I'm working on my cousins 86' f250 6.9 idi 197k, all stock except for duel exhaust. Now what happens is that there is some smoke when he pulls his boat and it lacks power. Boat isn't very heavy. I pulled it no problem with my bronco ii 2.9 lt. It does the same thing when driving up to the lake on the grades without a load and blows a lot of black smoke. He's been driving it this way for two years since he bought the truck. Now I know there are a lot of different problems that can cause this but what immediately stood out to me was the injection pump which was retarded almost all the way to it's limit. So I thought hey, it's just out of time. But the more I advanced the pump the worse it got.

So. Is the pump gear off by a tooth? That's my only guess but I didn't know these engines would even start when off a tooth. The injection pump was rebuilt last year but according to him the truck ran the same before then. My timing meter broke after some use (still nee to get a ferret adapter) but I went through the entire spectrum and where it was is the best on power. So thought I'd get you guys to chime in until then I get to see the exact timing.

Sorry to ramble on . Want to get as much info out there as I can. Thanks in advance.

 

So does it idle rough? How much smoke does it make when towing/ going up hill? Is it a trace or a thick cloud? How does it start when cold? Does it have some rattle to it or is it really quiet?

 

Sounds like either a dropped injector, or three....and maybe a new air filter...and then fuel filter, or two, return like kit....

 

Idle doesn't sound ruff but it does jump around some. Thick cloud when going up hill loaded, little better when not. If I accelerate it it just blows more smoke and I have to back off to a crawl. When just pulling around town there is a bit more than a trace of smoke but mostly lack of power. If it's a warm day, say 85, it can be started. Anything below that and it has to be plugged in. Somewhat on the quiet side. It's currently retarded all the way where it gets the most power and it got quieter the more I moved it that way. May not help, but when I was using my meter to time it (pulse type with dampener sensor) I was at 18 degrees ATDC at factory mark and when I moved the pump in stages to the drivers side I was at about 13 degrees ATDC consistently. A few minutes later my meter went all over the place and was no longer consistent so I then doubted the readings. Until I get a new meter I can't be sure.

How accurate is the timing mark? I have been told by others on this site that it can't be relied on. But can the proper timing position be on the retarded side of that line? Maybe someone has had some experience on this. As soon as I figure out this pump position problem I can look at the other possible issues but this one has me stumped.

 

the meter will jump around when timing this way.you need to watch the needle and pay close attention to where it hangs out the most.record where it hangs out for a least 2 full seconds.or.......kinda hard to explain,you'll see a spot she keeps going back to after a while and hang there.it can be tricky.takes a trained eye.
your very retarded on the timing.
your way down (up numerically) on the ATDC #'s.
you want to advance it up (down numerically) closer to 5 ATDC (use 5 if you don't have a clue on what your fuel is.)
she'll get a LOT more rattle than your used to,so don't be scared lol.
she'll also go like a rapped ape compared to @ 18 or even 13 ATDC too. she'll come alive for ya.
if you still see black smoke once she's advanced in the ballpark of correct.then turn the fuel down,or the air up.




no.it is VERY doubtful that correct engine timing would be on the drivers side of the ip mark.
you need to swing her over to the pass side of things a bit.
don't get carried away,but at the same time remember; diesels rattle.
keep going with the lumy timing meter.your on the right track.now you just need patience to find 5 ATDC.

 

Some good advice. My timing meter is a digital display. I will give it another go and watch it more closely. I got my other one timed but it could be I just wasn't patient enough with this one. If I can manage to get what I believe is a proper timing number than I will take it for a test drive with a trailer and see what happens. It could be someone turned up the fuel and it needs to come back down. Or I can put on twin turbos and blow the thing up, which is what my cousin wants me to do. He's kind of crazy that way. I'll try timing again tomorrow and let you know how it goes.

 

Make sure you are using the top probe port only on the balancer. Ask me how I know...

 

How do you know? Can't be good......