Andy,
Thanks for weighing in. As I said, I did several searches for info; I thought I read through everything that popped up. Maybe I just missed this discussion you reference. The aluminum gear is in spec according to the wear limit figure. I used two different measurementt methods of check the gear (including a visual for signs of obvious wear) just to be sure I had it right.
So I feel pretty comforatble with the aluminum gear. If you remember anything about the thread location, title or time frame, please let me know.