I have just had my engine apart to install a new head gasket and am about to fire it up. Before I pulled it apart I took a photo of the timing chain postition while the engine was TDC just to make sure I got it right when putting it back together.

While talking to the chap who serviced the head for me, he mentioned that the sprocket on the camshaft should be just about 3 o'clock when the motor is TDC. As you can see from the attached picture, mine is about 90 degrees out to that - it is just before 12 o'clock.

How can this be - I drove the car into the shed before pulling it apart and I would have thought if the timing was out by that amount it wouldn't go at all. Is it just that some motors have the timing marks in a different place?

See photo ...

Geoff

that may be because it not on compression stroke, the piston meets tdc twice on each engine cycle or your harmonic balancer has sliped and its not actually on tdc

GO CHECK THIS OUT: http://autofix.com.au/blog/el-falcon-hy ... aft-timing

You clearly have those coloured links on your chain - which points to it being the hybrid (tho they don't look to be where they're meant to be) - but the biggie is that your timing marks and the positon of the dowel on the gear are consistent with the proper position for hybrid engine timing.

Thanks a lot mate

That makes a lot of sense. I fired the engine up at the weekend after getting it all back together - the timing was obviously ok as it went first time and is running beautifully.

My vehicle was built in July 1998 and I have had it since new. I remember when I first got it, the engine would stall frequently at idle. The Ford dealer told me he fixed it by changing the AU fuel pump that had been put on it at the factory, with an EL one, so I should have realised the vehicle I had was a hybrid.

Cheers

Geoff