Lack of Power and Mileage

[diehard80's]

Hello fellow Ranger owners,

My '87 Ranger 2.9L has lost a significant amount of power and fuel consumption has greatly increased. I can also smell a strong odor of hydrocarbons in the exhaust. I haven't checked for codes as of yet, but I am thinking that the timing could be incorrect. Just out of curiosity, does the TFI-IV ignition system compensate for the timing chain stretching over time in order to keep the spark from retarding? Also, how often does it tend to need adjustment?

 

[RustedRanger]

Check for codes first off...try to get an idea of what's wrong.

 

[Psychopete]

Check your timing for sure, check it with the SPOUT out (base timing) and in after you've plugged it back it to make sure the computer is advancing the timing. Definitely check for trouble codes, really check over everything

It cannot account for slack, it doesn't have a crankshaft sensor to compare against the signal from the distributor.

They are supposed to outlive the truck, but they get slack in them the odometers also only go to 99,999 (timing chains are hit and mostly miss) There is a tensioning system, but it probably is more like a dampner. You can check the amount of slack by turning it backwards till it the valves just starts to move, mark where your timing pointer is, then move it clockwise and measure the amount of degrees between where you seen valve train movement.