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Yes the TDC tool is cheap/simple. put your marks at 5BTDC, screw it in until it firmly contacts the piston, with a breaker bar turn crank CCW until it contacts the piston & it should be at 5ATDC. I also put a plastic vac cap(one of those 5 cent colored rubber ones) on the end to keep from(potentially) nicking the piston. Balancers do not slip very often. What is your situation?




Rapid, I disagree with your procedure for a couple of reasons

If the stop is homemade it may be quite long

If the marks have moved, 5* may not give you enough "room"

5* is not really very accurate because the piston is so close to the top, I.E. the crank is close to "over the top." Much more accuracty is obtained with the piston somewhat further down, so.......

Make yourself a stop or buy one.

MAKE SURE the piston is down, either by looking at the damper/marks or by feeling with a stick/ coat hanger, etc

Install the stop.

Carefully wrench the engine one way until it stops ---Make a temporary mark at TDC

Carefully wrench the engine the OTHER way until it stops. My recollection is that my stop puts the marks at more than 20*.

IF YOU DECIDE to degree the wheel yourself, it is important to use a flexible tape to measure with AND NOT dividers or calipers. This is because if you use dividers, you are measuring the TANGENT distance, and not "around the circle" as with a tape.

Balancers don't slip very often, but they DO slip. I"ve probably found 4 or 5 over the years, one of my old engines "back when" and the others friends. 60's--70's Fords were terrible. I used to do tuneup work at NAS Miramar, and found several Fords

FAR MORE of an issue is a worn timing chain/ sprockets, especialy with the phenolic sprockets. (They are not "gears")