i bought a fairly expensive ($1300) rebuilt motor at advance. so the crank and cam are already installed, but i had to swap the front pulley which has the TDC mark. i turned the crank and watched the valves on cylinder 1 to see which TDC to install the distributor for, and since i do this about once every 5 or 10 years, i didn't realize the valves were not doing what they should do. so it backfires, and i assume i screwed up so i use the other TDC and now it wheezes. in both cases i moved the distributor back and forth a mile, and it never ran a bit. so i pull the valve cover and pay a bit more attention to the valves, and it sure looks like the TDC mark on the crank is 180 degrees away from the timing reference plate, so i move the distributor 90 degrees and it runs, except now i have to crawl underneath to shine a timing light and there's no reference plate down there anyway. i didn't mess with the cam-crank setting, and the crank has one key and my pulley has one key slot, so i can't think of what i might have done wrong. did i pay 1300 for a screwed up motor or am i being brain dead here?

 

pull # 1 spark plug. stick your thumb over the plug hole. have someone bump the key, until the air pressure blows your finger off the hole. that is top dead center. look where your timeing marks are. you may have to turn the engine back and forth a little to get it perfect. I stick a screwdriver in the spark plug hole after I find top dead center. watch the screwdriver, raise, or lower, depending wich way you turn. once on tdc, set your distributer, if won't go all the way down, take a 5/16 socket taped to an extension, and turn the oil pump slightly, until the dist drops in. you may be close the other way, but a couple of teeth off, it will never start.

 

lol. u r so old school. i ****ing love it.

use an extension to align the oil pump. i never thought of that. cool. i'll try it

 

lol does fte always censor bad words? lol

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by dustybumpers

I stick a screwdriver in the spark plug hole after I find top dead center. watch the screwdriver, raise, or lower, depending wich way you turn.

Good technique but I don't recommend using a screwdriver:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/8...ff-inside.html

Quote:

Originally Posted by rb76543

lol does fte always censor bad words? lol

Yes.

 

Only a fool sticks a screwdriver in the spark plug hole and turns the motor!

Use a straw!

-Enjoy
fh <font color="#FF0000">:</font> )_~

 

your right, I have used the screwdriver, but a strea is better choice, your not turning the motor far, only enough to make sure the piston is at the top. as far as being old school, that's because I'm an old fart!!!

 

Your outer ring on the dampener may have moved, causing the timing marks to be off.

 

forgot that one. see, told ja I'm getting old.

 

If you bring it to TDC #1 on Compression stroke, Use a straw to feel the piston to TDC.

Then you can re-mark the dampener. This will get it close...

To do it right you need a degree wheel and a proper piston stop.
You can make a piston stop out of a spark plug by breaking, drilling and tapping out the center.

-Enjoy
fh <font color="#FF0000">:</font> )_~

 

thanks for all the advice. i do this sort of thing so seldom that i forget the obvious things.

so, thanks for reminding me how simple it is, and it worked, and it runs like a champ. AND I HAVE OIL PRESSURE AGAIN YAY! lol

thanks

 

Just a piece of advice for next time, if the distributor isn't lining up with the oil pump shaft and won't drop that last little bit, just turn the crank over a little bit while pushing lightly down on the dizzy, it'll fall right into place, and you won't go out of time as the gears are already engaged.

 

glad you got it fixed, now go and enjoy it.....