guys i sure hope that someone has seen this situation before. i recently aquired a 97 ranger 2.3 5 speed that belonged to my brother inlaw that had broken the timing belt and had been to several mechanics but no one could get it fixed. i have been through it my self and even with the great tutorial i have found on the net for changing the timing belt and looking for people with similar problems i have come up empty. the situation is this:

the truck has a new timing belt on it, timing marks have been set, and it seems like the timing is set very advanced. starter can barely turn it over because it is firing on the compression stroke. i can crank it and hold accel to the floor and eventually get it to run but have to keep it reved up or it dies due to the early timing. new crank sensor was installed, currently only one coil pack plugged it and it is the front one running the intake side plugs. this should be really simple, and i have a lot a experiance under my belt, but this has me stumped.

one thing i dont like is that the cam cog is not perfectly aligned, it is a half a tooth off. what gives with that how do i get a half a tooth off? could that affect it? the crank sensor controls ignition timing right?

all i know right now is i am stumped and don't know what to try next. this is my first ranger, he was going to scrap it but it has zero rust and looks like new. i cant let it end up like that. rally round fellas i have the camera ready to show my situation, and get to the bottom of this. thanks for any help in advance!

See the above post,make sure you are using diamonds and triangles.If the marks are on,sometimes the crank sensor gets hit with the broken belt

does any one have a picture of the back of the harmonic balancer? Or know what the dot on the ring is supposed to point to? my diamonds and triangles are lined up but still no luck. what controls the ignition the crank sensor on the cam sensor?

With the balancer off,the keyway should point directly at noon.There is a little dot on the bottom timing gear that lines up to a little slot on the case.If this dot is lined up,the diamond on the oil pump and the triangle on the cam gear,it is set.Spin it around a couple times to make sure it right(always clockwise)If this is followed,it has to run or something esle is off or broke.Was it running ok before the belt broke?How long did it set around before attempting a repair?With a timing light on it,even just spinning it with the starter,you should be able to check ignition timing.Why only one coil pack hooked up?The exhaust side is the primary side as I understand it

http://www.fordrangerforum.com/how-s...procedure.html

Ensure that all timing marks align to TDC position, start routing timing belt starting at the crankshaft sprocket. Remove all tension between crankshaft sprocket and oil pump sprocket and route timing belt around oil pump sprocket. Remove all tension between oil pump sprocket and camshaft sprocket. Route timing belt around camshaft sprocket. Route the back side of the timing belt around the tensioner pulley and loosen the tensioner adjustment bolt - tighten adjustment bolt and spring bolt (17mm).

Place crankshaft pulley slightly onto the shaft and rotate the motor two full revolutions by hand (and make sure your timing marks still align - if they don't, repeat).

Remove crankshaft pulley from shaft.

Tighten down all parts (such as the crankshaft positon sensor) that you had previously removed and re-install any components to the crankshaft that you had previously removed.



Install the outer timing cover.

Install the center crankshaft pulley bolt (reverse of removal) and torque to 103-133 foot-pounds.
Install the four crankshaft pulley bolts.




Also: have you verified that you don't have your coils wired backwards?


EDIT: Half tooth off on the cam? I am guessing you are a full tooth of slack off between the crank and oil pump or between the oil pump and the cam. I would rather be that much off on the oil pump than the cam.

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2000 Ford Ranger XL 2.5L 5-speed RWD 3.73 open - 170,000+ miles
Buggman LED 3BL/CARGO, Buggman Stang Dome LED conversion, LED Brake Light conversion, Line-X O.T.R., Air silencer removed
2.3L Headgasket/TIMING/Water Pump replacement guide

To be a good community member i am going to post what was ultimately the issue with my ranger after the timing belt broke. what happened is that either when the timing belt broke or when someone before me was removing the harmonic balancer the ring that the crank sensor reads had moved. i found one post on the web on one of those pay to ask sites, where a tech had mentioned that this is possible to happen on manual trucks which mine is. he stated that the correct alignment is for the dot on the reluctor ring is at 12 o'clock with the key way of the crank. and he was correct. Having had no luck i decided to gently tap the reluctor ring on the harmonic balancer to where he said and boom it fired right up. now this may not be the case with all 2.3s as i notice that balancers for my year of truck are not available aftermarket so i cannot guess what years are similar.

this is one for the records, because if nothing else works try this,but this ranger with 230K miles is back on the road.

I'm having a similar problem with my 1990 2.3. It acts as thought the timing is to far advanced. When it is under a load it rattles. Also noticed while it is in the shop running at an idle, it idles fine, but when you accelerate it, it falls on its face. I have replaced the timing belt, TPS and the Crank sensor.There are actually 2 rings on the harmonic correct? I've had it off twice now but can't remember. I'll have to take another look tonight. Thanks for the info.

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1996 Ford Ranger, Extended cab, narrow bed, 2.3L, 5 speed. Red exterior, gray interior.Bone stock, 400K miles and counting.