351M timing help
Thread Starter
|
Laughing Gas
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 1,191
Likes: 4
From: West Union, OH USA
351M timing help
My brother and I put a new timing chain in 351M and we tried to get it to idle by sound but it doesn't idle until the vacuum advance hits the thermostat housing! We've changed the timing in another 351M and did not have this happen. We didn't use the timing light yet but I guess we should have before I posted this. We lined up the timing chain right when we put it in.
Posting Guru
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 1,127
Likes: 3
From: (near) Denver USA
351M timing help
Sounds like the distributor is one tooth off.
Try rotating the crank until the rotor lines up with the #1 terminal on the dist cap (where you have it now), then pull the distributor and turn the rotor counter-clockwise about 45 degrees, and re-insert the distributor.
Try rotating the crank until the rotor lines up with the #1 terminal on the dist cap (where you have it now), then pull the distributor and turn the rotor counter-clockwise about 45 degrees, and re-insert the distributor.
Posting Guru
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 1,214
Likes: 2
From: Minneapolis, MN
351M timing help
When everything lines up where it's supposed to?
When you lift the distributor, put a little pressure on the rotor in the direction you want it to move. When you feel it release from the drive gear, stop lifting and try to drop it into the next gear tooth. The oil pump drive will probably keep the distributor from dropping back down. Either you have to trust your move and turn the engine to re-engage the oil pump drive or you'll have to completely remove the distributor to move the oil pump shaft so the distributor will drop in on the tooth you need.
Hope this helps.
Greg
When you lift the distributor, put a little pressure on the rotor in the direction you want it to move. When you feel it release from the drive gear, stop lifting and try to drop it into the next gear tooth. The oil pump drive will probably keep the distributor from dropping back down. Either you have to trust your move and turn the engine to re-engage the oil pump drive or you'll have to completely remove the distributor to move the oil pump shaft so the distributor will drop in on the tooth you need.
Hope this helps.
Greg
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 255
Likes: 0
From: Dallas/Fort Worth
351M timing help
It's back-yard mechanics all the way, but you could just move all the plug wires back one terminal (one at a time so you don't get the order off...) and not have to pull the distributor... it really doesn't matter what tower it's pointing to as long as the order is correct. You'll have to rotate the distributor back enough to make the rotor line up with the correct tower again...
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 255
Likes: 0
From: Dallas/Fort Worth
351M timing help
No offense taken - Hey, that is why they tell you to allways replace the plug wires one at a time, right?... LOL.
Sorry, but I never got the point of being too **** about trying to worry aboutd exactly where the distributor was pointing when I stabbed it in - when it hit a gear right and the pump-drive lined up I stuck a fork in it and called it done - picked whatever tower it lined up with and set up the timing from there... I bet I've saved a couple of hours accumulated time over what all you folks that have to line it up exactly every time have spent!
Sorry, but I never got the point of being too **** about trying to worry aboutd exactly where the distributor was pointing when I stabbed it in - when it hit a gear right and the pump-drive lined up I stuck a fork in it and called it done - picked whatever tower it lined up with and set up the timing from there... I bet I've saved a couple of hours accumulated time over what all you folks that have to line it up exactly every time have spent!
Trending Topics
Posting Guru
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,416
Likes: 4
From: PacNW
351M timing help
That's what they make 'breaker' bars for. You get the distributor lined up correctly, drop it in until it just engages the cam then turn the engine slightly with the breaker bar until the distributor slides right down. Just remember to take the breaker bar off before you start the engine!
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
Top 10 Fords at 2026 Carlisle Ford Nationals
Joe Kucinski
3 Best / 3 Worst Parts of Modern Ford Ownership
Brett Foote
10 Amazing Upgrades That Solve Common Ford Truck Owner Headaches
Pouria Savadkouei
Every 2026 Ford Engine Explained
Brett Foote
10 Ugly Ford Trucks That We Still Kinda Love
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Every Truck Owner NEEDS (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer
Joe Kucinski
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)
Brett Foote
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 255
Likes: 0
From: Dallas/Fort Worth
351M timing help
ah, but then you loose having the timing marks lined up...! (I have an excuse for everything! 
) Also on a brand-new engine thats really tight I can get a little nervous that I'm going to strip something off trying to turn a motor over using the balancer bolt - the whole thing is really supposed to be held together more by the interference fit of the taper on the crank and balancer than by the bolt itself. I'm also leary of turning things any more than I have to before I fire it up for the initial run-in; I don't want to wipe the assembly lube and stuff off of the cam and lifters... (I do get **** in other areas, huh?)
I have seen a tool made for tuning a motor over that bolts on the front of the balancer using the pully mount holes - I average rebuilding a motor every 4 or 5 years, it's not something I do all the time, so I haven't invested in one. (Yes, I know, I probably should )I know I wouldn't have half as many qualms about turning it over with the bar if I did have one...
) Also on a brand-new engine thats really tight I can get a little nervous that I'm going to strip something off trying to turn a motor over using the balancer bolt - the whole thing is really supposed to be held together more by the interference fit of the taper on the crank and balancer than by the bolt itself. I'm also leary of turning things any more than I have to before I fire it up for the initial run-in; I don't want to wipe the assembly lube and stuff off of the cam and lifters... (I do get **** in other areas, huh?)I have seen a tool made for tuning a motor over that bolts on the front of the balancer using the pully mount holes - I average rebuilding a motor every 4 or 5 years, it's not something I do all the time, so I haven't invested in one. (Yes, I know, I probably should
)I know I wouldn't have half as many qualms about turning it over with the bar if I did have one...
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
erik68
1973 - 1979 F-100 & Larger F-Series Trucks
8
Feb 8, 2015 06:47 PM
caleballen95
335 Series- 5.8/351M, 6.6/400, 351 Cleveland
7
May 3, 2014 01:34 PM
Econoline 150
335 Series- 5.8/351M, 6.6/400, 351 Cleveland
4
Dec 14, 2008 03:48 PM
