No Spark from MSD, Distributor?

[jeffw]

I was on the road cruising when all of a sudden she backfired and died. I towed it home and began checking things out. Plugs looked good so I checked for spark, no spark. This is a Ford crate 514 with 9 hours on the motor.

After checking wires and changing the coil I found a MSD dealer that could check the 6AL box, all checked good. After reinstalling the electrics and testing them okay, I turned to the distributor. It did not turn when cranking the motor over.

Upon removal of the distributor I found a gear with a broken roll pin. The gear slide easily on the shaft. Thank goodness the gear and shaft were not worn. The gear was installed improperly at the factory, it should have been a press fit because an 1/8" roll pin is not designed to take that kind of torq. Anyway I redrilled it and installed a 3/16" roll pin.

I would recommend removal of the distributor and changing the roll pin to 3/16" for anyone buying a new engine. It would also be wise to check the 3.996/4.005 length from the bottom of the gear to the mounting shoulder of the Distributor, an error here can cost you a couple of thousands of dollars. (See other Forum Discussions) See MSD help section of their web page for measurement details.

[Rick Parker]

Jeff:

The gear should be a press fit. The roll pin is not intended to be the sole bearer of all the torque.

Rick

[Tom Wells]

Yo jeffw,

The gear was installed improperly at the factory

That little gem cost me $2800 cash - and Ford paid zip, zero, nada

I thought the newer crate motors were better than mine. How long ago did Ford assemble yours?

Regards,

Tom