Does the timing pin move any if its not lined up with the hole ??? Trying to do a valve adjust and the thing won't move , hit it with some oil and will try tomorrow ,hard to get my hand in there to push on it. Don't know if its stuck or hitting somethig , I thought it would have a little play in it.

 

You almost need two people to line it up. It took my brother and I a while to get it the first time.
I was keeping pressure on the pin as my bro. slowly barred the engine over. You can feel the pin actually go over the hole.
Cummins should have made either the pin a little smaller or the hole a little bigger.

 

Mine has a little play in it.

 

The pin has an O-ring on it. If you really want to use it the best bet is to pull it out, remove the O-ring, then slide it back in. Hold steady pressure on it while someone bars the engine over. If you don't have a baring tool, turning the large nut on the alternator works just as well. It will pop into the hole. When finished reinstall the O-ring. Or, you can ignore the pin and bar the engine until the #1 or #6 cyl valves are both loose (valve overlap) and proceed with the valve adjustment.

 

Just pull out and it comes out ??? No bolts holding it in or anything ???? Its a tight squeeze in there can't see anything laying under there.

 

Yes, it pulls straight out, no bolts. However, a previous owner may have sealed it in with RTV like mine. If that is the case, it ain't coming out.

 

#1 should be loose, but the #6 should be tight. Thats why you do both intake exhaust on #1, but you don't even touch #6 on #1 compression TDC.

 

btw, can someone thoroughly explain the drop-valve method please?

 

Make sure you are coming up to #1 Compression TDC, but haven't reached it yet. I bar the engine back 1/4 rev to make sure. Remove the lock nut on the adjuster nut on the rocker arm, and run it down quite a ways, so the valve has opened quite a bit. Then bar the engine up until the piston contacts the valves. Mark that on the balancer. Loosen off the valve, bar the engine 1/4 rev past TDC (approx), drop the valve to the same position, and bar the engine back until it contacts the valve again. Mark the damper. Now measure between the two points, and that will be TDC. I use a mag base and dial on the valve, so I know I'm putting the valve back in the same spot after I loosen it off and run it back down for the second contact. It also tells me when piston makes contact. When I would see .001-.002" on the dial, I'd mark the balancer, then double and triple check to make sure that its the right spot. Takes 20 minutes maybe start to finish. After you found TDC, lash up the valve again.