Why does my cam synchro keep going bad, and where do I find a good one?

[Eddo Rogue]

I hear the squeak, and tell myself its a pulley, or maybe the belt. But I know what it is...that random, ear piercing chirp is undeniable. At least this time there's no CEL. This will be my 3rd time swapping it. yes I followed procedure, and oiled the gear good before dropping in.

The first time I swapped it, terrified and cautiously, my only option besides a Dorman, was some random company with good reviews on fleabay. It was spendy enough and had a warranty. It lasted about 300 miles. I didn't care to warranty another

The second time was a NOS Motorcraft unit I tracked down on fleabay again. I didnt wanna peel off my fresh and luckily sealed lower intake gasket job, so I managed to finagle it with only the top half of the intake removed. It killed the CEL and passed SMOG check.

I am really surprised this went bad after about 1500 miles. I posted about it previously, and @Dirtman suggested knock off Motorcraft does exist, which it may very well have been...

I need a good unit. is there a cross reference or compatibility or something to the discontinued unit for my year? I would like to purchase a cam synchro from my local Ford dealer, at least one that is not aftermarket or old or used. Willing to do conversion if possible and not too destructive.

 

[ThatOneGuy]

Maybe it would be a good idea to try and find a good used ford part. If you wernt in commifornia I'd suggest switching ecu to a non carb and just delete the synchronizer

 

[ThatOneGuy]

Another thought since they are poorly oiled to start with, what does your oil pressure look like, or perhapse working at decreased volume there for burning up the bearings

 

[Dirtman]

Search the site, somewhere on here was a post or tech article about how to improve oil flow to the synchro. If I recall you drilled something out a bit? But like @ThatOneGuy said check oil pressure too because as he said if it starts dropping the synchro would be first to feel the effect.

But it's not a part you want to delete, even though it technically was originally a C.A.R.B requirement for CA vehicles, it's not one of those things that was useless crap. Having a crank and cam sensor doubles the feedback for timing information which has a real world effect not only on emissions but on engine performance and efficiency. So while it's not 100% necessary, it's not just some dumb emissions gizmo.

 

[Eddo Rogue]

Another thought since they are poorly oiled to start with, what does your oil pressure look like, or perhapse working at decreased volume there for burning up the bearings

Seems fine, but that's not a bad idea, I'll monitor it a lil more now...

 

[Eddo Rogue]

Search the site, somewhere on here was a post or tech article about how to improve oil flow to the synchro. If I recall you drilled something out a bit? But like @ThatOneGuy said check oil pressure too because as he said if it starts dropping the synchro would be first to feel the effect.

But it's not a part you want to delete, even though it technically was originally a C.A.R.B requirement for CA vehicles, it's not one of those things that was useless crap. Having a crank and cam sensor doubles the feedback for timing information which has a real world effect not only on emissions but on engine performance and efficiency. So while it's not 100% necessary, it's not just some dumb emissions gizmo.

Sweet I'll check it out thanks

 

[Eddo Rogue]

Maybe it would be a good idea to try and find a good used ford part. If you wernt in commifornia I'd suggest switching ecu to a non carb and just delete the synchronizer

If I wasn't in Commofornia I'd do a 302 swap. I like V8s. But can't have fun like that here.