a friend of mine asked me if i could adjust his timing on his 5.0. of coarse i said no problem super easy to do so i told him to bring it to work and we could do it on break. well i get the timing light setup clipped onto the #1 cylinder and started shooting the balancer and i would be damned if the marks are not even close. they look to be like 90 degrees off. is this a possibility or is something else completely wrong with his car. my light doesn't have a read out on it i was thinking of maybe having him get one of those so we can check it but wanted to ask if there is a way to make the balancer read properly.

 

The outer balancer can slip and the timing marks will not line up, and you would need to replace the balancer if that is the case.
But did you pull the spout connector while checking the timing?

 

yup pulled the spout connector. what would cause it to slip? looks like he is going to be buying some beer and bringing his car over this weekend.

 

The inner hub and outer ring are held together by a rubber insert, once that deteriorates, it can come apart, wobble, and slip (or all three). I have seen it happen (timing looks to be way off, then a new balancer fixes the problem.

Also- just making sure- are you sure you clamped on the the #1 wire??? (Passenger side one closest to the front of the car behind the alternator)

 

Best way to check for sure is to bring TDC up on #1 with the rag method, then see where the marks are, relative to the pointer. This is the best way to tell for sure instead of just guessing. If the timing chain has streched, and or jumped a tooth, that will also affect the position of the timing mark on the balancer.

 

alright here is my update... i didn't want the guy ordering a part before i double checked my work. with this being that simple i really didn't expect for anything to change. but low and behold it was all set today. i advanced it to 13 and he is good to go and happy as a clam. only thing i can figure i mixed up was maybe i got cross eyed looking for the right plug wire. i always try to double check my work before ordering any parts and this is a good reason why. definately a nice surprise though.

 

always place the inductive close to the spark plug as possible, that will eliminate wiring confusion and provide accurate timing.

Passenger Side, first wire up front.