I Forgot to Mark the IP gear

[tbirdfiend281]

So it just dawned on me I did not mark the IP gear when I pulled the pump/housing/gear off of my motor. My heads are off, but I don't want to take apart the front gear cover as I do not want to spend the extra time and money getting into that. Plus if I go that far, I feel I should toss an upgraded cam into the block.

Anyway here successfully assembled and timed a motor without the front drive open? Do the 6.9s have marks on the gears like DT's do? The marks on DT's made reassembling when replacing a cam a breeze.

Or can I do it off of TDC or some other fun trick. I really want to refrain from more teardown.

 

[no mufflers]

this is why it is always recommended to NOT take the IP housing off with the pump. there are marks on the crank, cam and IP gear. you cant see them unless you take the timing cover off.

@IDIoit has some experience with this.

 

[tbirdfiend281]

I pulled my heads. It wasn't like I just wanted to mess with my pump. I will just tear it down the rest of the way. It will make me want a cam, but I don't want to spend the extra money on new valve springs and a new cam. It would probably be worth it. I may just push my time table a little farther out, and spend the money a little slower on the new parts. I guess we shall see.

 

[Thewespaul]

I leave the cover on even if I am pulling heads, really only mess with it if the cam needs to be pulled. That being said, yes they have marks to get everything lined back up

 

[bbjordan]

Check out this pdf, Timing_the_6.9-7.3_IDI_101.pdf here:
http://blackwire.com/~bjordan/Tech/Timing_the_6.9-7.3_IDI_101.pdf

You can also check for the timing mark on the cam gear by feeling for it with a dental pick. Good luck!

 

[Macrobb]

I did it successfully without removing the front cover.
What I did:
1. Remove #1 glow plug.
2. Crank over motor by hand feeling for air coming out of #1 glow plug hole just before TDC(where the crank mark lines up).
3. Once you feel the air coming out, stop the motor at TDC.
4. Install IP with Y mark straight down. Make a mark on the IP housing next to the pin, so you can keep it in the right spot as you install it.

You should be within 1 tooth of 'correct' now. Fire it up and see how it runs. If it smokes white on revving, it's retarded. If it clatters a /lot/, it's advanced. To change the timing, you will just remove the 4 bolts holding the IP gear housing down, pry it up just enough to move the IP gear one tooth. You'll just have to feel it "pop" one tooth over.
Also, you'll want to make a mark before adjusting, so you cannsee how far you went, in case it skips over 2 teeth.

I've done the drop-on succesfully once(see my '83 engine vid on youtube), and skipping it forward/back a tooth several times on other engines.

 

[IDIoit]

what I do when I want to remove the IP gear cover:
I usually like to line up the timing marks on the balancer to the indicator.
(does not need to be done, only to make sure the engine wasn't rotated)
do not remove IP from the housing.
remove bolts from the front cover on the housing
install longer 5/16" bolts so that you can bind the gear from moving,
only one will catch the gear.
now you can remove the housing and IP without the gear moving on you
no need to get all superman on this, as the housing is aluminum and liable to strip.
ive done this procedure about 10 times with complete success
but you cannot turn the crank. if you do, you will be moving the timing gear cover.
people say that they have been able to use a bore scope, or a pick to feel the letters and line them up.
I tried both ways and was met with failure.

 

[TahoeTom]

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1113735-aligning-the-pump-gear.html
Here is one possible option, using plumbers putty on a knife blade to make an imprint of the timing mark. I would probably lose the putty into my oil pan if I tried it.

 

[Garbage_Mechan]

I have successfully done it. Combo of a mirror and a little flexible light with the bulb on the tip. Painted the teeth on either side of the one with the mark. Painted the one tooth on the pump gear. Icanfixall's photos were a huge help.

 

[Garbage_Mechan]

In this case I was helping out a friend by putting a 6.9 in place of a 7.3 turbo. I wanted the tach to work and the 7.3 fuel pump was fairly new. So I swapped gear housing, pump and lines as a unit. Having it on the engine stand was a big help but I think I could do it again.

 

[tbrumm]

I have successfully done it. Combo of a mirror and a little flexible light with the bulb on the tip. Painted the teeth on either side of the one with the mark. Painted the one tooth on the pump gear. Icanfixall's photos were a huge help.

When the seal under the pump gear housing on my truck was leaking, I did something similar. I brought the engine to TDC first. When I took the pump gear housing off, I left the pump gear in place (removed IP first) then drew a line on the pump gear to line up with the top straight edge of the block, and also a vertical line perpendicular to the top of the block The vertical line I drew on the pump gear is what I used to position the pump gear on top of the cam gear when I reassembled. However, I also did as Garbage Mechan describes and used an inspection mirror and light to look down inside the timing cover to verify that the pump gear was in the right spot on the cam gear. It isn't easy to see in there with the mirror, but if you put a marker line, or white paint line on right next to and on each side of the factory timing "Y" mark on the pump gear, that does help. Then you make sure that the painted marks you have made on the pump gear are located on each side of the "Y" factory timing mark on the cam gear. If there is any oil or crud at all clinging on the cam gear, you will probably not be able to see the factory "Y" timing mark on the cam gear. I was lucky and my cam gear was clean and shiny and the mark was just barely visible in the inspection mirror with the light shining in there. I was only looking in there though to verify the pump gear positioning from the lines I already made on the pump gear. You are definitely going to have to get the engine to TDC to have any chance at all of seeing the cam gear "Y" mark if the timing cover is still on.
https://www.oilburners.net/threads/ip-gear-cover-oil-leak-at-valley-pan.70763/page-2

 

[pelky350]

To toolbox my pump housing off to re seal it. All I did was ran a bolt into the lemon shaped cover whole with same thread pattern that was longer and gently tightened it to the timing gear to hold it in place, took housing off cleaned and resealed installed back on with no problems. Heads are already off cams aren't the most expensive thing in the world why not at this point?? You'll want one one day and then wonder why you didn't do it now when your this close to it already!

 

[Macrobb]

Heads are already off cams aren't the most expensive thing in the world why not at this point?? You'll want one one day and then wonder why you didn't do it now when your this close to it already!

Unless, of course, you don't have enough clearance to run the bigger cam and you end up destroying the valve guides...

I think that running a cam is a good idea; might as well... but make sure to measure /everything/ before running it. You need to make sure that the valve recession clearance on the heads is at or above spec; anything below spec and you'll get pistons hitting valves, even with a stock cam.