What can you tell me about my timing from this pic

[ghunt]

This is the top of my IP.

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I'm assuming the big marks are my timing marks?

What's weird is there appears to be a lighter mark to the left of these marks...not sure what it would be for, it didn't show up in the picture.

 

[93f250idi]

Looks like it's out of time. Line the marks up and see what happens

 

[ghunt]

Is it too far advanced or what?

 

[TWeatherford]

I find that changing things just to see what happens usually causes problems, especially if it isn't broken to begin with.

The marks are just a reference of what the timing was at the factory. I may be wrong, but my understanding is that they would time it at the factory, then put the mark in. After you change pumps, or its rebuilt, timing is different. The marks are just a general reference. There is absolutely no way to really know anything without a proper meter, without a meter it is just speculation based on the marks and how much and what kind of smoke are in the exhaust, how much power, and whether or not you're eating glowplugs. It appears you are well advanced... I would use a punch to mark your current timing exactly before you go playing, that way you can always return to where you are now. If you've been running that way a lot of miles getting good mileage and power at that setting and aren't eating glowplugs I'd leave it alone.

 

[gandalf]

Those two marks are indeed the timing marks. As I understand this, they are good for the factory timing, when the truck rolls off the production floor. If the IP has been removed, and especially if the IP has been rebuilt, they become only approximations. At that point, once you've had the IP removed or rebuilt, you've got to have it retimed. Those marks will probably no longer line up, even though the timing is good.

 

[ghunt]

Power is good but mileage has never been good since I got the truck...I usually get a best of maybe 13 mpg during the summer and sometimes dip down to 10-11 over the winter.

Also I've never gotten better than 13 mpg on any longer highway trip, even maintaining 65 mph.

 

[homelessduck]

I am averaging 9 on the highway, and 12 at the most in town, ( c6 ) . Maybe I should check my timing.

 

[The Warden]

Power is good but mileage has never been good since I got the truck...I usually get a best of maybe 13 mpg during the summer and sometimes dip down to 10-11 over the winter.

Also I've never gotten better than 13 mpg on any longer highway trip, even maintaining 65 mph.

What differential gears do you have? ...although, even if you have 4.10's, unless you drive with a lead foot, those numbers sound too low.

As the others have said, those timing marks are a guideline only...they're meant to get the IP timing "close enough" so that, when you install a new or rebuilt IP, the engine will start and run...however, the timing won't be "right". The next step is to take a meter and properly adjust the timing...I don't recall the exact specs but they should be in the Tech articles on this site.

Any idea how old your IP and injectors are? They have a finite lifespan, so if your timing is checked and determined to be set properly, and if you don't have anything dragging (i.e. unhappy wheel bearings, dragging brakes, etc), it could well be time to renew your fuel system. Also, are you running stock tires?

FWIW with my extended-cab truck with a lumber rack (adds a LOT of aerodynamic drag at freeway speeds), 4.10's, a ZF5, and weighing just shy of 7,000 lbs, I average 16 to 17 mpg in mixed driving and, if I'm careful and keep the speed to 55, I can break the 20 mpg barrier on the highway...

 

[Agnem]

Based on the number of trucks I've timed, and universal averages, I'd have to say your marks are right about where they should be. That is NOT to say for certain that this pump is timed correctly, but rather that ON AVERAGE this is about where the marks end up. I HAVE timed trucks where the mark on the pump is significantly to the right of where this one is, and also a tad more to the left, but by and by, this is the general spaciing I usually expect to see. Frankly, when I change out a pump, I do not line up the marks, but rather start them out right about here as you have shown it. It is in my experience that my timing is much closer to being dead on if I start it here, then if I align the marks as the book says to do.

 

[icanfixall]

Mel and warden and others above have put it perfectly about the timing marks. They really mean nothing after a pump changeout. Some info about how many miles are on the pump and injectors is important. It may be time for a freshen up of the fuel system.

 

[Dieselcrawler]

the marks are clean. but the rest it oily.

 

[ghunt]

I have 4.10's...and the IP and injectors are, as far as I know, the originals. Truck has 109K on it. I'd certainly like to put in a new IP and injectors, but it's hard to drop $500 on something like that right at the moment, plus I have no idea when I would get a chance to actually do the job (although, I'm looking at getting another vehicle, so I might get a chance to do it in the spring or something).

Thing that worries me is the fact that I really have no good way to time the thing when it's done, unless there's a shop around me that has a timing meter.

 

[fury9]

keep an eye on flea-bay, you will find a meter eventually. as for the marks to me it looks like some owner made a mark (the lighter one) and timed it to about a dimes width advanced of (which I think) is the factory timing mark.When I did my truck that's pretty much exactly where I ended up. But yeah 13 sounds average for a c-6, maybe even a lil on the good side for a c-6 an 3.55's. But for a zf that sounds low. Like others have stated maybe it's time for a lil freshing up. Hell maybe even some diesel kleen and some atf might help on the cheaper side of things.

 

[George D.]

The truth about the timming marks is tat they are for static timming only at no point was an IP meant to bebolted up with thouse marks aligned and be given too the customer they are the center point of where the pump can be timed and start easily and are there so you can bolt up the pump start it and ajust from there do some turcks end up with that being the final alignement once dynamicly timed yes but useualy its about like ghunts picture from my experiance my persanal gap is a bit bigger for two reasons
1. I put my pump on my 6.9 just like it was on the 7.3 but the gear had aparently been a tooth retarted on my 7.3 wich explained the huge gap in the marks and the point I stoped retarding it is where I could no longer turn it with out losening the lines on the back of the IP. and

B. it runs good there I like my timming hot and my EGTs where now manage able

most customers vehicles I've done end up about like ghunts pictures one had the marks lined up.