Tech / General Engine Is your car making a strange sound or won't start? Thinking of adding power with a new combination? Need other technical information or engine specific advice? Don't see another board for your problem? Post it here!
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by: CARiD

ZZ4 Cam Question

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Jul 16, 2007 | 12:06 PM
  #1  
pr1689's Avatar
Thread Starter
Member
 
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 179
Likes: 0
From: Shawnee, KS
Car: 86 Iroc Z28
Engine: 350 5.7L (rebuilding now)
Transmission: 700R4 shift kit
Axle/Gears: 3.73, 9-Bolt, stock posi
ZZ4 Cam Question

Well my dizzy gear got ate up again. I am using a large cap hei dizzy. I have put on 2 of those hardened melonzied dizzy gears as I"m using a ZZ4 cam. It has eaten 2 of them now.

I'm at a loss here as to what could be the reason for this. I am using a cam retainer plate, and my motor is fully roller. I am using the chevy roller lifters and the zz4 cam and comp cams roller rockers 1.5 ratio as well as the spider from chevy. The car runs just fine and has no identifiable problems until it dies while driving and when I pull the dizzy, find the gear ate up.

There is plenty of oil on the dizzy gear and my oil pressure is good. The oil pump does not feel tight at all. I put the priming tool in there and spun it by hand and it does just fine. It is a high-volume melling oil pump.

Do I need to use a cam button in addition to the cam retainer plate to limit the travel of the camshaft? It was my understanding that I needed to use one or the other.

The first gear lasted about 11/2 months maybe 2. This one only lasted 3 weeks.

I checked for side to side play on the dizzy and it appears to be very nominal.

Any advice or suggestions or does anyone know what could/would cause this?

Thanks,

Pat
Reply
Old Jul 16, 2007 | 12:19 PM
  #2  
five7kid's Avatar
Moderator
25 Year Member
iTrader: (14)
 
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 43,187
Likes: 42
From: Littleton, CO USA
Car: 82 Berlinetta/57 Bel Air
Engine: L92/LQ4 (both w/4" stroke)
Transmission: 4L80E/4L80E
Axle/Gears: 12B-3.73/9"-3.89
Re: ZZ4 Cam Question

Originally Posted by pr1689
It is a high-volume melling oil pump.
That's at least part of it right there. The high volume pump puts unnecessary load on the distributor gear.

Is the wear centered on the distributor gear?

What oil are you using in the engine?
Reply
Old Jul 16, 2007 | 12:24 PM
  #3  
pr1689's Avatar
Thread Starter
Member
 
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 179
Likes: 0
From: Shawnee, KS
Car: 86 Iroc Z28
Engine: 350 5.7L (rebuilding now)
Transmission: 700R4 shift kit
Axle/Gears: 3.73, 9-Bolt, stock posi
Re: ZZ4 Cam Question

I am using 10w-30 Mobil One fully synthetic oil. Before I went with the roller setup, the oil pump that was in it then was also a melling high-volume. I just put a new one in since I was rebuilding it. I reused the same dizzy and put on the melonized dizzy gear since it was required for the ZZ4 cam.

The wear is centered evenly from top to bottom of the gear, the edges are sharp and finally one side is ate out so that the dizzy isn't spinning now until I replace the gear, change the oil and filter, etc.

Any other thoughts?

Thanks,

Pat
Reply
Old Jul 16, 2007 | 08:50 PM
  #4  
pr1689's Avatar
Thread Starter
Member
 
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 179
Likes: 0
From: Shawnee, KS
Car: 86 Iroc Z28
Engine: 350 5.7L (rebuilding now)
Transmission: 700R4 shift kit
Axle/Gears: 3.73, 9-Bolt, stock posi
Re: ZZ4 Cam Question

ttt -- anyone have any ideas or suggestions?

Thanks,

Pat
Reply
Old Jul 16, 2007 | 11:32 PM
  #5  
SpitotRs305's Avatar
Supreme Member
 
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,974
Likes: 0
Car: 91 RS
Engine: 350 vortec
Transmission: T-5
Axle/Gears: not the best not the worst
Re: ZZ4 Cam Question

okay maybe this is way off but have you tried a different dissy? or a different cam at this point? because it seems obvious that the gears arent meshing correctly and it seems you have replace gears a couple of times now
could the end of the dist shaft be bent? could the dist be on a angle?

what about the drive gear on the cam? is it still in good condition after 2 dist gears? was it okay to begin with?

i would say take out the cam and check the gear with a new melonized gear before just thowing it in there

this might be one of those situations where you just have to swap things out to find the cause
Reply
Old Sep 2, 2007 | 08:52 AM
  #6  
pr1689's Avatar
Thread Starter
Member
 
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 179
Likes: 0
From: Shawnee, KS
Car: 86 Iroc Z28
Engine: 350 5.7L (rebuilding now)
Transmission: 700R4 shift kit
Axle/Gears: 3.73, 9-Bolt, stock posi
Re: ZZ4 Cam Question

Please see the following post for what appears to have been my solution:

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/tech...chewed-up.html

Thanks,

Pat Rogers
Reply
Old Sep 2, 2007 | 04:35 PM
  #7  
RPOL98's Avatar
Member
20 Year Member
 
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 286
Likes: 6
From: USA
Car: 90 IROC
Engine: 5.7L TPI
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 9-bolt BW
Re: ZZ4 Cam Question

if I read this correctly, you also replaced the old melling hi-vol pump with a new one? could there be a problem with the pump? pump shaft? pump shaft alignment? pump shaft sticking up too high (too long)? pump casting interfering with oil pump drive sleeve? sleeve broken?
Reply
Old Sep 2, 2007 | 06:33 PM
  #8  
pr1689's Avatar
Thread Starter
Member
 
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 179
Likes: 0
From: Shawnee, KS
Car: 86 Iroc Z28
Engine: 350 5.7L (rebuilding now)
Transmission: 700R4 shift kit
Axle/Gears: 3.73, 9-Bolt, stock posi
Re: ZZ4 Cam Question

I don't believe so. I measured the length of the shaft and all was the same. It originally had a high-volume Melling oil pump on it to begin with, but put a new one on during the rebuild.

I honestly believe it was the dizzy gear from Chevy, as after the first two got ate up, I put the original one on (the old one before the rebuild) and it didn't get eaten up. I then ordered the Accel gear, and put it on and it has no wear marks whatsoever. Alls well.

Thanks,

Pat
Reply
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
lt500r55
Tech / General Engine
6
Sep 1, 2021 01:30 PM
italiano67
Tech / General Engine
8
Dec 11, 2016 09:21 AM
bamaboy0323
Tech / General Engine
25
Sep 3, 2015 06:07 AM
theurge
TPI
7
Aug 21, 2015 12:46 PM
redmaroz
LTX and LSX
7
Aug 16, 2015 11:40 PM




All times are GMT -5. The time now is 07:41 AM.