Found this on the Crane website...comments?
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Pro
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 607
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From: North Alabama
Found this on the Crane website...comments?
Below is a quote from the crane website regarding cam failure. Is there a real need for concern with the HV oil pump? or is this a possible, but not common issue?
"2) Distributor gear wear.The main cause for distributor gear wear is the use of high volume or high-pressure oil pumps. We don’t recommend the use of these types of oil pumps. If you do run these types of oil pumps, you can expect short life of the cam and distributor gears, especially for low speed running, in street type applications. If you must run these types of oil pumps, you can increase the life of the gears by adding more oil flow over the gear area to help cool off the point of contact"
"2) Distributor gear wear.The main cause for distributor gear wear is the use of high volume or high-pressure oil pumps. We don’t recommend the use of these types of oil pumps. If you do run these types of oil pumps, you can expect short life of the cam and distributor gears, especially for low speed running, in street type applications. If you must run these types of oil pumps, you can increase the life of the gears by adding more oil flow over the gear area to help cool off the point of contact"
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,711
Likes: 43
From: San Antonio TX
Minimizing liability. Crane doesn't want to be on the hook for everyone who has a drive gear failure. You can also go to Melling's site and they'll tell you that HV/HP pumps won't cause this failure. So who's right? I don't know but if Crane were right, then everyone using a HV/HP pump would suffer the failure, which isn't the case. If Melling is right, then no one would suffer this, again, which is not the case.
There are some failures but I think most of them are due to improper assembly, rather than component issues. Most recommendations are that if you are using a new cam, you should use a new driven gear so that neither has an established wear pattern and can mate to one another. I think this is a bit over the top since you'd also have to replace the cam if you replaced the distributor. I've never heard of anyone doing that.
I think that if you are doing a cam swap, regardless of what kind of pump you're using, you need to put the moly lube on the cam and distributor gears and call it good. I've never had a failure of the gears even though I'm using a HV/HP pump...and it doesn't suck that pan dry either.
There are some failures but I think most of them are due to improper assembly, rather than component issues. Most recommendations are that if you are using a new cam, you should use a new driven gear so that neither has an established wear pattern and can mate to one another. I think this is a bit over the top since you'd also have to replace the cam if you replaced the distributor. I've never heard of anyone doing that.
I think that if you are doing a cam swap, regardless of what kind of pump you're using, you need to put the moly lube on the cam and distributor gears and call it good. I've never had a failure of the gears even though I'm using a HV/HP pump...and it doesn't suck that pan dry either.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 2,131
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From: May help you? You can sure as hell try!
A high volume oil pump isn't necessary if the engine is built with all of the bearing clearances to specification. It's just a band-aid for poor assembly practices or a worn out motor. The engine will only use the amount of oil dictated by the clearances built in to it. All the rest of the oil volume is pissed away through the pressure relief valve. Along with that extra oil that gets pissed away, so goes some of the power used to drive that pump which could be going to the rear tires.
I'd be surprized if a HV pump were responsible for the distributor drive gear wearing out prematurely, though.
I'd be surprized if a HV pump were responsible for the distributor drive gear wearing out prematurely, though.
