Would I be able to see grooves or shavings on the edge of the gear near the press surface? Why don't some other press fit items have to be heated before pressed in?
I would not risk running a pressed on camshaft, you already invested a lot of $$$, would be a shame wiping out a new motor over a $60-70 dollar gear? Have not checked prices lately.
When you press on a soft aluminum gear onto a hard cast iron camshaft, guess which one is going to shave material off of?
Aluminum of course. It is always a good idea to either heat up a part or shrink a part (use liquid nitrogen) in order to fit parts that have an interference fit.
If your aluminum camshaft gear did not fall off of the camshaft, you simply did not heat it up enough. Mapp gas is a hotter gas than propane gas, that is what I use.
