Timing waay off, wtf?

[The_Dealer]

Well my rig has been a little down on power here lately and has been using the shit out of some gas(gettin about 12mpg mixed, with a really light foot), so i went to a buddys and was going to check the timing. Well we got the light on and we made a mark on the crank pully, and when we put the light on it, our mark was about 2" lower then the timing marks start. when we turned the disty clockwise it started running like ass. counter clockwise all the way it was the same as it was when we started. we couldnt even get the timing to where it was even close to the timing marks. My buddy/mechanic said my timing could have jumped and i need a new timing chain. im wondering if a previous owner removed the disty and put it back in wrong. any ideas on what i should do?

Edit: my oil pressure is good, and it runs and idles fine, i just have a hard time gettin up to speed and am getting really bad gas mileage, i cant hardly get the thing to go 55 without dropping into second

 

[84stealthranger]

it doesnt have a timing chain

 

[The_Dealer]

it doesnt have a timing chain

thats what i thought, when i looked at my ford tech manual(the real ones, not the ones u get at autozone) it showed gears, and said if it jumped timing i wouldnt have good oil pressure, plus i imagine it'd make some awful noises

 

[The_Dealer]

ok i got it at tdc, and pulled the cap and heres what i got

thru the little view bubble its showing around 10*

heres what my rotor looks like at tdc

is it pretty much spot on or is the rotor in the wrong place, looks more like 10 oclock to me

 

[shane96ranger]

The rotor should be pointing at cylinder 1 on the cap. Does your cap have a #1 on it to verify?

 

[The_Dealer]

its lined up with the 1" plug on the cap, so i guess everything is right. i had some corrosion on the inner terminals, so i cleaned that up while i was at it

 

[kimcrwbr1]

your using the wrong timing point see the pointer that is what you time it with not the round thing

 

[kimcrwbr1]

take some steel wool or sandpaper and clean the damper pully good and make a mark on 10 dbtdc that is one mark back from 12 and with the spout disconnected line the mark up with the pointer at the top of the bracket that holds the round thing. You will see a big difference when you plug the spout back in. then you can adjust the carb good.

 

[kimcrwbr1]

It is easier to see the timing marks from the under side with a good light and you can get up close to mark it.

 

[kimcrwbr1]

Then check that the dizzy is at 11 oclock if not slowly lift it up to clear the cam gear and note how far it turns then you can judge how far to turn it so it falls in place. to line up the oil pump turn the crank untill the dizzy falls the rest of the way down I just use the remote start method click it till it drops with slight pressure then put it back on tdc and see if it is at 11 oclock. It normally takes me a couple times to get it right.

 

[litleblue]

Are you checking the timing with the spout connector disconnected? Should be a single wire, I think it is yellow with a green tracer by the TFI module connector. To me the timing looks OK without disconnecting the wire. should be between 25 and 35 deg advanced at idle. If you are using the feedback system the timing will look funny and then run the KOER test, at the end of the test the timing should be locked at about 26 to 29 deg advanced. Best to check this with a timing light with a timing circuit in it to dial the timing back to Zero. This test will check if the calculated timing is approximate.

 

[The_Dealer]

sorry i got a little confused, yes im checking with spout disco'd, so where do i go with it from here

 

[kimcrwbr1]

In your pic of the damper pully if you look at the damper just on top of the wide groove is TC that is top dead center your timing marks are above it clean it good with steel wool or scotchbrite and you will see the marks and numbers each mark ir 2 degrees one mark down from the 12 is 10 that is your timing mark use a white or yellow marker or crayon to mark it then just above that is the pointy thing with the spout disconnected line the mark you just made to the pointer. tighten the dizzy down good and then check it again. once you have it locked in there plug your spout wire back in and the engine should run nice and smooth. leave the light on it and give it gas while you watch the timing and it should advance equal to the rpm up to around 37 degrees at 3500 rpm. Just remember to have everything connected all wires and vacuum lines for it to run correct then you can pull the codes if need be.