Timing marks on 289

[AADaddy]

Maybe I am missing something really obvious here. I can't locate the timing marks on my 289. I've done a lot of research and it doesn't appear the marks are there. I'm thinking my car has an aftermarket harmonic balancer on it. The only thing present is a grove that spirals around the Harmonic Balancer. It looks like there may have been timing tape on there at one point that melted off. Any recommendations on how to find TDC? I used some light sand paper to clean the balancer along with simple green. Just don't see any numbers or marks.

 

[robert campbell]

Can you post a quick picture of it? Timing marks can be very faint and sanding and painting over the years can make them even fainter.

If you have two people handy, you can use a 15/16 socket and breaker bar to roll the motor (in a clockwise direction facing the front of the engine) Using the bolt on the vibration damper. Easiest if you remove all the spark plugs. Put you thumb, or if you are me, my big fat index finger in the number one spark plug hole. This is the furthest one forward on the passenger engine bank.

As your assistant (usually my wife) rolls the motor with the breaker bar, you will feel suction and then obvious pressure trying to blow you finger out of the hole. Stop at this point. you are coming up on the compression stroke. Grab a plastic straw and put it in the spark plug hole. Now slowly rotate the motor and keep the straw with a little pressure on it. The piston will push in upward to a point and then stop and go down. Roll the motor counterclockwise and clockwise a bit until you feel you have the piston at the top as best you can.

You are close enough to inspect the area of the damper under the timing pointer. Do you have a pointer? Normally on the left side of the motor.

I have had two cases of customers cars lately with no pointers and newer timing case covers. One was a newer crate motor from Ford.

Rob

 

[AADaddy]

Here is a pic taken with my iPhone. I can get a better one if needed. Does the pointer appear to be in the wrong spot? Just looked at a 302 this morning and the pointer was a lot closer to the balancer. The timing marks on the engine I looked at were clear as day. So I'm really thinking the balancer is not stock.

 

[robert campbell]

Pointer looks correct and factory. Damper looks after market, but kinda hard to see. A shot from under the car is much better.

Rob

 

[AADaddy]

I'll be putting the car on jacks tonight. Going to start working on putting a coil over setup on the car! I'll get a pic from below later tonight. I think I will have to do what you said to find TDC though.

 

[robert campbell]

What I described will get you in the ballpark for a timing mark. I mostly just use the timing marks for a reference anyway.

Use some finger nail polish and put a mark on the damper after you are done. 2 degrees is very close to 1/8 of an inch on your damper. So 6 degrees before is about 3/8 of an inch below going in a clockwise direction from TDC. I run all stock 289's or 302's more in the 10 to 12 degrees BTDC initial with the hose off the vacuum diaphragm at a hot slow idle. As long as it does not ping more advance is better. Runs cooler and gets better gas mileage and more power.

Or put a timing tape on it.

Rob

 

[AADaddy]

So when I mark the damper I would mark the approximate location where the pointer is at as TDC?

 

[robert campbell]

Exactly. Put a mark right next to the pointer. You can roll it a bit and put a nice mark where you marked it with finger nail polish or some touch up paint.

Rob

 

[rvrtrash]

I usually put a thin line about 1/2 the depth of the damper for the TDC mark, and then smaller hashmarks where I want to set the timing. I like having the extra reference point.

Steve

 

[CougarCJ]

Most of the aftermarket balancers or dampeners are drilled/tapped for both 3 and 4 bolt crank pulleys.

 

[AADaddy]

Here's a pic from below the car. Still no numbers. First time I got teh car up to see underneath. Looks like the oil pan has a nasty leak on the passenger side!

 

[CougarCJ]

Pretty sure that that one is a modern one.

Here is a picture of one of my rebuilt originals.

Note the cast in counter weight on the reverse side?

 

[AADaddy]

Forgot to post an update on this one. I ordered a reproduction balancer to replace this one. When I pulled it off I realized what I had. Turns out it was the stock balancer with the outter ring missing! Yikes! No wonder the last owner had issues timing the car! What I thought was burnt timing tape on the balancer was actually what was left of the rubber gasket that holds the two parts together. Once I got the timing set my little C-Code actually runs/sounds pretty healthy.