Took out the distributor without marking

[Buster brown]

Ok so I took out the distributor without marking anything.( I have a 3.0 v6 1993 Ford ranger manual) and I need help because I found one timing mark on my pulley but can’t find the other any help?

 

[MikeG]

I'd turn the engine over till the timing mark on the crank is at top dead center, or pretty close. That's TDC for cylinder #1, but you don't know if it's intake or exhaust stroke without looking at the valves or cam. BUT... it's for #1.

Now set the distributor to fire to plug #1 (the rotor should point to where the #1 plug wire attaches to the cap).

Got a 50% chance of getting it right. If it doesn't work.... turn engine over by hand again till at TDC, but when the distributor is pointing 180 degrees away from #1. Reset distributor to point to #1 again.

Think that should work, and I think (someone will say so if this is wrong) that #1 is front cylinder on passenger side, as Ford numbers them.

 

[Dirtman]

Stick your finger in the #1 plug hole and rotate the engine, if you reach the mark on the crank and feel no air pressure you are 180 out. Rotate it one more time and the compression will push your finger out of the hole. Wala you are now at TDC. Line up the rotor so its on the #1 plug on the distributor cap.

 

[RonD]

But without the marks on front cover then the line on the crank pulley/balancer is meaningless

Not sure why you don't see it?

You can pull the crank pulley bolt and use the key way to mark the pulley, so you have a TDC reference, then put the bolt back in, so you can manually turn the crank
Doesn't matter where the key way is when you remove the bolt, just put a mark on crank pulley that shows YOU where key way is, when bolt is back on

Key way will be at 12:00 for #1 piston at TDC 0deg

But as others have said thats TDC for #1 AND #5 cylinders, thats why distributors can be 180deg out
You want TDC compression stroke for #1 as Dirtman described

But..........................you have a 50/50 chance of getting it right the first time, and 100% chance the 2nd time, lol
So put crank at #1 TDC
Install distributor rotor so it points at #1 spark plug wire
Crank engine, if it fires up then you guessed right
If it doesn't then remove cap, lift up distributor and rotate the rotor 180deg from where it was when lifted this time
Reinstall
Start engine

 

[Buster brown]

But without the marks on front cover then the line on the crank pulley/balancer is meaningless

Not sure why you don't see it?

You can pull the crank pulley bolt and use the key way to mark the pulley, so you have a TDC reference, then put the bolt back in, so you can manually turn the crank
Doesn't matter where the key way is when you remove the bolt, just put a mark on crank pulley that shows YOU where key way is, when bolt is back on

Key way will be at 12:00 for #1 piston at TDC 0deg

But as others have said thats TDC for #1 AND #5 cylinders, thats why distributors can be 180deg out
You want TDC compression stroke for #1 as Dirtman described

But..........................you have a 50/50 chance of getting it right the first time, and 100% chance the 2nd time, lol
So put crank at #1 TDC
Install distributor rotor so it points at #1 spark plug wire
Crank engine, if it fires up then you guessed right
If it doesn't then remove cap, lift up distributor and rotate the rotor 180deg from where it was when lifted this time
Reinstall
Start engine

I have the mark on the pulley but I can’t find one anywhere else to line it up

Stick your finger in the #1 plug hole and rotate the engine, if you reach the mark on the crank and feel no air pressure you are 180 out. Rotate it one more time and the compression will push your finger out of the hole. Wala you are now at TDC. Line up the rotor so its on the #1 plug on the distributor cap.

thank you I’ll give it a try

 

[Bgunner]

When my '94 3.0 distributer gear sheared the roll pin off I had to do the timing from the position you are in. On the right side of the crank, passenger side, about 45° from center is the timing mark that is bolted to the engine. Its like an arrow with a small line in the middle.

Follow Dirtmans suggestion to find the compression stroke on cylinder #1, again front passenger side cylinder. Once on the compression stroke line the marks to 0°. This is top dead center for #1 cylinder and where you need to insert the distributer. Like Ron D mentioned point the rotor at #1 plug wire in the cap and slowly insert the distributer, but the rotor will turn when it is inserted into the cam teeth so you may have to advance or retard the rotor so that once seated in it points directly at the #1 plug wire.

From there try to start. If it starts shut it off and pull the SPOUT plug that is located behind the driver side head light and use a timing light to set the timing to 12° before top dead center. If you are a tooth off one direction or the other the engine will run really rough with timing at 0°'s so make sure when inserting the distributer to account for the rotation of the rotor as the gears mesh.

 

[19Walt93]

Once you feel pressure building against your finger- indicating #1 is on the compression stroke- remove your finger and stick a screw driver in the plug hole. then turn the engine by hand until the piston pushes the screw driver up to the top, then slowly turn the engine back and forth to find TDC. You're going to need to locate the indicator to set the timing, worst case, once you pin point TDC you can make your own pointer.