How to Set the Timing On a 1995 Ford F-150
by Manny Jeter
The 1995 Ford F-150 pickup truck featured a 4.9-liter six-cylinder engine, a 5.0-liter eight-cylinder engine and a 5.8-liter eight-cylinder engine. Each engine had an ignition time of 10 degrees. The ignition timing for the engines can be disrupted from daily use and should routinely be checked and adjusted. This is a straightforward procedure if you have basic mechanical skills and a few common shop tools, but be careful not to damage your engine.
Step 1
Park the truck in an area where you can work on the engine. Turn off all accessories in the car including the radio, air conditioning and heater.
Step 2
Exit your truck and chock the front and rear wheels. Start the engine, engage the emergency brake, put the transmission in "Neutral" and allow the engine to idle at 750 rpm.
Step 3
Exit your truck and open the hood. Turn on the fast idle speed option located on the engine control module.
Step 4
Attach the timing light to the battery by placing the red clip on the positive terminal first and the black clip on the negative terminal second. Connect the timing light clamp to the "No. 1" spark plug wire connected to the cylinder head. Shine the timing light on the pulley connected to the crankshaft to check the timing mark.
Step 5
Observe where the timing mark on the pulley falls compared to the degree tab on the front of the engine. Remove the installed components if the timing reads 10 degrees. If not, go on to the next step.
Step 6
Locate the distributor lock-down bolt at the base of the distributor housing and loosen it with a wrench. Disconnect the distributor vacuum hose from the distributor housing and plug it into the electronic spark computer. Ground the carburetor switch by placing the red clamps on the switch and the black clamps on the ground.
Step 7
Rotate the distributor with your hand until the timing mark on the pulley aligns with the 10 degree tab on the front of the engine.
Step 8
Unplug the distributor vacuum hose from the electronic spark computer, reconnect it into the distributor housing, and tighten the lock-down bolt with your wrench. Disconnect the timing light from the battery, spark plug wire and pulley.
Step 9
Turn off the fast idle speed option and close the hood. Enter the truck, put the transmission in "Park", turn off the engine and remove the wheel chocks.
References
Things You'll Need
- Wheel chocks
- Timing light
- Wrench
- Jumper cables
Writer Bio
Manny Jeter began writing in 2005. He has written for the newspaper "Daily Collegian" and the website CampusLive. Jeter completed the entrepreneurial initiative workshop and earned a Bachelor of Arts in journalism at the University of Massachusetts.
