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mattyboy
04-07-2012, 03:21 PM
anyone have an idea on what i can use as the timing pointer the old pointer must have snapped off during the rebuild . I have the motor at TDC on the compression stroke I have a mark on the timing chain cover lined up with 0 TDC

MOP
04-07-2012, 04:18 PM
Matty where is a pic of the front of your engine? I might be able to get you pointed no pun intended.

Phil

joseph m. hahnl
04-07-2012, 05:01 PM
They usally bolt on through the the timing chain cover bolts . There are a few different styles available on line. If your looking to just get bye for the moment to get it timed ,you can use a stiff wire , coat hanger or pull spring coiled and screwed on to the chain cover.:smash:

mattyboy
04-07-2012, 06:23 PM
best I can figure it it must have comeout of the recess at around 1 oclock and went back to the left the mark I put there today was like 11 oclock

here the best pics I have of the front remember the holman moody plate pretty much covers the entire front of the motor.

MOP
04-08-2012, 07:50 AM
Matty the pointer normally uses two bolt, one where your alternator bracket is and the one to the left. Pointer aside the biggest issue is true TDC, the only way to find it correctly is with a piston stop. Doing it without a stop you cloud be off several degrees, 3-4 degrees off can cause detonation at speed. You can buy or fab up a piston stop, to fine true TDC the engine needs to rolled over manually in one direction to firmly meets the stop. At that point transfer a mark from your -0- on the balancer to the H/M plate, then the engine needs to be turned back in the other direction until it meets the stop again. Put another mark on the plate where the -0- stops, now find exact center between those two marks that will be true TDC. Then I would fab up a pointer and use a timing tape on the balancer, doing it that way you only need a single marker set to your center mark on the plate. You need to make up a piece out of sheet metal that you a fix the block, it just needs to sit close to the balancer with its tip aligned with the TDC mark you made. If you can grab a stop local great if not I know I have one in my machinist box I can mail off to you, I would a minute or two on the phone to get you through the procedure.

Phil

Question do you have small base or fat base plugs, I know most of the older Fords had fat plugs my pointer is for small plugs.

mattyboy
04-08-2012, 08:13 AM
I used an unsharpened pencil , pulled all the plugs and rolled the motor back and forth with slight pressure on the pencil when it stuck out the most and stopped moving in or out to find the #1 piston at it's TDC then transfered the mark onto the plate from 0 on the balancer.

I spoke to an old ford guy over a beer last night. I told him the story and said to him all the pics I had seen had the pointer at about 1 or 2 oclock right side. and my marks are on the left side. he said they might have reused the old 289 balancer instead of using the newer 5.0 balancer. he said they are the same they were just marked different he said it had something to do with them changing the way the water pump was plumbed. I am very sure this is what happened when they put the 87 5.0 motor in it from the original 68 289 it left the factory with

I was thinking about using a strong magnet strip and bending up a piece of wire into an L and using the magnet strip to hold the wire as a pointer then time it then remove

MOP
04-08-2012, 08:23 AM
What about using Epoxy to attach a simple "L" bracket, Not thrilled with the pencil thing but it may be close enough.

Phil

mattyboy
04-08-2012, 08:41 AM
I have a welder buddy he said it could tack it in place, epoxy would work too but but i would be afraid the mark/pointer would drift some in the process of tacking or glueing.

i was thinking a small allen key would work as the pointer even bent all ready and i could score the mark on the plate for the key to fall in then the magnet would hold it in place to time it them remove it.

BUIZILLA
04-08-2012, 01:10 PM
you could be off as much as 4* not using the piston stop method....

the 5.0 used a hall effect pickup hole flange and the flange was on the pass side of the front cover

mattyboy
04-09-2012, 07:01 AM
Phil
I picked up one of these it looks like the stop is adjustable does it matter how deep it is set? does the testing start on the compression stroke?

mattyboy
04-09-2012, 12:36 PM
nevermind maybe I should have gone to some of those math classes the two marks left by rotating back and forth to the stop will leave one part of the answer + the other part( missing) of the answer = 360 degrees and then take the second part of the answer and divide by 2 is TDC

MOP
04-09-2012, 08:28 PM
Compression stroke does not mater your math is right every 180 degrees the mark is at -0-, I like to run the stop in pretty far so I have decent distance between the marks. I like a couple of inches between the marks, it is easier and more precise. You can either bend or break the stop, I tell guys to roll the engine over at least 1/2 a turn to get a feel before they put the stop in. Go slow stop at the slightest resistance, mark then reverse to make the other mark use a fine line marker you should be Ok.

Phil

mattyboy
04-12-2012, 08:11 AM
timing is everything in life. ;)