Pardon me for the cross posting but I'm getting desperate.

Need to know how to time my 1996 4.9L. I had to remove the distributor and was surprised to find out that there are no obvious marks on the balancer and the emissions control label has no timing listed. I have a scan tool and when I remove the SPOUT cap the timing reported by the tool does not change. (always steady10 deg. for several seconds then jumps to 12 to 16 at idle.) According to my manual, (Haynes) some early OBDII vehicles “were designed without any capacity to for timing adjustment”.

 

Your haynes manual is full of horse poo-poo. Any vehicle with a distubutor has the ability to set the BASE timing. Pull the spout connector. On the harmonic balancer there is small mark scribed into the pulley. On the passenger side near the harmonic balancer there are teeth. This is the timing guage. There is a deeper V notch than the rest of the notches. This deeper V notch is the 10 degree BTDC mark. Just loosen the distributer and set your timing accordingly with a timing light.

 

I think Haynes is referring to Distributurless Innition Systems like on the Cologne V-6 or the Romeo OHC V-8. You have a PIP distributor, which is adjustable.

The PIP distributor requires that you use the correct plug for #1. It should be marked on the cap. If it's not marked, the electrical connector comesout of the left side of the distributor immediately under #4. #1 is the post just in front of #4. Pull the spark plugs, turn the engine with a wrench on the damper pulley until the timing mark on the pulley aligns with the pointer at approx. 9 o'clock on the front of the block and install the distributor such that the rotor points towards post #1. Put the plugs back in, put the cap on, check the firing order (1-5-3-6-2-4), pull the spout and fire it up. Set the timing just like any other vehicle.

 

Thanks to jrs_big_ford_f150 and StrangeRanger for the answers, however, the Haynes manual is correct in that Ford has not provided facility to adjust the base timing. The truck is not distrubutorless. It has your typical Ford TFI module and an old fashioned rotary electrical/mechanical distributor.

Let’s get recalibrated:

- I removed the distributor so I must set base timing.
- The emission sticker says that, “the ignition timing is not adjustable” and there is no base timing setting given.
- There are no timing marks on the balancer. There is a notch about 1/4” wide that’s no where near TDC for cyl. #1. There are two **** on the balancer each about 3/8” wide, (I suppose for the crank position sensor) and one is near the timing scale on the timing chain cover when #1 cyl. is TDC.
- If I use the tit which is near TDC to set base timing, do I use the leading or trailing edge of the tit? (remember it’s 3/8” wide).
- What do I set base timing to, 10 deg, 3 deg etc..??

 

There are timing marks on my 96's balancer. They're very hard to see, but they're there. You may have to crawl under the truck and look at the damper from below to see them. Find them and mark them with paint. There's a zero mark and a 10° (timing)mark. If you have a dial back light you can use the zero mark; if you have a non-adjustable light use the 10° mark.

Re-install the distributor like I stated in my post and use the pointer at about 9 o'clock, not the timing marks on the cover to set timing.

 

Oh joy! Thanks much StrangeRanger

There were marks on the balancer once I had a clue where to look. Timed up very nicely and run’s much stronger at low end now.

Thanks again.

 

I just recently changed out my distributor cap on my 96 f150 4.9l I put it on exactly like other cap. it'll turn over and run but timing appears to be off because it's run rich and now distributor caps appears to be making a screaming sound. any ideas?

 

Welcome to the forum, Justin Stokes!

Go back and make certain the new cap is the same as the old one and that it is seated correctly. Did you change the rotor? If so, make certain it is "in the slot" and pushed all the way down. If it is contacting the distributor cap, it will make noise ["screaming"] and will interfere with the firing.

Check the firing order: 1-5-3-6-2-4

By the way, this is a 13 year old thread. You might get better results if you start your own thread.

 

Thanks for getting back to me wasn't aware you could create your own thread till you said something thanks. I have done all that except when i sit the rotor down it just sits there, I tried putting all my strength into making sure it seats but nothing. you can just pull it out with no effort. is there something I'm missing? with it not seating correctly it keeps changing my timing

 

Hey guys, i'm having the same problem that davemcnitt was having - i've got a 96 F150 with the 4.9 and it's pretty gutless. through some other testing, my best idea is that the timing is not right, so i'm trying to test it, and i'm having some trouble. Evidently on the 96 4.9, there is a crank position sensor that is in the way of where the timing groove notches are mounted to the engine. after looking under and everywhere around, i have come to the conclusion that there are no timing markers on the engine itself to set timing, just the degrees BTDC notched on the harmonic balancer. everything i've read says that you have to go by these grooves and notches on the passenger side of the engine (where my crank position sensor is) so i'm at a loss. Also, like davemcnitt, the sticker says the distributor can't be set for different timing. i read through this thread and said, okay, well that must be wrong, but i went to loosen the nut that holds the distributor in place and it's got these 2 through bolts, so i'm not sure it can be rotated (and i'm afraid to move anything) - see photo. i marked the 10 degrees BTDC on my harmonic balancer and put the timing light on it to see about where it was in relation to where the timing grooves SHOULD be, and the 10 mark was way to the left (like 9:30 or 10:00 position). when i increased the RPMs (after disconnecting the SPOUT connector), the timing did not change at all, it stayed in the same place the whole time. i'm really at a loss. to sum it all up, i've got 3 problems:

1. how am i supposed to set timing without the timing grooves? see this link for what i've read on the subject on what is supposed to be used and what's not: 1983 Ford Bronco General Purpose Pics picture | SuperMotors.net and how do i do it with the crankshaft position sensor in the way?


2. how do i adjust this distributor with the 2 thru bolts (see photos)? is it supposed to be adjusted? according to jrs_big_ford_f150, anything with a distributor should be adjustable to set base timing...

3. why is the timing not advancing when i rev the engine up (spout disconnected)? timing stays the same the whole time throughout the engine speed range

Any help is appreciated. thanks

 

i do now realize that number 2 above is incorrect, and there is a single bolt at the base (lower than i thought) to adjust the distributor for timing...

 

"when i increased the RPMs (after disconnecting the SPOUT connector), the timing did not change at all, it stayed in the same place the whole time. i'm really at a loss. "

I am not familiar with the 1996 model, but beginning in 1984, the ignition timing for the 4.9L engine was controlled by the computer, so, when the spout is disconnected, the timing will not change as the engine speeds up.

 

I have the same problem on my 1994 I do not have the marks on the passenger side.