correct timing pointer?????

[dezert ranger]

whats up ford gurus?been a mechanic for a long time and on my 2.9 v6 i unplugged the spout and marked the engine at 10 degrees BUT there is a pointer on the front of the block as well as a round hole at the balancer,i timed it through the hole and the truck runs awful and pings badly,is this the timing pointer or is actually the "pointer" wish i could see a pic of the actuall timing pointer ?any help would be apreciated ,thanks

 

[Rangermilitia]

i timed mine at the pointer.. but before doing so i ran key on engine on codes and at the end of the test, you have 2 minutes of "Base Timing" get the pointer at 10 degrees, and mine runs good.

 

[IMenriched]

MAybe your HB has slipped??

 

[Roy]

The round hole is for a special timing device that dealers and large shops use. The pointer is the one for regular timing lights.
Roy