2.3 Cam timing marks help

[YungICY]

I think my engine jumped time and I'm trying to figure out the cam timing marks. They look different than those of the pictures I've been able to find via Google.

This picture shows the cam gear in relation to the crank at tdc. I have the small tooth like mark on the inside of the gear (top of cam gear) which appears to have a minuscule arrow pointing downward from that position. I don't have an arrow anywhere on the back timing belt cover, just those three teeth at the bottom. As best as I can tell the arrow on the gear lines up between the first and second teeth of back cover.

Is this in time, off a tooth or two, or off 180*?

This is an 85 ranger with the 2.3L.

Also the symptoms were, I got a bad misfire on I believe cyl no.4 (checked by pulling plug wires and 4 was the only one that didn't affect idle condition.) Replaced the: wires, plug on 4, cap and rotor. symptom didn't improve. I had to get to work so I tried to hobble it in, I got on the throttle a little and experienced a 1-2 second loss in power, a puff of white smoke (oil I believe) and back to the original misfire condition at which point i pulled over and called a buddy to tow me.

 

[adsm08]

Well, looking at my book here it looks like that is just about spot on, assuming you aren't on the compression stroke.

Does this one have the inspection/access plug in the cover?

 

[YungICY]

Yeah I figured it out. It might be out by a tooth but that'd be it.



I just found the actual problem though. I had my intake follower come off the stud and valve on cyl 4. The lobe for that valve has a bit of a flat spot to it? Would I be okay to put it back together and drive it while I rebuild another motor to swap in? Or should I just yank this one out and deem the cam bad and un-useable?


Sent from my Windows Phone 8 using Tapatalk

 

[Mark_88]

Looks like the cover is actually off so you can actually see the timing marks just at the bottom right.

That little arrow at the top of the cam is the timing point for the compression stroke only (since it spins once every two crank revolutions) and it will point to the middle of the three plastic prongs you see about 5 o'clock when set correctly. If you are now on the compression stroke then the cam would be about 180* out.

If not sure, remove the belt and the #1 plug...put your thumb over the plug hole and crank the motor by hand until you feel pressure on your thumb...that means you are on the compression stroke.

Then you can align the little arrow on the oil pump/distributor drive and then turn the cam over till the arrow lines up with the middle plastic prong. Once those are all lined up slip the belt over the crank until it is tight at the bottom, loop it over the oil pump gear so that it is tight between the crank and oil gears, then lift it over the cam gear keeping the tension on the right side...

Once the belt is tight between the three gears on the right, you can loop it over the tension pulley and slowly let the tension pulley slip into the belt by loosening the bolt (that's how I do it anyway...and works well usually...

I'm assuming that you would know to back the tension pulley off to remove the belt and tighten the bolt on the pulley to keep it in the far left position.

EDIT: Ooops...forget the above...carry on...lol

 

[adsm08]

Yeah I figured it out. It might be out by a tooth but that'd be it.



I just found the actual problem though. I had my intake follower come off the stud and valve on cyl 4. The lobe for that valve has a bit of a flat spot to it? Would I be okay to put it back together and drive it while I rebuild another motor to swap in? Or should I just yank this one out and deem the cam bad and un-useable?


Sent from my Windows Phone 8 using Tapatalk

Pics?

Sight unseen I would say that whatever damage is going to happen has probably happened. That being the case I say put it back together and see if it holds. If it does then you might get by until you have the new engine ready.

 

[YungICY]

I'll post a couple of pics in a few minutes.


Sent from my Windows Phone 8 using Tapatalk

 

[Mark_88]

Yeah I figured it out. It might be out by a tooth but that'd be it.



I just found the actual problem though. I had my intake follower come off the stud and valve on cyl 4. The lobe for that valve has a bit of a flat spot to it? Would I be okay to put it back together and drive it while I rebuild another motor to swap in? Or should I just yank this one out and deem the cam bad and un-useable?


Sent from my Windows Phone 8 using Tapatalk

I've had them come off and it made a clattering noise and no power...slipped back together and started right up...the clatter lasted another few minutes then went away...just turn your radio up loud and you hardly notice it...

You can probably get away with just rebuilding the head as long as the bottom end is OK...that's how I eventually fixed the same problem...still driving it...

 

[YungICY]

Haha I have a really loud exhaust and a decently loud stereo in mine. I get pretty used to not hearing all of the normal clickity clank noises but I've gotten pretty keen to hearing the odd noises that don't seem right. I heard it "ping" right when it puffed out that white cloud.

Here's some pictures.

1) The follower: seems okay.
2) The flat cam lobe: definitely feels shorter than the other intake lobes.
3) A good intake lobe.

 

[adsm08]

Yeah, the cam looks messed up a bit. I don't know that i would trust it long term, but I still say is looks like the damage has been done, so put it together and try it.

 

[YungICY]

K I'm gonna go for it. I guess if it doesn't hold it saves me the trouble of buying the donor truck I was gonna pick up this weekend.


Sent from my Windows Phone 8 using Tapatalk

 

[YungICY]

Just got it all put back together and I still have a dead cylinder.


Sent from my Windows Phone 8 using Tapatalk

 

[Mark_88]

I had my last head rebuilt for about $250...not including buying another head at $100. You can get them shaved a bit more than what they normally do to make a bit more HP...if you can afford it.

If I had known about that trick before I had the head rebuilt I would have tried it myself...so I have to wait till I find a short block to go with it...

 

[YungICY]

My truck has been my daily driver and my daily project since I bought it (I'm building a prerunner) so I think I'm gonna buy the 87 that's on Craigslist right now and make that my DD and keep this one as a project.



As far as rebuilding the motor I have a pretty good idea of what I'm gonna do with it. Search for "lima 2.3 with Mikuni carbs" on here. That's a thread I started a little while ago when I started considering getting a donor truck/motor to work on. I got some really good advice on there as far as rebuilding it.


Sent from my Windows Phone 8 using Tapatalk