Stopping broken distributor gear teeth on the Ford 2.3L SOHC
By Esslinger Engineering - 11/10/2026 - 0 comments
The OEM iron intermediate shaft with an iron/bronze gear is a known weak point. Here is the fix we use in our own engines.
On the Ford 2300 SOHC the intermediate shaft drives the distributor and oil pump. The OEM iron shaft and its gear can break teeth, and when they do the engine loses spark and oil pressure at the same moment.
The upgrade
Our billet intermediate shaft kit is a heavy duty replacement for the OEM shaft and gear. It is made from heat treated 4340 chromoly and includes a bronze gear.
A bronze gear must be used with the billet steel shaft. You cannot run an iron or steel distributor gear against our billet shaft. The bronze distributor gear is cut from a bronze billet, and used with the heavy duty intermediate shaft it eliminates the broken gear tooth failures that are common in engines using the OEM iron shaft.
Do not forget the supporting parts
- Intermediate shaft bearings with a machined oiling groove.
- The oil pump driveshaft, since it is driven from the same shaft.