$400 tc distributor problem?

[lifelesslived17]

$400 tc updated!! please read and respond! need the help!

ok, so being the sensible guy i am i pulled all the wires from the cap (coils good!) and all bout killed the motor (which is suddenly idling) except number 4 (closest cylinder to firewall. the loaction of this on the distributor was the closest to the core support. my firing order is right, but the distrib isnt remotely close to the picture in the book. checked with timing light and its lighting up around 40-50 (hard to tell, its at about 12:03) im posting a pic, #4 cylinder is at 9 on a clock (pointing to core support) please click thumbnail and advise
derek 423 237 5222

 

[lifelesslived17]

well, figured it out, but it aint good. anyone here think of a reaon why you would advance it 10-20 degrees past the 10 recomemded? thats right, dead cylinder.
#4 is only putting out around 30-40 psi, others around 145-150, tomorrow morning ill add some oil, then i guess ill pull the valve cover. what should i look for? i like this car slightly less right now.

 

[evintho]

Blown head gasket. Worse case scenario, cracked head. An all too familiar story on these cars!

 

[j and v]

Well, that would explain the miss you were having. Hopefully it's just a head gasket, or possibly a stuck/burnt valve hanging open.

 

[lifelesslived17]

Well, that would explain the miss you were having. Hopefully it's just a head gasket, or possibly a stuck/burnt valve hanging open.

im going to pull the valve cover today and take a look around, if i get to feeling froggy maybe ill do the head, if not, its one for the parts bin. is there a good walkthrough for head removal somewhere, ive got a chiltons, but it seems as though because there were so many motors in this car the tech is watered down

 

[j and v]

These write-ups are kind of scarce on pictures, but the tech is good:
TurboFord FAQ
Also, www.turbotbird.com has a good one in the tech articles section.
Hope this helps. It's really not too hard.

 

[72COMETGT]

When checking the timing did you pull out the spout connector. There is a wire that hangs off the side of the TFI module connector on the distributor that has a little plug connector in it. This has to be removed in order to check the base timing. If you have done this then all you have to do is loosten the distirbutor bolt and turn the distributor to get your desired timing. The bolt is a 17mm and can be a pain to get a socket on . I usually swap that bolt for one with a 13mm head on it and is the same size and length. It makes life way easier in the future. As long as the crank & cam timing marks are still aligned properly. It doesn't really matter where the #1 spark plug wire is on the cap. As long as the rotor under the cap is in line with whatever post the #1 plug wire is on and you maintain the 1342 firing order. As for your compression problem. If you do a cylinder leak down test it will tell you what your problem is. Head gasket, rings or valves.