Finally finished my 89 F150 engine swap and setting the timing is all that remains between me and a properly driving truck (hopefully). Advance apparently doesn't rent them, so does anybody here have one they'd be willing to let me use for a few minutes?

For background, the truck seems to run and idle properly but when driven just doesn't have any power or acceleration. I'm assuming the timing is a few degrees off and hoping its not something else, heh.

4/28/2011 8:30:13 PM

Got one in my ear.

4/28/2011 9:18:18 PM

No idea why it popped in my head but for some reason I started thinking of a vacuum-advance thingamajigger in/on the distributor. More than likely wrong but just throwing it out there.

4/28/2011 11:20:31 PM

On an '89 F150, there is no vacuum advance. There's no centrifugal advance either. Everything timing related is handled by the computer. You do need to properly index the timing, however.

On EEC-IV Fords, there's what's called a spout connector that has to be removed to put the ECM in the proper mode to set the timing. Make sure you do that prior to setting the timing with a timing light or you'll discover that you still have no power because the timing's too far retarded.

I happen to have a timing light sitting in the back seat of my car right now. I set the timing on a '95 Ford just a couple of weeks ago.

4/29/2011 3:19:01 AM

^ Yeah, the connector is right in front of the distributor so its hard to miss. Any chance I could use that light for a few minutes? Already have the distributor loosed a bit and ready to go. After a good month or so of work it'd be awesome to finally start driving this beast again and see what the new engine can do!

4/29/2011 3:34:26 AM