okey dokey i got an 88 2.3 ranger engine i decided to come on here since the ranger guys couldnt really help me out, lol, not long after i got my truck i broke down, pulled the distrib out and the gear was chewed up, so i replaced the distrib and very shortly after it happened again, soooo i went and got yet another distrib and a new distrib drive gear from a junkyard since i couldnt find a place that sold new ones, looks like a tiny cam and its the gear that turns the distrib, well that lasted about a year and here recently it pooped out again, so i need a new distrib and the drive gear my question is wtf is it doing this for? i dont wanna fix it until i figure out why its doing this, my only thoughs were should i stick a magnet down in there and get the pieces of metal out this time, or is there a seal that could be bad or what? please any help would be EXTREMELY GREATFULL im trying to get into the military and my truck isnt cooperating, ask me any questions you want in order for you to help figure out whats going on, thanks a bunch.
I had an 83 Mercury Capri with the 2.3L engine which did the same thing. The bronze gear on the distributor would chew up and then fail. I have heard of people installing a steel gear to replace the bronze one and having better luck. The only downside to this is that the cam gear will wear too.
I never tried the steel gear, but I would think both gears would wear together and hopefully less often failure would be seen.
__________________
"Ignore that whistle, it's just a vacuum leak."
2000 Mustang GT:
Saleen Series IV Twin Screw, Chicane I/C, AFCO Extreme H/E, 2.8" pulley, FMS 42# injectors, Dual Catted 2 1/2" UPR X Pipe, UPR LCAs/UCAs, 2 1/2" Flowmaster American Thunder kit, 90mm LMAF, 112" Goodyear Gatorback, Kenne Bell BAP, Mosaleen idler, T-56, Detroit TrueTrac w/ 373s, Demolet 100mm CAI, SCT XCal2 with JDM Engineering 93 Octane "Race" tune.
my distrib gear was the regular steel ones, i have seen those golden colored ones, one thought i had was its a new distrib gear and a used distrib drive gear, idno what its name is distributor cam drive gear idno, but i was wandering maybe mixing an old gear with a new one would eventually just cause it to wear out real fast, sorta like on a motorcycle if u get a new front sprocket and the back is old it will cause weird wearing probs, i never ran synthetic oil either maybe i should have? it sucked cuz my timing was off for the longest time and we wandered why it ran like crap, so we figured it out and it ran awesome, on the way home from my dads shop is when it broke down lol, figures when **** seems like its goin good it takes a **** on me, any other help please? as far as right now i think im gonna go to junkyard and get a distrib cam gear and the gear thats on the distrib off the same engine and see how that works. thanks!
How long did the last gear on the distributor last? If it was only a few thousand miles, I would install a new cam gear and distributor gear or just a new distributor gear and trade the truck. Mine seemed like it ate distributor gears every few thousand miles after the first one failed.
__________________
"Ignore that whistle, it's just a vacuum leak."
2000 Mustang GT:
Saleen Series IV Twin Screw, Chicane I/C, AFCO Extreme H/E, 2.8" pulley, FMS 42# injectors, Dual Catted 2 1/2" UPR X Pipe, UPR LCAs/UCAs, 2 1/2" Flowmaster American Thunder kit, 90mm LMAF, 112" Goodyear Gatorback, Kenne Bell BAP, Mosaleen idler, T-56, Detroit TrueTrac w/ 373s, Demolet 100mm CAI, SCT XCal2 with JDM Engineering 93 Octane "Race" tune.
One last thought I have is, isn't the distributor shaft on the 2.3 liter engine also the drive for the oil pump? If so could your oil pump be binding/failing causing extra stress / drag on the distributor gear? Another thought is misalignment of both gears or a failed bearing/sideplay or binding causing the teeth to chew each other.
It has been 19-20 years since I had that 2.3L engine, but I remember it like yesturday because of the pain in the @$$ it was. I was on my way into the Army when it happened. I installed a new distributor and gear and sold it after it failed on me the 2nd time.
__________________
"Ignore that whistle, it's just a vacuum leak."
