I successfully changed out my clutch on my 94 Ranger 2.3L w/ 170,000 miles. On a 15 minute test drive, my upper radiator hose began to bulge and coolant was leaking out of the radiator on the driver's side. The truck was running really, really rough and was having much trouble accelerating, especially from 2nd to 3rd and almost impossible even to get the truck up to speed to change to 4th.

I decided to change out the thermostat (I thought this was causing the upper hose to swell), and since I am doing that, I figured I would change out the timing belt.

Curiously, when I observed my timing belt, in accordance to the existing timing belt marks (cam shaft sprocket mark to inner timing belt cover AND crackshaft pulley key mark at 12 o'clock positioning), the marks are about 2 1/2 teeth off. Could it be that my truck's timing is off causing the rough engine and lack of acceleration? Is it even possible that a timing belt skip a couple of teeth on its own? The timing belt tensioner seems in place and the belt is tight.

I have not removed the timing belt yet because of how curious I am about this. I guess I could be misreading the marks, but it seems pretty straightforward.