I am servicing a 1989 Ford Aerostar. When I purchased this vehicle, I was led to believe that the engine had been replaced. When I sought to have the Smog System Checked, I learned that the vehicle (this may apply to all 89 Aerostars?) was labeled as a Gross Polluter and required testing at a Test Only Station.
Upon taking the vehicle to a Test Only Station, I was informed that they could not check it. They stated that part of the Requirements for this vehicle, was to check the Ignition Timing and that no Timing Marks could be found. Being a Test Only Station, they would not or could not suggest any solution to this problem.
I then took the vehicle to a second Test Only Station and they did not reject it for the Timing Mark issue. It did fail the first test for a different issue, but after replacing the Catalytic Converter it did pass. Recently, the vehicle was involved in an accident. While making repairs, I had the Grille, Radiator, etc. removed and made a thorough inspection looking for the Timing Marks. I was able to find, what might be the remains of a Pointer on the Block. However, there are no markings on the Harmonic Balancer Pulley.
I assume, that when this vehicle is due for the next Smog Check, it will still be labeled as a Gross Polluter and still require testing at a Test Only Station. I know of no way of identifying the vintage of the replacement engine, to find out if that year model may not require the Ignition Timing Check (and maybe not be labeled as a Gross Polluter). So how can I replace the lost Timing Marks or avoid the Check Ignition Timing issue? Sure, I could replace the Harmonic Balancer Pulley with one with Timing Marks. But, how do I fix the missing Pointer on the Block?
