How To Tell If A Distributor Gear Is Melonized

Melonized gears, unlike bronze, iron, and composite gears, are resistant to wear, corrosion, and scuffing. However, clients get short-changed with the standard gears as they don’t know how to differentiate melonized gear from standard gears.

So, how can one tell if a distributor gear is melonized? A melonized distributor gear is easy to spot and resonate with. It has a spotted finish different from bronze, iron, and composite distributor gears. The surface appears dimpled and rough to the touch.

Read through this article to learn more about melonized distributor gears, how to melonize metals, and the effect of melonized gears. We shall also elaborate on how to tell if a distributor gear is melonized.

A Quick Look at How To Tell If A Distributor Gear Is Melonized

Below is a quick format of how to tell if a distributor gear is melonized-

Factors/Tests	Melonized Gear Features
Physical appearance	Porous surface with a dimpled appearance
Surface finish	A dappled finish that is rough, has a slick surface due to the heat treatment
Wear resistance test	Has an increased wear resistance
Nieman-Rettig Scuffing load limit test	High scuff load limit (almost three times of other gears)
Corrosion test	Highly resistant to corrosion

What Is A Melonized Distributor Gear?

Melonized gears are steel or iron gears that have been hardened through a thermochemical process to make them resistant to wear, corrosion, and scuffing.

This process involves reactions in a molten salt bath ferritic nitrocarburizing. Oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen are absorbed into the metal, creating an iron nitride layer that is hard and resistant to agents of wear and corrosion.

The reaction causes the formation of two compound layers. The inner white zone is white in color and porous, lending to the lubricity of the finish.

The second zone is the diffusion layer that contributes to the material’s hardness and resistance to wear and corrosion. GM prefers melonized distributor gears for their hardness and toughness.

How To Tell If A Distributor Gear Is Melonized

Most clients are victims of purchasing the wrong distributor gear for their machines. For the untrained eye, it is hard to differentiate between the types of distributor gears in the market.

The good news is that you can now tell if a distributor gear is melonized or not without having to enquire from the dealer. Let’s see how-

Physical Appearance

Melonized distributor gears have a spotty finish, making them rough to the touch. It is likened to a dimpled surface with a porous but smooth texture. Their finish is that of lubricity and quite distinctive from the other soft gears.

Contact The Manufacturer

Physical identification features may not always be efficient as counterfeit products have found their way to the market. To be specific, contact the manufacturer of the melonized gear and enquire from them.

Ensure the dealers are trustworthy and have a good reputation. MSD, Ford Motorsports, and Howard Cams companies are known for being reliable partners in the motor industry. You can try them out.

Wear Resistance Test

Perform a wear resistance test on a melonized gear against other metallic gears. The results show that a melonized gear with a hardened layer does not wear as fast as the non-melonized surface.

Below is the presentation of tests done on a hardened rocker arm and another hardened & melonite treated arm. The melonized component takes a long time to wear out compared to the non-melonized arm.

Nieman-Rettig Scuffing Load Limit Test

This test is carried out to test the scuffing load limit on melonized and standard gears. Melonized gears have a higher scuffing load limit. It is 2-5 times higher than that of the bronze and iron gears.

According to the graph below, gears not treated with melonite are seen to break at a lower load limit.

Therefore, to identify a melonized gear, conduct these tests and check their varying scuffing load limit and wear resistance.

Benefits Of Melonized Distributor Gears

Melonized distributor gears have advantages over iron and bronze gears. The composite gears are still the best gears that are compatible with almost every other camshaft. Below are the pros of using melonized gears.

Melonized gears have a more excellent resistance to wear and tear that results from the intermetallic composition of the compound and diffusion layers.

This is proven true by various wear tests carried out in comparison with induction hardened or hard chrome-plated gears.

Distributor gears treated with melonite have a higher scuffing load limit and can hold a heavy load before the seizure occurs. The load applied on melonized gears has a higher scuffing load limit almost 2-5 times higher than the customarily hardened gears

Melonized gears have a higher friction coefficient due to the oxidation of the compound layer of the nitrocarburized sample. The higher the coefficient, the less friction effect making the gears more durable.

Fatigue strength makes the gears solid and resistant to breakage and tear. Melonized distributor gears have a higher fatigue strength when compared to other materials with normal hardening.

Melonized gears, on the other hand, have a compound layer of carbon and nitrocarburizing zone that is resistant to corrosion.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Below are some related questions asked by clients in the interest of knowing how to tell if a distributor gear is melonized.

Conclusion

Having the right gear for your specific need is essential. And now you know how to tell if a distributor gear is melonized or not, right?

Be careful when selecting your equipment, as some are just hardened but not melonized.

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