replacing the timing chain

[aramil]

well i started working on it today, i dont think anyone has ever tore this engine apart, there was atleast an inch or grease on the front of the block, i took the air conditioner off since i dont plan on using it, got it all tore down and the new chain and gears in, tommorow me and my buddy are going to clean the old parts as good as possible then put it back togethor. i got another question though, why would i have power to the distributer but not to the spark plugs? i have points and i also got new points to put in it.

[fordman]

it could be a bad condensor or a bad ground to the condensor. i had that happen just by my turck sitting too long.

[aramil]

thanks fordman, my truck has been sitting for almost two years so that could be it.

[swinn]

Also, if your engine has the original plastic timing gear on the camshaft there may be a metal spacer between the cam and the gear. DO NOT use this spacer with your nice new steel timing set. Observe that the new camshaft gear already has the spacer cast into the gear as one piece so the old spacer is not needed. I learned this the hard way. TWICE. First time a mechanic put it together wrong. Second time I copied what the mechanic had done, I didn't know that that little tiny piece of steel was what had blown my motor. I found out right quick.

To check if you have done the work right, once you have the gear on your camshaft but before you put the chain on, you can grab it and try to pull the camshaft forward. Then try to push it back. It should only move a tiny bit forward and backward. If it moves 1/8" or more you've got a problem.

[aramil]

my friend put the timing chain in with out me, and he left this do hickey out that he said looked like an oil shield or somthing im guessing its the slinger, what will happen if i dont put it on?

[peanutman]

my friend put the timing chain in with out me, and he left this do hickey out that he said looked like an oil shield or somthing im guessing its the slinger, what will happen if i dont put it on?

My best guess would be your gear set and fuel pump ecentric would not get proper lubracation= premature failure. I would put it on.

[aramil]

thanks, i was thinking the same thing.

we need to make a sticky about that damn top bolt on the starter!! that was one of the hardest bolts ive ever tried to take out

[fordman]

the oil slinger goes on the bottom outside of the crank gear. it is suppose to be there to get oil up in there . the top starter bolt is easy. take a 6 inch and two three inch extensions and put them on a socket. make sure the battery is disconnected first. you'll hit the starter wire everytime you use those extensions.

[aramil]

i tried but there was a metal block coming off the block so i got to it with a wrench through the hole by the firewall.

[Combat Jump]

The sleeve that comes with that set is junk, very hard to install properly. If you need to sleeve the seal surface spend the extra $$ and buy it seperately.
BTW, I did mine in a motel parking lot, went for parts and had breakfast with a friend and was still all done by noon.
And if you can find a good timing set with three keyways on the crank gear, bump the valve timing foreward . In the early 70s Ford retarded the valve timeing 4 degrees for emissions. Putting it back will wake it up a little. On the 300 most guys go to the 4 degrees advanced notch.

How can I tell which slot will advance the timing? I will be taking it apart this weekend to replace the timing chain (and water pump), and guess that it has never been opened up, so the key should be in its original slot.

[fordman]

just line up the dots on the gears.