Now I'm really confused. Please HELP!!!!

[kdog_x]

If you've read any of my other posts you know that I've been trying to set the timing on my stang, but the 0 degree mark on my balancer and the real TDC are not lined up right. So I figured that the balancer wasn't installed correctly. I just pulled the balancer off and it turns out that its keyed to only fit one way. So it must be some other problem, but I have no idea what it could be.

I put a mark on the balancer where the real TDC is with white paint, I also put a mark where TDC should be. Take a look at the picture at the link below to see the 2 marks.

http://www.wowway.com/~kevinrush1/balancer.jpg

I set the car to the real TDC before I pulled the balancer off, I may have rotated the crankshaft a few degrees when I broke the crankshaft bolt loose though. This is where the distrib is pointing now. (Almost at the #1 cyl)

http://www.wowway.com/~kevinrush1/dizzy.jpg

And this is where the nose of the crankshaft is pointing

http://www.wowway.com/~kevinrush1/seal.jpg


What could cause the marks to be off like this? Any ideas?


Also, Here's a pic of the back of the balancer if it helps any

http://www.wowway.com/~kevinrush1/balback.jpg

 

[kdog_x]

With the balancer installed the mark on the left side of the picture is lined up with the timing mark. And the car does start and run... just can't time it cept by ear.

 

[TC93]

The rotor is not pointing at the number 1 location in the pic yopu have posted. The number 1 is at the back of the dist.

 

[kdog_x]

Oops, good point. I just went out and checked. I pulled the balancer off at TDC on the exhaust stroke. I turned the crank so that it would be at TDC on the compression stroke and the keyway is still in the same place though.

Any idea what would cause this?

 

[kdog_x]

The balancer is a 110,000 mile stocker, I've heard of a balancer getting spun before. Is it possible that that is what happened? Is there some way to check if so?

 

[TC93]

How old is the balancer?? The stock ones are known to spin when they age. The rubber wears out and sometimes the balancer will even come apart at the rubber. And from looking at that pic of your balancer, the rubber looks to be in rough shape..

 

[kdog_x]

Yeah the rubber is still in all the way around, but it looks like it's coming out a little bit on one part. Should the rubber have come out if it's spun?

 

[kdog_x]

If I go get a new balancer do I have to get it balanced or anything like that?

 

[kdog_x]

Ok, I went to autozone with my balancer and compared it to a new one. The keyway and 0 degree marks are in the same orientation on the old one as they are on the new one???

That means that it's not spun, right?

Anyone have any idea what else I should check?

 

[TC93]

If the balancer isn't spun,, and that thing is in time, I don't see how TDC and tthe zero mark are that far off. Not trying to be a$$ or anything, but you sure you the #1 plug on the compression stroke??? Looks like the 0 markk and your marks are 180* off....

 

[ECU5.0]

well if its got 110k on it...i would change it anyways, just to be on the safe side. its kinda wierd that everything is off like that though. have you ever taken the distributor out? if so, that could be the reason why its off. but i dont know what to tell you about the TDC and 0* mark being off

 

[kdog_x]

If the balancer isn't spun,, and that thing is in time, I don't see how TDC and tthe zero mark are that far off. Not trying to be a$$ or anything, but you sure you the #1 plug on the compression stroke??? Looks like the 0 markk and your marks are 180* off....

Well, I made sure that air was pissing out the #1 hole and then I set the crankshaft keyway so that it's facing straight up (this makes the 0 mark face almost straight down at the ground -- 170 degrees clockwise from the keyway). I then reset the dizzy so that it was pointing to the #1 cyl mark on the cap. It does look like the marks are about 180 degrees off from where they should be, so I would figure it was spun -- but why does the new one have the same orientation? I'm stumped on this one.

 

[kdog_x]

I just went out and took another look at this POS. The keyway in the crankshaft is supposed to point straight up, right? If it were pointing straight down, the 0 degree mark lines up with the pointer, WTF?? I'm so lost.

 

[TC93]

I'm stumped to... Really don't know what to tell ya at this point.. You say the car won't run when you line up the zero with the pointer?? Again not too be an a$$, but you are sure its the #1 plug you pulling out????(1st plug on passenger side) Just making sure we are on the same sheet of music here....If for some reason you are pulling the 5 plug then thats about where the rotor should be pointing in the pic you have posted...Unless someone esle has down some work on the car and instead of setting the dist correctly , they walked the wires to make it run....

 

[kdog_x]

I'm stumped to... Really don't know what to tell ya at this point.. You say the car won't run when you line up the zero with the pointer?? Again not too be an a$$, but you are sure its the #1 plug you pulling out????(1st plug on passenger side) Just making sure we are on the same sheet of music here....If for some reason you are pulling the 5 plug then thats about where the rotor should be pointing in the pic you have posted...Unless someone esle has down some work on the car and instead of setting the dist correctly , they walked the wires to make it run....

Yeah, I'm sure I really found TDC. I stabbed the distributor when the crank keyway was facing straight up and reinstalled the balancer. The car would only run all the way advanced so I ended up having to turn the distrib one tooth to get a good idle (800 RPMS), but the car runs fine. Still can't set the timing because the pointer is on the other side of the balancer at TDC -- I just don't like knowing that I had to set it by ear.

I noticed something kinda weird though. I was trying to reset the TPS (Pulled the throttle body for a coolant leak) and if I try to set it to anything over about 0.70V, the idle cranks up to like 2000. I thought it was supposed to be set to about 0.95V. Probably not related, but I just thought I'd add that.

 

[1HOT5L]

Could the timing chain have jumped. I had this prob on a 302 in my winter beater.

 

[hllon4whls]

I dont know why you keep trying to reference the keyway. Get the number 1 up on compression, TDC. This is your 0 degree mark. 10' means 10' after or before TDC, so TDC is 0'. Mark that and only that. Wipe all the other marks off the balancer. Now set the timing like it should be set with the spout out. You need a timing light with the dial on the back to do this, but it is gauranteed to work. The HO has steel timing gears, so I doubt the chain jumped. It would run like crapola as well.

 

[kdog_x]

Found out what the problem was, I decided to just go replace the stock balancer. When I got home I noticed that the notch in the damper is NOT the 0 degree mark. The 0 degree mark is on the other side where it's supposed to be. I didn't know this because all of the timing marks had rusted off of my original balancer so I couldn't even see a trace of them.

But of course the fun didn't stop there. When I got my new damper I took a look at the instructions and they said DO NOT install the damper by just using the crankshaft bolt to tighten it on. So I figure, hey, I'm gonna do this right and use the damper installation tool. I used that damn tool and it managed to rip the first 2 threads out of the crankshaft - piece of S#!+.

So I got to spend half the day running around trying to find an insanely large tap that nobody carries. Thats what I get for trying to follow the instructions, I guess. I got the bolt in after messing with it for a while (some crossthreading involved), but I don't know how much I trust it anymore. I decided to give the car a few mean launches and ran it at high RPMs for a while and I don't see any wobble, but I hope this doesn't come back to haunt me later