Importance of Engine Timing

[Hydro-idi]

Back when I did head gaskets, I decided to purchase a baby moose IP. During installation, I lined up the scribe marks on the IP/gear tower cover. I noticed that truck ran okay but was much louder than before. Engine sounded almost like a 6.0 psd at idle. I also noticed excessive smoke at idle and throughout most of the rpm range.
So........today I went to Brian's (IDIoit) house to use the timing meter that he had rented from Gary.....with his permission of course. We were surprised to find out that my engine was running 13.9 degrees btdc . After a few adjustments, we got her down to 9.4 degrees btdc. Truck now has excellent throttle response, quicker turbo spool and reduced emissions.
This is just a reminder that timing is very important with these engines. I highly recommend getting your engine timed if it hasn't been done correctly. Gary offers an excellent rental program with all the tools and directions needed to DIY at your house. I would also like to state that lining up the scribe marks doesn't necessarily mean that your engine is running in the "safe zone", and it is very important that you get engine properly timed after an IP install.
Anyways, thanks again Brian and Gary. We got some top notch guys here on OB !

 

[dunk]

How many miles were you running at 14*? Any damage? Mine is at 9* currently and I'd like to try bumping it up to 10* or even 11* as the engine makes a lot more power on cold advance but have heard about glow plug damage going much past 10*. Clearly 14* is too much from your experience but from mine 9* seems to be insufficient for max power and I suspect economy as well.

 

[Hydro-idi]

I ran truck for about 100 miles with the overly-advanced timing. I pm'd Gary and he feels that no damage should have occurred in that time frame. Also checked glowplugs and they seem to be fine.
As far as a specific timing #, I was told 8.5 is the norm but to achieve optimum performance, it's best to have timing around 9-9.5 btdc.

 

[FORDF250HDXLT]

be careful guys.especially those of you running hot ips.the more fuel you feed 'em,the higher your cylinder pressures get.to combat this,you retard timing from the 8 +/- 2 oem spec........or pop goes your head gaskets.
added bonus of going with 6 or 7 btdc? much more responsive turbo's and better towing grunt.less engine noise as well and less smoke.give it a try,those of you with meters.

 

[dunk]

For me going from 6.5* to 9* resulted in a very noticeable increase in low end power and towing performance. I did not notice any change in spooling for better or worse but was not paying close attention to it.

 

[sjwelds]

i dropped from 8.5 to 6. I'm liking it at 6. different trucks, different settings, different drivers. find what works for you and your truck and be happy

 

[Clb]

For me going from 6.5* to 9* resulted in a very noticeable increase in low end power and towing performance. I did not notice any change in spooling for better or worse but was not paying close attention to it.

+1 on that mine pulls so much better at 9.3 i forgot where it was at.

 

[Kevin 007]

Yeah I like mine around 8 degrees. I had it set at 9 and 9.5 before and it just sounds too advanced to me, too much popping and pinging. It runs so much quieter at 8 and I seem to get slightly better mpg. Only draw back is that when I cold start it; it takes a couple more seconds to run smoothly

 

[FORDF250HDXLT]

For me going from 6.5* to 9* resulted in a very noticeable increase in low end power and towing performance. I did not notice any change in spooling for better or worse but was not paying close attention to it.

sometimes our brains can trick us into thinking the increased engine noise relates to increased rwhp.even if this is the case,it doesn't negate the fact your going to have much higher cylinder pressures if your running a lot of fuel.

 

[chris142]

I ran mine @11. It had low end tq but would not rev freely.

 

[dunk]

sometimes our brains can trick us into thinking the increased engine noise relates to increased rwhp.even if this is the case,it doesn't negate the fact your going to have much higher cylinder pressures if your running a lot of fuel.

Higher cylinder pressure is why more advance makes more torque. As long as it's not advanced so far that the flame front is exerting force on the piston while it's still coming up in which case you're losing power and causing damage.

I ran mine @11. It had low end tq but would not rev freely.

In that case maybe somewhere between 9* and 11* is ideal. I wonder what the timing curve on these is an if it can be adjusted, or if different pumps (NA vs turbo?) had different curves. Say 10* full advance is ideal but that puts initial timing slightly retarded of optimal. Given the minimal displacement variance between the two engines and if the heads and ports are pretty much the same, I wonder if the differences in what people report as best timing may come down to differences in precups. I believe there are three different designs?