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Going back in.... last time i hope..


Shadowridr1

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I do have an ir thermometer, but with what I just noticed I'm really hesitant about even running the truck anymore..... I literally started it, backed it up, moved a board that I use to lay down on, walked around the rear of the pickup and took a video of this. Pulled back into the garage and turned it off. The pickup was running maybe 4 min top. The exhaust was crackling and popping like I just drove it 100 miles. I have no water on the dipstick and no oil in the coolant. There was a dirty, milky substance on the inside on the oil cap, but not in the oil fill neck and what was in there looked old not fresh. It wasn't wet persay.
 


mc17eln

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How do I use a compression gauge to test alignment of TDC?
I forgot to mention TDC is all about cycler 1. The crankshaft and balancer rotates 2 full turns to complete a cylinder's 4-stroke combustion cycle, which mean the TDC mark on the balancer will align with the metal arrow next to the crank sensor twice - one time at the end of the fuel/air compression right before ignition, a second time at the end of the exhaust compression. During exhaust compression, the exhaust valve is open -- the compression gauge will read 0. During fuel/air compression, both exhaust and intake valves are closed -- the compression gauge will have a reading and should hold that read if there is no leak.

As I mentioned, don't rely on the numbers on the balancer, look for literally the 3 letter "TDC" on the balancer. In my case, it's at the 6th tooth from the missing tooth spot.

For the synchronizer, the alignment check must be at TDC during fuel/air compression. After you unscrew and remove the plastic camshaft sensor, the outer metal housing has an opening that fits the removed sensor. The inside arm/peg should be at the middle of the outer opening. If it is not aligned, loosing the fastening bolt and rotate the outer housing to align with the inside arm. Ignore the fastening bolt and the angle where the outside housing (i.e. the sensor) ends up.
 

mc17eln

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Found a clean photo of the synchronizer. The red arrow points to the outside housing opening, which can rotate to align. The green arrow points to the inside arm. Again, ignore where the outside housing ends up, as long as it's pointing at the firewall to make plugging in the sensor wire easy. If the inside arm is way off like this photo at TDC, then you can remove the hold down bolt, withdraw the synchronized, move the inside arm to roughly align with the outside opening, reinsert the synchronized so the inside arm is pointing at the firewall direction. The inside arm will move a bit when the gear engages the camshaft. Don't worry. Just rotate the outside housing left/right until the inside arm is at the center of the outside opening. Finally tighten the hold down bolt and install the sensor.

67886
 

Shadowridr1

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Ok so let be clear. The TDC mark needs to be lined up with the timing tab.. NOT THE ZERO line up with the timing tab. My 6th tooth is directly under the crank sensor and the 0 is in line with the timing tab.
 

Shadowridr1

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Btw I'm certain I'm on the compression stoke
 

Shadowridr1

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Found a clean photo of the synchronizer. The red arrow points to the outside housing opening, which can rotate to align. The green arrow points to the inside arm. Again, ignore where the outside housing ends up, as long as it's pointing at the firewall to make plugging in the sensor wire easy. If the inside arm is way off like this photo at TDC, then you can remove the hold down bolt, withdraw the synchronized, move the inside arm to roughly align with the outside opening, reinsert the synchronized so the inside arm is pointing at the firewall direction. The inside arm will move a bit when the gear engages the camshaft. Don't worry. Just rotate the outside housing left/right until the inside arm is at the center of the outside opening. Finally tighten the hold down bolt and install the sensor.

Sorry if I'm being overly complicated, but I'm second guessing myself on every step right now
 

Shadowridr1

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Found a clean photo of the synchronizer. The red arrow points to the outside housing opening, which can rotate to align. The green arrow points to the inside arm. Again, ignore where the outside housing ends up, as long as it's pointing at the firewall to make plugging in the sensor wire easy. If the inside arm is way off like this photo at TDC, then you can remove the hold down bolt, withdraw the synchronized, move the inside arm to roughly align with the outside opening, reinsert the synchronized so the inside arm is pointing at the firewall direction. The inside arm will move a bit when the gear engages the camshaft. Don't worry. Just rotate the outside housing left/right until the inside arm is at the center of the outside opening. Finally tighten the hold down bolt and install the sensor.

View attachment 67886
Should the inside peg be pointing basically at the passenger seat or kinda inline with the hold down bolt
 

mc17eln

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Note: I made corrections to this reply on 12/17/2021. I inserted a pencil into cylinder 1 spark plug hole to measure how far up the piston was. It proved that my 2002 3.0 TDC is when the 5th tooth aligns with the aluminum arrow while the 6th tooth (and TDC letters) is directly under the crank sensor.

Ok so let be clear. The TDC mark needs to be lined up with the timing tab.. NOT THE ZERO line up with the timing tab.
That will be off by one tooth, but the PCM seems to tolerate it. The timing tab/arrow is a part of the cast aluminum front cover to the right of the sensor.
My 6th tooth is directly under the crank sensor and the 0 is in line with the timing tab.
That is spot on. Again, ignore the numbers 0|||10|||20|||30|||... Find the 3 letter "TDC" and that should align with the crank sensor. To be exact, my TDC letters align with the right edge of the 6th tooth -- like the raising edge of a wave form diagram, not exactly the center of the tooth.

Here is one more official diagram from Ford manual, marking the 6th tooth as the TDC (prompted me to recheck and corrected my alignment few days ago):

67890
 
Last edited:

mc17eln

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Should the inside peg be pointing basically at the passenger seat or kinda inline with the hold down bolt
No, ignore the hold down bolt. Align with the middle of the outside housing cut-out pointed by that red arrow in the above photo.
 

Shadowridr1

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No, ignore the hold down bolt. Align with the middle of the outside housing cut-out pointed by that red arrow in the above photo.
Ok I did all that and set it the way you instructed. The inside peg was on the firewall side, but a tad off center, so I lined everything up. I also replaced the downstream o2 sensor. These are the reading I now have.
 

Shadowridr1

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Here are more readings. Still same. Dumping smoke and black crap out of the tailpipe and has a definite misfire or a few.
 

mc17eln

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Sorry to hear that. I am almost out of idea too, except test and try the original injectors. It's possible that those new injectors have much larger jet holes, making it too rich for the PCM to compensate. I am not even a novice user of FORScan.
 

Shadowridr1

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Sorry to hear that. I am almost out of idea too, except test and try the original injectors. It's possible that those new injectors have much larger jet holes, making it too rich for the PCM to compensate. I am not even a novice user of FORScan.
These are the original Injectors. I took the others out cause I couldn't get readings off of them....
 

Shadowridr1

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Just tried to do a key on running self demand test. It got to 85% then said it was incomplete. Have me a p1000 code and my oil sending switch gauge starting bouncing..... it's a new sending unit
 

Shadowridr1

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I'm starting to think the damn PCM is screwed.....
 

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