2000 Mustang GT:
Saleen Series IV Twin Screw, Chicane I/C, AFCO Extreme H/E, 2.8" pulley, FMS 42# injectors, Dual Catted 2 1/2" UPR X Pipe, UPR LCAs/UCAs, 2 1/2" Flowmaster American Thunder kit, 90mm LMAF, 112" Goodyear Gatorback, Kenne Bell BAP, Mosaleen idler, T-56, Detroit TrueTrac w/ 373s, Demolet 100mm CAI, SCT XCal2 with JDM Engineering 93 Octane "Race" tune.
yea when i installed the cam gear from a junkyard and the new distributor it lasted a few thousand miles which was until yesterday, i really dont want to have to sell it i know i wont get anything for it and with my luck ill just buy something with more problems,i guess im just gonna get a cam gear and gear off another distributor from a junk yard and before me and my dad put it in we might try to take a look around where the distrib goes and try to use a magnet and flashlight to get any metal fragments out, also i might change the oil right after we do it and run synthetic oil in it after that, maybe it would help out, ive never ran synthetic since ive owned it, i think i use used cheap 10w-30 or 40, but yea thats the best i can come up with really of what to do, thanks for your help it gave me some ideas of stuff to check, to be honest of all the vehicles ive owned i must say this is definitely a ford type of problem lol.
also are the oil pumps easy to take out? if so should i take it out and take a look at it? thanks.
I honestly don't know about the oil pump access, if you don't already have one, I would buy a Hayes or Haynes Manual for your truck. They are around $12+ dollars and worth every penny.
__________________
"Ignore that whistle, it's just a vacuum leak."
2000 Mustang GT:
Saleen Series IV Twin Screw, Chicane I/C, AFCO Extreme H/E, 2.8" pulley, FMS 42# injectors, Dual Catted 2 1/2" UPR X Pipe, UPR LCAs/UCAs, 2 1/2" Flowmaster American Thunder kit, 90mm LMAF, 112" Goodyear Gatorback, Kenne Bell BAP, Mosaleen idler, T-56, Detroit TrueTrac w/ 373s, Demolet 100mm CAI, SCT XCal2 with JDM Engineering 93 Octane "Race" tune.
damn im not going through all that trouble, im just gonna maybe stick a magnet down around where the cam gear and distrib goes to see if i can fish any fragments out then when i replace the cam gear and install a new gear on the distrib ima change the oil right after with i guess sythetic and see how long it lasts this time, best thing i can think of to do really, im pretty broke and dont go much time to do anything else, thanks for help.
I can a little to this. I had a turbo motor in a old car. It stripped the inside of distributor shaft. I replaced it and done it again. So I shoved the motor in corner of garage. When my motor left I pulled it out and checked it out. Pan, screen and pump were full of slug, crap so might want to check that.
I can a little to this. I had a turbo motor in a old car. It stripped the inside of distributor shaft. I replaced it and done it again. So I shoved the motor in corner of garage. When my motor left I pulled it out and checked it out. Pan, screen and pump were full of slug, crap so might want to check that.
damn thats kinda what i was afraid of a bunch of crap built up, i really dont wanna tear into that much, im gonna do my best to get out the gunk it has in there with a magnet and change the oil, maybe ill run some seafoam in the crankcase even though its prolly gonna open up some old oil leaks lol. i know i dont wanna have to lift the engine and all that crap unhook the tranny and everything just to check those out, im sure my dad doesnt want to either. but thanks ima let him think it over with me, thanks for info.
alright well i let my dad know about how it was kinda recommended to pull the pan off and look at the oil pump, screen and all that and he agreed and said hes not suprised if thats whats doing it because he said that fords are known to do that on a lot of models, so...i guess thats what where gonna do.
Ok, I may have an answer to help out......maybe not.
First of all, the distributor gear meshes with the Aux shaft gear, not the Cam gear. There is no cam gear on the camshaft on this engine. That is on V8s and the lot. The Aux shaft is driven by the engine timing belt, which rotates the distributor. The distubutor shaft in turn, rotates the oil pump.
Most of everything I have read, these gears wear out becuase of people installing High pressure or High volume oil pumps, which in turn place a drag on the distributor. The engine is going to rotate with more force than the distributor gear can handle, and CHOMP!
These pumps are not necessary on these engines, unless you are running a carbed circle track car revving out at 9k+ RPMs. And then they run with an Esslinger or Racer Walsh set-up.
This may or may not be the case here, but you need to pull the aux shaft and look at the gear teeth there too. You also need to get all that detritus out of the oil pan.
88 2.3 Insane Distributor gear Shearing Probs 
