Reuse dist pin?
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 449
Likes: 1
From: Victoria
Reuse dist pin?
In process of installing new cam,so thought as I had a few miles on the clock thought i'd replace the melonized gear on the distributor as well.
Can I just drive out the retaining pin,fit new gear and reuse same pin?
Can I just drive out the retaining pin,fit new gear and reuse same pin?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 8,735
Likes: 412
From: WV
My new gear came with a new pin, the one that came out of my old gear looked to be in good shape so I could of reused it.. If yours looks good I see no reason not to as long as it fits in the hole fairly tight. After you drive the pin in use a punch to flare the ends to hold it securely in the hole.There is no force exerted on the pin once its in, it turns in place so it just needs to be held tight in the hole..WW
Last edited by WW7; Nov 2, 2010 at 08:09 AM.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 449
Likes: 1
From: Victoria
My new gear came with a new pin, the one that came out of my old gear looked to be in good shape so I could of reused it.. If yours looks good I see no reason not to as long as it fits in the hole fairly tight. After you drive the pin in use a punch to flare the ends to hold it securely in the hole.There is no force exerted on the pin once its in, it turns in place so it just needs to be held tight in the hole..WW
Had the gear for awhile, lost the pin out of the box
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,624
Likes: 2
From: Canandaigua New York
The pin in the distributor is a 'sheer pin'. It's designed to sheer off if your oil pump jams to prevent
the engine from running without oil pressure and damaging it further.
They can become 'weak' from use and possibly just sheer from high oil pressure when the engine
is cold.
I'd replace it just to be on the safe side. Besides, they're cheap.
the engine from running without oil pressure and damaging it further.
They can become 'weak' from use and possibly just sheer from high oil pressure when the engine
is cold.
I'd replace it just to be on the safe side. Besides, they're cheap.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 449
Likes: 1
From: Victoria
Race Director
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 14,924
Likes: 9
From: Merritt Ils Fl
The pin in the distributor is a 'sheer pin'. It's designed to sheer off if your oil pump jams to prevent
the engine from running without oil pressure and damaging it further.
They can become 'weak' from use and possibly just sheer from high oil pressure when the engine
is cold.
I'd replace it just to be on the safe side. Besides, they're cheap.
the engine from running without oil pressure and damaging it further.
They can become 'weak' from use and possibly just sheer from high oil pressure when the engine
is cold.
I'd replace it just to be on the safe side. Besides, they're cheap.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 449
Likes: 1
From: Victoria
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,624
Likes: 2
From: Canandaigua New York
Distributor Gear - Roll Pin Shearing
Almost every distributor has a drive gear that is held on by a simple roll pin. These are normal roll pins (not hardened) so that if there is a failure you only shear the pin and not destroy the cam shaft or other internal engine components. Roll pin shearing is only a common occurrence of Ford V8 engines, but can occur on other engines too."http://www.centuryperformance.com/ma...om-spg-88.html
About half way down the page.
Intermediate
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 47
Likes: 0
From: Glenwood Arkansas
They will shear, lost a 1000.00 to win race in my dirt track car because of shearing one. Especially if you have a high volume oil pump. (or if a piece of "debris" is picked up by your oil pump)
Last edited by glntom; Nov 3, 2010 at 03:43 PM. Reason: additional info.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 9,715
Likes: 27
From: Kempner Texas
First time I've seen this come up and with support for the advice as well. Glad to read about this as a possibility.
From personal experience I know how HV pumps eat distributor gear, but it's a gradual wear process, not sudden failure. The more I read up on the HV pump issue the more I see how undesirable they are. I really believe at the core is the "Bigger is Better" way of thinking: "If a Standard oil pump is GOOD a HV and/or HP pump is BETTER".
Isn't there a vaccination cure for that condition? Pop a pill? LOL
Jake
From personal experience I know how HV pumps eat distributor gear, but it's a gradual wear process, not sudden failure. The more I read up on the HV pump issue the more I see how undesirable they are. I really believe at the core is the "Bigger is Better" way of thinking: "If a Standard oil pump is GOOD a HV and/or HP pump is BETTER".
Isn't there a vaccination cure for that condition? Pop a pill? LOL
Jake
