hi, i have a novice question. my timing marks on my cam sprocket and crank sprocket are lined up but my timing mark on the harmonic balancer not at 0 at TDC for the #1 piston. what am i doing wrong? there only one way for all of these to line up right? the #1 piston is the drivers side front piston right? what the %*^&*!
timing questions for '68 318
- Thread starter dannyeven
- Start date
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The timming marks on the timming sprokets line up with each other. The timming mark on the balancer lines up with the timming scale on the timming cover at '0'. That scale is shifted left or right so it can be seen. Scribe on the balancer about 45 degrees off center. That sound like what you're looking at ?
furydan
not so junior member
I know you have a 68 motor, but what is it in? The newer cars have a different timing chain cover with the timing marks on the d side, where as the older cars have the timing marks on a bracket that bolts to the timing cover and show on the passenger side of the motor. Could that be your issue?
Badart
Senior Member
Good point is you timing mark on the driver or passenger side of the motor. 68 I believe is on the passenger side.
67Dart273
Well-Known Member
Either you
do not have the cam properly aligned (one tooth off)
or the balancer outer ring has slipped
or the balancer / timing tab are not matched, IE early to late
or a massive factory defect means that something was manufactured incorrectly
It is VERY difficult to "find" TDC by FIRST using the cam marks, as you have a certain amount of "dwell time" there
What is much easier is either use a piston stop to locate TDC or to first PUT the engine on TDC using the timing marks, them remove the cover and THEN look at the cam and verify it is correct/ not
do not have the cam properly aligned (one tooth off)
or the balancer outer ring has slipped
or the balancer / timing tab are not matched, IE early to late
or a massive factory defect means that something was manufactured incorrectly
It is VERY difficult to "find" TDC by FIRST using the cam marks, as you have a certain amount of "dwell time" there
What is much easier is either use a piston stop to locate TDC or to first PUT the engine on TDC using the timing marks, them remove the cover and THEN look at the cam and verify it is correct/ not
If the two marks on the timing chain gears are together (crank at 12 o'clock and cam at 6 o'clock) the engine is ready to fire on #6 cylinder not #1.
You need both marks at the 12 o"clock position for #1.
fishy68
Tyr Fryr's Inc.
That's true but remember that #1 and #6 are at TDC at the exact time (#1 is on TDC exhaust stroke when #6 is on TDC compression stroke) so the damper still should be aligned to 0.
Are you using the original parts that came on the engine out of the factory, or did you piece together parts. If you don't have the original timing chain and harmonic balancer, that could be your problem. they changed the timing marks on the timing chain cover and harmonic balancer from 69 to 70. If you have mixed parts from the pre and post 70 engines, your marks will be off.
the easiest way to correct this is to put the engine at TDC and make a new mark on the damper that lines up with your TDC mark for your timing chain. Use white paint or white out and make a nice line across the damper that line up with the timing marks already on the engine. Also paint the timing marks on the timing chain cover/bracket for timing marks white. this makes them much easier to see when you are using the timing light. Silver also works well. Basically this method you are resetting your TDC marks for your engine parts.
the easiest way to correct this is to put the engine at TDC and make a new mark on the damper that lines up with your TDC mark for your timing chain. Use white paint or white out and make a nice line across the damper that line up with the timing marks already on the engine. Also paint the timing marks on the timing chain cover/bracket for timing marks white. this makes them much easier to see when you are using the timing light. Silver also works well. Basically this method you are resetting your TDC marks for your engine parts.
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