Hey all, I'm changing the head gaskets on my 2000 5.4. It's been a chore so far with rusted out bolts needing cut out and replaced.

Anyways, Friday I am going to need to reset the timing. I have the hayes manual, but can someone tell me in normal English how to set the timing. I've never done this on an overhead cam engine.

Sorry I didn't use the search engine. Thanks in advance.

 

There's an article in our articles forum, the index is the first thread.

 

Cool. I never saw that articles forum. The procedure below is good for the V10 engines too

https://www.f150online.com/forums/ar...r-engines.html

 

Ok, I've read them all but still have a few questions.

Here's where I'm at:

I marked the chain and the cam gear. Then removed everything. I haven't touched the engine and can't turn the cam by hand.

Is it as simple as lining my marks back up?

I thought I would take it to tdc and then line up the markings as I should, but I can't see where any of that is written.

None of the keys are lined up unless it's out of pure luck which I have not seen, nor rarely have.

 

Here is what I would do if I were you. Since you marked the cams and the chain, put it back together aligning the marks you made. Slowly crank the engine over by hand until the keyway on the crankshaft is at the 12:00 position. Remove the chains and mark the three links on each one like the factory had but you can't see anymore as the picture below shows.



Now put the chains back on and make sure the links you just marked align properly with the cam and crank factory marks.

 

Good call. Thanks for all the help guys!

 

That is how I did my 99. Remarked the factory marked links that were hard to see and marked the gears on the factory cut out mark. Just make sure when you put it back together they are 100% correct. The cam wants to turn and mine kept jumping off a tooth. It took a couple of tries to get it because I didn't use the cam lock tool.

 

Ok, on a pushrod engine, those little cutouts would be "mating". Is this the same on one of these?

 

On the cam, the mark lines up between two links. These are both factory marked, just hard to see. The crank lines up in the center of a marked link.

Turn it over until at 12:00 and it should be easier to find them as they should line up.

 

Im really concerned about being 180 off. It shouldn't though, if i just put the chain right back on it how it came off.

 

as long as the marks on the cam gears/crank gears align with the two marked links on the chains, you are timed correctly.

 

Hey guys.
Ok, I may have messed this up. I hate timing.

I cannot find the mark on the cam. I can find it on the chain no problem. I don't remember if I marked the chain to coorespond to the notch in the cam or not. In the pics, the zip tie is the link I have marked.

So here's the plan:
Lay the chain out as I shoot stuff did. Then mark the link on the right. Then install it to coorespond to the notch on the cam gear. If they line up, I should be good.

Do the notches coorespond or is it the keyway?

Is that right?

I'll get pictures first thing in the morning when I get to work. My net is being too slow to upload the pics.

Sorry, seems nobish but I'm gunshy about timing.

I have no idea how to post pics. But here is the URL to the album.

https://www.f150online.com/forums/me...et+change.html

Can't thank you guys enough.

 

Here is the cam mark, at the bottom. It will align between the two marked links.




and the crank mark at 10:00 position will center on the single link.

 

Update:

Who has 2 thumbs and a perfectly running F150!!?? THIS GUY!!!!

Finally got to fire it up Friday night. Was a long road fixing all the things that was extremely worn but I finally got it done.
Fired up and ran perfect, idles normal, makes good power...

I couldn't be more excited. There's a few more things I want to fix on it, but that will be in time.

 

Congrats!