172 Missing timing marks

ErnieD

Member
Have a 861 that I pet the pertronix 6v conversion in. Started up and ran, needed basic timing advanced to run better, I gave it a bit by ear and hooked up my light. Could not find the timing marks, BTDT. Shut it down and spent several hours searching for the timing marks. Put #1 on TDC and run the flywheel back and forth wiping with solvent. Turned the whole flywheel over and it is devoid of marks. There is a flash of red paint about where I would expect static timing to be. I thought the cover was open when the engine was painted, but not on my watch. Anyone been down this path?

The coil was hooked up backwards, it has a Motorcraft 6v/12v external resistor coil, with dist on one primary terminal. Used the pencil test to verify.

Sigh.
 
I have had flywheels that seemingly had no markings, but on clean-up the expected degree scale appeared. I idle the engine and use a strip of sandpaper over a small stick thru the hole against the flywheel. As the sandpaper loads up, move to a fresh surface. I'd be surprised if the marks were not there.
 
The marks should be on the "side" of the flywheel, in "front" of the starter flywheel gear, not on the flat surface facing you. And I'll be they are there!!!
 
The timing marks on my 6000 front pulley were so faint that I had to lightly sand off the paint and use a magnifying glass and a flashlight to make them out.
 
Try this. Take the starter out and then use that larger opening to see what you have/don't have for markings. If there, you can clean and put some kind of mark on the degree that you want to time to when looking thru the peep hole. On one of mine, I put arrows pointing to the marks out beyond the actual marks, I know when I'm are getting near the marks for future retiming.
 
Is it possible you had the flywheel serviced with a newer aftermarket part that didn't have timing marks? It wouldn't surprise me. I would have put a 12V battery in with EI. Was it/did it run on the 6V POS GRN setup? I have to ask, since there no points involved with EI, how do your set timing?



FORD NAA, 600, & 800 ELECTRICAL w/TIMIMG:
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CFSzK52h.jpg

Tim Daley(MI)
 
It started and ran passibly upon conversion, I advanced the timing a touch and it really liked that. I consulted the same picture to refresh my memory. I also have an extra SOS flywheel with the marks evident. Yeah, I realize gear drive and SOS flywheels are different. What I am seeing in the timing port is different from the book. I will try for a picture later.
 
Here are some pictures of the port of the 861
cvphoto1614.jpg


and the 871.
cvphoto1615.jpg


This flywheel is from an SOS job.
cvphoto1616.jpg


Are SOS flywheels and gear transmission flywheels the same overall size? Could the PO have cut the flywheel back? I have not split
the engine/transmission.

I suspect the red paint flash is when it is timed correctly.

It is becoming evident my role in the world is to bat clean up.
 

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