My BII Project | Page 11 | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

  • Register Today It's free!

My BII Project

I can not get the distributor out! Got the cap off but what is holding this thing in?
 



Join the Elite Explorers for $20 each year.
Elite Explorer members see no advertisements, no banner ads, no double underlined links,.
Add an avatar, upload photo attachments, and more!
.





Okay I guess I shouldent have takin it off! My book is very missleading...
Anyways its out its done I must deal with it tomorrow. Now I tryed to just slide it back in place but it is not that easy, I get it in and it goes side ways.... Any pointers on sticking this thing back in?
I have marked the distributor to where it was pointing on the inside and out side.
 
Last edited:






You pulled the distributor out of the vehicle?
OH crap, I hope you have a timing light and know where your timing pill is.

It appears to me you removed the distributor hold down bolt then pulled the entire unit out of the engine correct?
Did you then replace the TFI module on the back of the distributor?

This was not necessary to replace the TFI module
Have you ever installed a distributor before?
Turning the DIST once it is seated and positioned properly is how you adjust your base timing.
To set the base timing you must first remove the timing pil which deletes the computers ability to retard/advance the timing.
What book are you using and why did you pull the distributor?
 






No I dont have timing light, I cant get ahold of one though, and no idea where my pill is... I did mark everything to where it was pointing, if that makes any difference at all.. The reason I pulled it was because my book here has a picture of them changing the IM with the distributor out of the truck, so I thought that it needed to come out to beable to change it.
Is my best bet here to tow it down to a shop and let them put it back in?

even though its chrismass and nothing is open untill the new year
 






Did you change it? Did you use new white lithium grease on the heat sink?
Does the book walk you through putting it back in and setting the timing?
I am sure we can find the 2.9L installation and timing proceedure on the internet somewhere if we have to
 






yeah I did change it on, It came with the grease, I cleanded and put it back on, now I just have the distributor out on the table. Man this thing is in the worst spot, I hate it! So when I put it back in can I just push it in any way than take it from there with the timing gun?
 






no
you are going to need the instructions/manual

the distributor on the Cologne V6 is in a bad spot, thats true, but its not supossed to come out often if ever. Mine lasted 180K miles before the electronic pickup for the ignition failed, I dropped in a used one for $40.

Even though they are smoking crack regarding what years used what there is some good info here to show what ignition you are dealing with:

http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiB..._us/0900823d/80/0b/8d/1b/0900823d800b8d1b.jsp

KTRAnger talks about the distributor and timing here:
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/2_9_HeadSwap.html

You may find what you need by searching this forum:
http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1187
 
Last edited:






Okay I have a few days here to work on this distributor problem, I hope its not going to take that long. So I need to turn the engine over to get the #1 poistion to the top. Its the Front passanger side.
 






not just to the top, but top dead center on (I believe) the compression stroke.
 






not just to the top, but top dead center on (I believe) the compression stroke.

whats the difference between the top and top dead center?

Also the timeing, will it need to be done after this? I am thinking it will need to be done
 






yes it will need to be done.

Top dead center is when cylinder one is at the very top of its stroke during the compression stroke I believe, you need to check, your shop manual should walk you through finding TDC, then install the distributor in the correct position, then remove timing PIL and set base timing.
 






Your right 410. You can allways remove #1 spark plug and hand turn engine over. When it is on the compression stroke going up you will feel the air wanting to escape around your finger. This is the stroke you want for timing. Then rotor should be pointing to #1 spark plug wire in cap. Then just align mark on harmonic damper with pointer. Or if the #1 clyinder valve cover is off you can turn engine by hand and watch the intake valve start going down. And when it closes the piston the piston is now starting to go up to it's compression stroke. Both valves will be closed. To determine which valve is ex or in. just align up with ex. manifold or intake.

I have even on ocassions put a straw in the spark plug hole and watch it move as the piston reaches TDC. You can easily see when it gets to the top and then wants to go back down.
 






so we got it all back together today, my friend came down to give me a hand.

So get all the timeing right balh blah blah, drive 5 min down the road and my truck dies agian...... So I have had enuff at this point, I get out a gas can dump it all over the truck and the inside, and light it on fire......

hahaha thats what I wanted to do, so ANOTHER tow to the shop this time, we hook up a pressure gauge to the fuel line, start the truck, after 2 min it starts to fall down, than it hits 0 than 5 seconds later the truck dies. SO this must be a fuel pump right? This is what I am being told
 






so we got the fuel pump changed, now I have no problems, drove around for 1h yesterday
 






Which fuel pump did you replace? There are two.......

What did you set your base timing too? With my old 2.9L at high altitude, breathing mods (intake/exhaust/ported intakes, intake spacer), ignition (MSD 6a, Accell super coil, plugs, etc) I was able to get mine set at about 14.5 advance degrees with no pinging. This makes for a real screaming 2.9L, I believe 10-12 DTDC is stock?
 






Which fuel pump did you replace? There are two.......

What did you set your base timing too? With my old 2.9L at high altitude, breathing mods (intake/exhaust/ported intakes, intake spacer), ignition (MSD 6a, Accell super coil, plugs, etc) I was able to get mine set at about 14.5 advance degrees with no pinging. This makes for a real screaming 2.9L, I believe 10-12 DTDC is stock?

tell you the truth I have no idea what it was set on!
But when I do get my RPM's up I have a new pinging sound,
sounds like somthing vibrating on somthing, but only at high RPM's
now is that because the timing?
 






most likely you need to retard your base timing a bit.
When you set the timing did you remove the timing pil first?
 






I am not 100% sure, I helped with putting the distrubitor back in but not with the timing (I did the Beer run)
 






Okay yesterday I got my 8.8 swaped in. the 8.8 is from a 93 ex and the diff is Limited slip and gears from a 2000 F150. My gears are still the same with 355, but I am working on the $$ for new gears now :)
DSCF4606.jpg

Notice what came out of the 7.5, NASTY, had the worst smell ever!
here is the 8.8
DSCF4607.jpg

DSCF4608.jpg

DSCF4609.jpg



The only thing that needs to be done now is the parking break cable. Any ideas on how to join them together? They do not meet, the one from the diff is not long enuff to reach
 



Join the Elite Explorers for $20 each year.
Elite Explorer members see no advertisements, no banner ads, no double underlined links,.
Add an avatar, upload photo attachments, and more!
.





You need the rear e brake cable bracket from a first gen Explorer, you will have to weld it to your frame or body. I can show you pics of my truck.

The intermediate cable ( youdont have yet I dont think) goes from this bracket forward to the cable coming from the foot brake pedal. To link these two cables together I used two simple 1/4" cable ties from ace hardware, they look like little u bolts. They have hedl my two cables together for 8+ years now.


Nice work on the 8.8, I used late model Ranger (with 8.8 rear) U bolt plates, they fit perfect.

Old gear lube has the worst smell ever, gear lube smells nasty, once its been churned with some water and left in there for years it gets all sorts of funky colors and smells
 






Back
Top