I have a 1989 F150 5.8L, I bought it used and believe someone has southern engineered the distributor. The firing sequence is in order but appears to be off by one position(the truck runs but has a high idle speed). I have replaced the plugs, wires, dist. cap, and the rotor. Still runs the same which is rough. I am trying to check the timing but I have run into an obstacle, there is only one broad yellow mark on the harmonic balancer. The TDC, BTDC, ATDC,10,20(+/-) marks are not present. There is also a cut about 1/2 the thickness of the harmonic balancer and it is about 1/8 inch wide. What steps do I need to take to check the timing on a truck that does not have the mark on it?

Please help me,
Thank You

 

Clean it up good with some sand paper , they should be on there , you can use a marker or paint to see them better , you want to set the timing at 10 deg before top dead center with the spout out , so you want to highlight the 10 deg mark....

 

It sounds like you are more familiar with GMs where there is one mark on the balancer and then a scale that is bolted to the engine? Fords are the opposite, the scale is on the balancer and there is just a pointer bolted to the timing cover. Is the pointer present? You may have to crawl under your truck and use a wire brush or somesuch to see the scale on the balancer.

 

i used emory cloth to clean mine up then a white crayon to mark it

 

Why do you think it's off by one position? That wouldn't cause the high idle.

Replacing parts wont effect the timing.

The mark is there, you just have to find it, look closer.

The cut in the balancer is for balancing, the 5.8 is externally balanced.

I'd bet it does have a mark, put in a little effort to find it.

Don't forget the spout.

Checking timing is always good, but your issue is likely the IAC or throttle adjustment.

 

of all the years I have been around cars thats the first time I have heard that expression, about the stupidest damn thing I ever heard too

 

Hahaha... yeah I was thinking the same thing.
I've heard it before, but apparently some folks ain't ever seen what some of us can do with an idea and an easy weekend.

Yes I do sometimes make redneck repairs. But, my repairs are sound and generally outlast the rest of the vehicle/machine/etc. For example, the cheap plastic interior door handle (driver side) on my 94 F-250 broke off. Should I replace it with another cheap plastic handle? Nope, how about a nice durable upgrade instead. Took a spare trailer hitch pin, polished it up real nice, and welded it on to the mechanism inside the door where the plastic part used to bolt onto. Nobody ever knew what that handle really was until I told them. I wanted to do the pax side too, but never did since I had to sell it.

Also the seat recline handle on my F-150 kept catching on my jeans. The PO had apparently managed to bend it out of shape (with visegrips!?) so instead of straightening it out I just cut it off and replaced it with a nice unmarked screwdriver handle. Looks like it was meant to be there.

**Thread hijack over** OP, did you find the timing marks and pointer? The pointer is on the lower passenger side of the engine. I had a hard time seeing my timing marks too, but I knew they were there. What I did is just take a wirebrush and held it against the balancer with the engine idling... they showed themselves in no time and I marked them with white paint. MUCH easier to see.