Timing question

DandysRanger · Jun 1, 2018

So I have an '85 ranger with the 2.3 and EFI. I want to check the timing but the sticker on the front says I need to "disconnect the black single wire near the distributor". I don't see a single black or white wire nor do I see a shorting bar to pull out. Without pulling the wire or shorting bar the timing is 25* ATC.
Can someone show me where is the wire I am supposed to disconnect?

tomw · Jun 2, 2018

There is a ribbed plastic cover with a passel of wires inside that goes from the inner fender to the intake manifold. There should be a small rectangular plug hanging out of the cover, or tied to it. The rectangular plug is the 'shorting plug' that is removed to set the timing without computer interaction. Engine hot, pull the plug, start the engine, and, at idle, check the timing. It should be at 10BTDC. There's a small notch in the rear edge of the pulley that is the mark for the crank timing.
Rotate the distributor to set, shut down, and re-install the plug. Yurdun.
tom

DandysRanger · Jun 2, 2018

Thanks Tom, I know what a shorting plug looks like since I have one on my 5.0. I don't see anything like that on the Ranger. The harness is a little hacked so I wonder if it could have been deleted for some reason?

Is it on the passenger side or driver side?

RonD · Jun 2, 2018

According to this diagram: http://therangerstation.com/tech_library/EDiagrams/files/Diagrams_StartIgnition83to88_2_3.JPG

You are looking for a Yellow/Green stripe wire coming from TFI module.

Shorting bar can be at the Distributor end, or at computer end, of the main wiring harness
Computer should be in passenger side kick panel in the cab in '85, but shorting bar would be in engine bay, so could be found around blower housing on main wiring harness

tomw · Jun 3, 2018

I have an 85 that has not been hacked at, and the shorting plug hangs outside the plastic ribbed cover. It is 30+ years old, so I have had to add zipties and other things to keep the harness contained, but it has been there since new. I did not go look, but yellow with red stripe sounds like the colors I remember.
I had a critter eat the shorting plug on another vehicle, so it was running with fixed 10BTDC for a while. I used some 'spade' connectors on the shortened remainder to re-connect the SPOUT(?) so the computer could again adjust timing as needed.
I expect someone may have hacked, so I would look inside the plastic wire harness for there to be a couple wires that may be hanging loose.
I will go look for the color. I've had it since new, and it was factory EFI, CA emissions being the only state to get EFI in 85 to my knowledge.
tom

tomw · Jun 3, 2018

Visual inspection results:

Yellow/green stripe
Black/white stripe

I looked. The jumper connector is not rectangular(87 Vulcan is), but more round in shape. It is about halfway across the length of the loom from inner fender to the rear edge of the intake manifold.
tom

DandysRanger · Jun 3, 2018

Tom and Ron. Thanks so much. I unwrapped the harness from the TFI but didn't see where the shorting bar would be. I looked further down the harness on the passenger side above the exhaust manifold and lo and behold I found a single wire connector and that was it. I disconnected it and the timing was right on at 10*.
Thanks again for the help. I tried to upload a pic but kept getting a internal server error. I'll try again later.
Jim

tomw · Jun 4, 2018

Are you sure it is an 85? The cam covers and complete engine were painted gray that year. Yours has a blue cover...
tom

DandysRanger · Jun 4, 2018

tomw said:
Are you sure it is an 85? The cam covers and complete engine were painted gray that year. Yours has a blue cover...
tom

Yeah. I just replaced the head and spruced up the valve cover with some leftover Ford Dark Blue.

Timing question

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