Steve83

You didn't. It would be MUCH easier for us to help you if we could see ALL your vehicle details (like YEAR, ENGINE, options, miles, mods, maintenance, damage, repairs, etc.) in your signature. Click this & read the caption:


(phone app link)Stop replacing parts blindly. If you have the originals, you should put them back on because they're apparently NOT the problem, and they're almost certainly better quality than any replacements.That's not nearly close enough. Even if you had marked the distributor base & block with a cold chisel (which should be done AFTER you get it right again), that's still just a good starting point. Timing MUST be set with a timing light, and good tools are worth what they cost. Cheap ones (like most HF junk) aren't.Buy a Haynes manual & read it cover-to-cover at least once. This caption explains how to get the right one for your truck:


(phone app link)NO! That will put the distributor 90° out. It was correct where it was, but you should have simply rotated the crankshaft 1 full rev. The camshaft/distributor rotate 1/2 as much as the crank.No. It's more-likely oil that you dripped onto the exhaust manifolds or EGR tube, or something else you pushed too close to a hot spot. The more pics you post of the truck, the engine, the wiring, & the chassis, the more likely we can help you spot problems. The caption of that first thumbnail above contains a link that explains how to embed pics that way in your posts (free).I can confirm that it should be at 0° (TDC). Click this & read the WHOLE caption (a few times if necessary) before buying, replacing, or messing with anything else:


(phone app link)

This shows how to stab a V8 distributor:


(phone app link)

Wayne4096

Thank you both very much. I will read and reread your replies and the links you included. Yes, let's ignore the smoke for now and I'm sorry for not including as much information as possible (I have updated my signature). Feel free to slap my hand, face, whatever if I'm using this forum improperly or if there is more I can add. More pictures are on the way. This forum is simply too useful for me to be to be anything but humbled by the amount of information it provides and the generosity of its members.

While this is a short reply, I did buy the Haynes manual and will do my level best to reference it too. Thanks!!

Steve83

The more info you put in your signature, the better. So that means condensing what's there to make more room for other details. So far, what you have could be reduced to:
95 XLT std.cab 6' bed XLT 4x2 5.0L
There are 2 electronic automatics, so that doesn't tell us what trans the truck has. ID it by model (E4OD or 4R70W). Then add everything else we might ever need to know to help you: miles, options, modifications, maintenance, damage, repairs, tires, gears, colors, accessories...

Wayne4096

Steve83 wrote:
NO! That will put the distributor 90° out. It was correct where it was, but you should have simply rotated the crankshaft 1 full rev. The camshaft/distributor rotate 1/2 as much as the crank.

THAT! I didn't realize that the rotor position was not a function of the camshaft position. It was my dumb luck that whenever I looked at the rotor position with the TDC mark moved up to the timing mark I was in the "rotor points to six" instead or "rotor points to one" orientation. So, with that last piece of the puzzle, everything makes sense.
This morning:
put the original ICM back in
set the timing "by ear" with the SPOUT removed
allowed the truck to warm up
shut the truck off
hooked up my HF timing light (7 stores and only HF had timing lights - apparently there are fewer and fewer people willing to work on their cars or that have cars with the need for a timing light)
started the truck back up
turned the distributor until the timing mark coincides with between 10 and 12 degrees BTDC
turned the truck off
tightened the bolt holding down the distributor
started it back up
re-verified the timing
turned the truck off
plugged the SPOUT back in
test drove the truck (full power, no burning smell)
edited my signature

I'll keep this next part short. Thank you Chris 1, BLDTruth, kd3pc and Steve83. I fixed the truck AND understand it. Really cool.

BLDTruth

Glad you got it sorted!

Chris_1

iTrader: (1)

You're learning things the hard way, but as long as you learn them you're ahead.
I think you had it right (or pretty close) the first time.
All the stuff you did was basically right; right up till you second guessed yourself and turned the rotor 180*.
What happened there was that the crankshaft goes around twice and the camshaft only goes around once to complete a cycle (4 stroke).
So you were at 10* BTDC on #1 cylinder but it was on the exhaust stroke rather than the compression stroke.
If you had turned the motor all the way around again you would have been at 10* BTDC on the compression stroke which was where you wanted to be. And the rotor would have been pointing at #1 wire.
No point firing off a spark plug on the exhaust stroke with the exhaust valve open and no fuel in the cylinder.
So if you had been 180* out on the dizzy, it wouldn't have run at all.
Live and learn; we all had to start somewhere.

Steve83

There are 3 auto O/Ds, so that's even more-vague. Read that caption, and the truck's VC label.

Now that the timing is correct, you should make a permanent mark from the distributor base to the block so it will be easier to check if the distributor ever gets moved again. Look at the lower Right panel of this pic:


(phone app link)

Wayne4096

But if I mark the distributor, it will keep me from having to use my super high quality HF timing light . I have marked it with a Sharpie and when I find a metal punch or chisel long enough, I'll give it a whack. Oh yeah, fixed my signature (again). Thanks everyone.