I have a 88 F-150 with a inline 6 EFI & the damn bolts for the ignition control module snapped off , so I figured it would be easier to pull the distributor & try to extract those bolts on the bench, well Instead of that i went to a u-pull it junkyard & found another distributor with the ignition control module together, so I get back & look in my haynes manual to set time & here is what I did.

I turned the crankshaft pulley until the cutout on the balancer lined up with the markings for Top Dead Center. Then I installed the distributor while lineing up the rotor to point at the spot on the cap where the #1 spark plug wire goes. i plug eveything back up & put the cap on & made damn sure the wires were plugged in correct order. Now what happens is the engine turns over slowly ,, but if I remove the cap it turns over fast the way it should.

The only thing I notice is i think at the base of the distributor it is not in the same place as the old one but whould that matter considering i lined up TDC with the #1 spark plug wire?

I kind of knew i was digging myself a ditch by removing that distributor.

o yea I compared the 2 distributors on the outside for awhile to make sure everything looked that same..

Thanks to whoever has the time to help me out.

 

Do the same thing again except pull number one spark plug and stick your finger in the hole while someone else turns over the engine by hand slowly and when you feel air blowing out of the cylinder and the timing marks line up then your on #1 and very important "unplug" "disconnect" the distributor and/or coil to prevent accidental start or electricution from the coil.

 

You're likely a little far advanced. Try a spark plug tester on #1 wire, or pull it and hang it near a grounding surface leaving little enough gap for the spark to jump, then with the ignition switch turned to "run", slowly and carefully (Ok, Superman, don't "Model T start" it with a ratchet!) turn the engine in direction of rotation with a socket on the crank bolt and stop when it sparks. Note where the timing mark on the balancer is in relation to the tab. Or you could just try retarding it a little until she cranks and fires, with the SPOUT connector disconnected, then set base timing once she warms up...

 

I'm assuming the distributor ain't firing on TDC of the exhaust stroke, on the overlap cycle... wouldn't be hard to crank like over-advancement, it'd spit back up the intake...

 

The 300 has two markings on the timing gear cover. You should be using the timing marks on the passenger side of the engine. You also should assure that you turned the crank so that the TDC mark lines up with the timing indicator on the compression stroke. If you happened to have the crank set to TDC on the exhaust stroke, the timing will be off by 180 degrees. I would suggest that you remove all of the plugs so that its easy to turn the crank using a wrench on the harmonic balancer bolt. While holding a finger over the plug hole on cylinder one, turn the crank to TDC on the stroke that produces pressure in the cylinder. Rotate the distributor body so that the rotor is pointing directly to the number one plug wire. If you can’t get the rotor to point to number one wire without radically turning the distributor body, pull the distributor out and re-install it so that the rotor is pointing at the number one wire.

At this point, you should be able to snug down the distributor clamp bolt, reinstall the plugs and crank the engine. If it fires, time it with a timing light. If it still won’t fire, start all over and verify that the harmonic damper TDC mark lines up with the timing pointer when the piston is actually on top of its compression stroke. The 300 is prone to have the outer part of the harmonic damper slip. It is possible that the TDC mark on the damper doesn’t represent actual TDC. After you use your finger to feel compression, put something pliable like a soda straw in the plug hole and rotate the crank while feeling with the straw for the piston to be at the top of its stroke. With the piston at the top of its stroke, the TDC mark on the Damper should be reasonably close to the zero mark on the timing indicator. If the TDC line on the damper isn’t reasonably lined up with the TDC timing mark, the outer ring of the damper may have slipped. If it has slipped, make a new TDC mark and start over using you new TDC mark.

Good Luck, I hope this helps

 

thanks for being so fast.

So its possible im on TDC of the exhaust stroke rather than the Compression (where i should be)?

Also what is the spout connector?

Retarding it. How would i do that? just turning the distributor a little bit at a time until it runs?

 

o wow, I just looked & seen those marks on the passanger side of the engine. Why dosnt the book tell you there is 2 sets of marks?

anyways I couldnt tell which of the markings on the passanger side is TDC? there is a larger triangle cutout among the smaller triangle cutouts, also there is a round circle that sticks up.

Much thanks for the input

 

Ok its running now thanks,, yes the TDC cutout never would line up with the markings ,, i lined it up with the #1 plug out & used a flashlight to get it to the top.. one thing I noticed is that I couldnt feel the compression no matter how many rotations I tried... well anyways it runs decent now but Im not sure it has the power it used to (I could be crazy since i havnt driven it in many months...

Last question is there any way it could be 180 degrees off & run good or would it buck & cough & spit?

Thanks for helping out my lame ***.

 

It wouldn't run AT ALL if the firing order was 180° off! Yep, it'd spit and cough. If it's running now, it's in about right. Now's the time to set base timing, though, if you haven't already. Disconnect the SPOUT connector (timing plug...usually a little plug in the harness hanging near the TFI module on a yellow? wire). With the engine fully warm and idling in park (auto) or neutral with the e-brake on (stick), set base timing at whatever the underhood sticker says (usually 10° BTDC) using the passenger side tab, which you incidentally want to make sure is nice and clean so you can see what's going on down there. The large V is 10° BTDC (where you want to be), the other little points and V notches are degree marks. A very careful shot of aluminum spray paint can make the numbers clearer once the crud's scraped off, but you can't miss the big V and the balancer notch with the timing light aimed at it, so the numbers don't matter as much. You might be able to give it a couple more degrees advance if she doesn't ping, for a teeny bit more pep. The socket sticking up is for the plug-in timing pickup for de factory engine analyzer, that references the balancer notch. Once you get the timing dialed in (I like adjustable advance timing lights), shut 'er off, tighten the distributor clamp bolt, reconnect the timing plug, and see how she feels then. If the "check engine" light is on, disconnect the negative battery terminal for a minute or five (while you compulsively check to see if you remembered to plug the rzzrfrzzn timing connector back in ), then have fun setting the clock and radio presets back to normal (which we always do for paying customers when we disconnect their batteries, right?).