My 77 sniffed CLEANER without the EGR hooked up and working, he even compared it to the new cars limits on the 2500 test,, and idle was clean also,,, and I compared the readings from last time,,,, ran worse and was worse on the NOX,, or whatever is supposed to be bad,,, Thankfully my DSO is 75,,, so only EGR, and no cat,,, and dual tanks, so no cap test,,, I replaced the hoses anywhos, because I don't like drippin gas,,,

 

Did you buy the truck new? If not...be aware that...

From the 1973/79 Ford Light Truck Parts Catalog:

D7TZ-5E212-B .. Catalytic Converter.

Applications: 1977 F150 Regular & Super Cabs w/351M/400 C6.

DSO 72: San Jose (NorCal) Ford District Sales Office, where the original selling dealer ordered the truck from.

btw: The 1979 F150 400/C6 Lariat Super Cab I bought new at Crenshaw Motors Ford in Los Angeles...came with a cat converter.

 

My truck still has the original emissions sticker om the valve cover, it says "non catalyst" and the truck still has it's original muffler and tailpipe...amazing I know. It shows just over 98,000 miles. I actually bought it last year from my local Pick N Pull for $600. It also came with a factory fiberglass topper with the Ford script sticker that was color matched to the truck... may be factory installed.

 

The "factory" Camper Shell has two compass emblems, one on either side in front of the side windows. This and the slide-in over the roof type were dealer installed accessories.

 

Mine only has one of the emblems, the other one fell off along the way. I does still have the ford sticker inside, so I know that it is correct. It also matches the photos of others that I have seen on here. I read somewhere that they could be ordered factory installed but not certain of that. It was color matched to the truck though.

 

The dealers could color match the front of the shell to match the primary color of the truck.

Dealers installed ALL the hubcaps, wheel covers, outside mirrors and the Camper Shells and Cab-Over Campers.

These units were actually made specifically for FoMoCo by Open Road.

 

My '77 F150 LB 4X4 Custom also never had a catalytic converter, and no warning on the gas gage and no restrictor. Never had them. I think maybe the lighter weight short beds with lower GVWRs maybe had cats then.

 

[quote=77blue;11072309]"My best guess is that the outer ring on the balancer has slipped."[/quote]

I've never heard of the outer ring of a balancer slipping and still staying intact. If it's worn enough to slip it will usually fly apart and because of the sudden imbalance during rotation it will normally break something in the engine.

Are you using the original markings on the balancer or is it a timing sticker? If so, could the sticker have been applied wrong?

Either way I hope it works out for you.

 

It has the original markings, if I try to set timing statically at 10* the truck will not even start but if I advance it a lot it will and shows 34* at idle. I just don't think an engine will run, or even start with that much advance. I hope that is what it is.

 

If you passed the sniff test why do they care what the timing is set at?
As someone said earlier, I think they are trying to get all the old vehicles off of the road in Cali.
I'm learning about this as I go.
Here's an in-depth article about timing. I hope the link works.
I've quoted the interesting part that pertains to you.

Browser Warning

"The emissions of an engine will be affected by the ignition timing that is used, in addition to the air/fuel ratio. Oxides of nitrogen increase as ignition timing is advanced. Running light-load advances of 40 or more degrees is common, giving good responsiveness off load, but if emissions standards need to be met, this advance may have to be reduced. On the other hand, the emission of carbon monoxide (CO) is affected very little by ignition timing, being much more influenced by the air/fuel ratio."

 

I think you're on the right track with replacing the balancer first. The outer ring shifted in my 79 (400) when I still had it. It caused some vibration, but the truck still ran fine.

If when the replacement arrives you can see that it hasn't shifted, you're gonna want to check that you distributor wasn't installed a tooth off. How far is the body of it rotated to either side? The PO of my 70 installed the dizzy backwards, and just reversed the plug wires. Made it so the timing wouldn't read right.

 

I was thinking the same thing. I would check for top dead center, the old fashioned way, and see if the balancer marks and the actual engine TDC line up.

Also have you checked to see if the vacuum advance mechanisms are stuck?

 

How many harmonic balancers have you seen in this condition? With over 40 years in the autobiz, I've seen dozens.

At the factory, a rubber gasket is placed between the outer pulley and the inner damper, then all three parts are pressed together forming a one piece assembly.

Over time, the gasket age cracks/shrinks, causing the outer pulley to begin "walking away" from the inner damper.

If not noticed in time, the outer pulley will eventually separate from the inner damper, taking assorted belts and etc along with it...and may end up in the radiator core. Not pleasant!

 

I'm already ahead of you part is on order. I can't see where anything else could be causing this. Just to be safe I just might pull the timing cover to check the timing chain condition/alignment... just to be safe. Thanks for all the help/advice.

 

The balancer must have slipped as you think. If you truely had it set at 34 degrees initial, it would be pinging like crazy when the centrifugal advance starts coming in.