Thanks in Advance,
James
 
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Hi Rev. :D Just had to say it, it sounds so good.

Mighty good looking car also. Sorry I can't help with the cam gear since the only knock I've dealt with in the front has been a loose pulley.
 
Thanks so much. We are thrilled with the car and it is sure a far cry from the Model T. I just need to get the bugs worked out, seems like sitting is the worst thing in the world for cars.

Regards,
James
 
Good luck and welcome to Model A's. When you replace the timing gear, you can "stake" the nut with a punch or chisel to keep the nut from backing off again. Just put a nick or two in the nut where it meets the threads on the cam. Make her good and tight. You can buy a special cam nut socket from Bratton's or Snyder's (or any vendor of your choice). There should be a plunger spring that it seated in the front timing cover and pushes on the end of the cam. I'd replace this spring with a new one while you are at it.
 
That was my gut feeling. I think I will just do it all while I've got the cover off and be done with it for now. I just didn't think that the gear should have the motion to it. I see now this sight may quickly become a new best freind ;).

Thanks,
James
 
Also, I measured the backlash @ .004, but how do I know if this is a standard timing gear and that it has not been replaced with an oversized?

Regards,
James
 
CamTool2-1.jpg


CamTool3.jpg


BadCamGear.jpg


You'll want to buy a quality ONE PIECE timing gear. Slop in the two piece gears is a common fault of them. At the national meet a few years ago I was listening to an engine and told the owner it sounded like a loose two piece timing gear. Three days later the gear went out, so you probably shouldn't go far from home.:eek: In this picture you can see how much slop is in this gear.

I've pictured the tool I made for installing and removing the special cam nut, but you can buy one from any of the parts houses, such as Bert's, Bratton's, or Snyder's.

bef1d125.jpg


Here's how the timing marks MUST look when assembled. Some books picture the crank gear on the left side of the keyway, which is INCORRECT. The crank gear straight up from the RIGHT side of the keyway is the one that aligns with the cam gear dimple. As mentioned, be sure to grease the end and sides of the cam gear pluger, and I always add grease to all the teeth of the gears.

Inspect the crank gear for wear or rust, and replace as needed.

To tighten the cam gear nut, I place a rag between the gears and tighten with a breaker bar. An impact gun can be hard on the fiber teeth of a cam gear.
 
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A couple questions.. Do you have a 2 piece gear ?? I've not seen a 2 piece fiber gear,but, that certainly doesn't mean they don't exist.. Where is the ' wiggle ' ?? If your backlash measurement of .004" includes the ' wiggle ' then you're good to go.. If the ' wiggle ' is in the 2 piece gear then I'd replace it like the others mentioned.. The camshaft/gear may be 'walking ' as you check for the 'wiggle',, some of this is normal.. But the spring/plunger should keep the cam from 'walking ' once the cover is in place.. If the cam gear needs replacement, check the condition of the crank gear as these tend to rust and get pitted over the years which will tend to eat up the cam gear.. Replacing the crank gear is time consuming and can be 'troublesome' ..
 
Ooops, forgot.. An oversize gear should be marked..At least, I've seen them[or some] marked.. I didn't think oversized gears were made back in the day,but, again, I may well be wrong about that..
 
It does appear to be a two piece gear. The "wiggle" is in the center of the gear so I have ordered the new gears, plunger, etc.... and we will see how that goes. Thanks again for the help. The parts should be here the first of next week and I hope to tackle it then so I will probably be back with more questions and any tricks that will help would be appreciated ahead of time as well.

Thanks Again,
James
 
Exactly how does one grease that plunger? Is it just on the end where it touches the gear or should the chamber where the spring goes be filled?

Thanks,
James
 
You could upgrade that to using Lock Tite on the threads and not bugger the threads for the next guy that wants to work on the engine. Welcome to the Ford Barn.
BrianBurkert said:
Good luck and welcome to Model A's. When you replace the timing gear, you can "stake" the nut with a punch or chisel to keep the nut from backing off again. Just put a nick or two in the nut where it meets the threads on the cam. Make her good and tight. You can buy a special cam nut socket from Bratton's or Snyder's (or any vendor of your choice). There should be a plunger spring that it seated in the front timing cover and pushes on the end of the cam. I'd replace this spring with a new one while you are at it.
Click to expand...
 
Well, the parts came today. It took me a whole 25 minutes and I had her back together and running. It is just amazing! It is running very well and I did not even reset the time. I had to rotate the cam slightly to get the marks to line up and the pins to match on the new cam gear and it just runs so much better. I drove up the road and back and didn't see but about a 1/2 inch of red on the Motometer and I can push the spark and throttle all the way up and it will just set there and you can about count the hits. Could that slight move of the cam have been the reason for it running hot? I plan to check the time I just didn't have the time, but part of me thinks "leave it alone," either way I'm just tickled. Thanks for all the advice.

Regards,
James
 
reverendjim said:
Well, the parts came today. It took me a whole 25 minutes and I had her back together and running. It is just amazing! It is running very well and I did not even reset the time. I had to rotate the cam slightly to get the marks to line up and the pins to match on the new cam gear and it just runs so much better. I drove up the road and back and didn't see but about a 1/2 inch of red on the Motometer and I can push the spark and throttle all the way up and it will just set there and you can about count the hits. Could that slight move of the cam have been the reason for it running hot? I plan to check the time I just didn't have the time, but part of me thinks "leave it alone," either way I'm just tickled. Thanks for all the advice.

Regards,
James
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Timing can definitely be a cause of overheating so, I would check it just to be sure. Where in TN are you? I live in Asheville and could be of some help to you and can direct you to others close by when you need help or advice.
 
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