I rebuilt the 2.5 in my Dakota, runs great and all, i was told it was a Set timing engine, But today my curiosity got the best of me and i put a Timing light on the engine and checked it

The notch on the harmonic balancer is about 12-13 degrees from 0, A mechanic says i did the timing chain off by a link, but i dont agree, the screw which holds the distributor in place, doesnt allow for me to move the timing, but its Deff nowhere close to perfect timing, which could be why im using more fuel now after a rebuild

 

12-13 btdc doesn't sound that bad. It's about what an old Pinto would have.

Don't turn the distributor. It changes the fuel sync. Your timing is controlled by the pcm,

 

the engine is at about 173k, with a few thousand miles on a fresh overhaul, complete rebuild kit used so i went as New with Everything inside the crank case as possible, According to the FSM im dead on the rebuild specs

So the timing is set where its at and theres nothing i can do is what your tellin me?

 

Correct. You can't set the timing, for the ignition. The PCM handles all that.

It's not like an "older" vehicle where you could set it. Do you even know what the base setting should be? I know on my truck it says "no adjustments needed."

 

Not Really........ i know the cam/crank timing with the chain says 20 links between dots and your dead on for that part of the timing, and I didnt see anything else for the distributor, so as for a "Base Setting" i am uncertain

my dad says that i shouldnt be off much if Any because i changed the cam and crank timing sprockets, the only thing i didnt change were the push rods and rocker arms

 

On the 2.5 engine its not that hard to open it back up and do it correctly their is lots of room around the 2.5 On my 98 Dak I can almost stand between the harmonic balancer and the Rad theirs so much room.

I say pop it open and check it out better than it running poorly on you.

I know you have a newer 2.5 that has the big inside shroud as my Dakota doesn't have that but still not hard to remove and check out.

 

Some fun on a jeep with the same engine timing chain replacement.

The Backyard Gorilla Moonshine Style

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f12/t...-style-782349/

 

Cam timing would affect the valve timing, but not the ignition timing. Your base timing for the ignition/fuel is done by lining up marks on the crank with the marks on the timing cover & and then lining up the distributor rotor with a mark on the distributor, isn't that right?

So if you base timed the distributor correctly to the crank, your ignition timing should be correct. The 12 to 13 degree advance or retard is strictly the pcm telling the coil when to fire. If your valve timing were one tooth off on timing, the engine would run really badly.

Could it be that the crappy mileage numbers are related to the driver's right foot reacting to a better running engine? But also, it's been my experience that new or newly rebuilt engines are tight for quite a while. As it all beds in, it will improve both performance and MPG's.

 

On the 2.5 its very simple line up the two dots and the teeth with the dots like in the Pic.

That's it

I'm not sure if you can misalign the distributor or not as you install it?

 

i am Quite sure i got the chain timing right, like (brian in tucson) said the engine wouldnt run right at all if i were off a tooth, and how your pic shows the dots closest together, is exactly what i did and then counted the 2 links like the FSM says to check for an accurate setting

you cannot misalign the dizzy, only goes in 1 way.

its not running poorly, its running fine, just eats a bit of gas... and when i turn the A/C on, it DRAGGGS the engine down Alot, and sucks down some gas, so im not enjoying this 2.5 all that much in terms of hitting the pump, but for a 4 cylinder, it runs damn good, this group of guys from the body shop next to me thought i had a v6, they were like "that lil thing got ALOT of power for a 4 cylinder"