Distributor ?

[Jaycenk]

So I'm Getting ready for a season of towing with the old Hoe. She has 170k on the clock and to my knowledge the distributor is stock from the factory. I have some concerns about it taking a dump or the drive gear taking a dump. In all my year with Chevy small blocks I have never ran one this high on millage. I have concerns about the drive gear being so worn that it strips out and leaves me stranded with the boat in tow. I have things in place to be able to deal with it but I am going to the Florida keys with the boat again this year and don't want an interruption in the fun factor.
Do I even have a valid concern about these issues? and also what all needs to be done if I swap it out? Is there a learn process that will have to be done with the pcm? or is it just set timing with something disconnected and then plug and play? or what. Thanks for the help.

 

[retorq]

I have 260K on mine, stock distributor. That gear isn't goign to strip itself out magically.

 

[kelly1]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Of course, if you're luck is like mine and it does break and you DO fix it....4 other things will go bad right after that..

or

If it seeps or leaks and you fix it....it will still leak when you get done. HA!

 

[SunlitComet]

on a vortec it will give you timing errors before failing normally. new replacement gears are available and you would have to zero out the dizzy with scanner after install. no relearn procedure. 95 and older you disconnect a wire and use a timing light.

 

[Jaycenk]

I didn't think it would do it magically but I'm dealing with an LT1 with custom grind cam that chewed up a stock gear. Thats more then likely why i'm thinking about it but the Hoe is stock. lol If you have 260k it makes me feel a bit better and then if it dose give timing errors before then I will just keep an eye on it with the scanner.

 

[kelly1]

I know there are always exceptions to the rule when parts will fail but on your dizzy I think you're good to go until you do get some errors. For what it's worth, a very good friend of mine just turned over 400k miles on his 1997 tahoe and the engine is bone stock original. It has had the intake gasket replaced once since he owned it and that's it...aside from a waterpump. He's had it since about 75k miles.

 

[retorq]

I didn't think it would do it magically but I'm dealing with an LT1 with custom grind cam that chewed up a stock gear. Thats more then likely why i'm thinking about it but the Hoe is stock. lol If you have 260k it makes me feel a bit better and then if it dose give timing errors before then I will just keep an eye on it with the scanner.

Custom cams are usually billet and require a different gear then what a stock distributor has on it.