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2.3L ('02-'11) 2010 4 cylinder - interference or non interference engine?"


Garth Libre

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2021
Messages
171
City
Tennessee
Vehicle Year
2010
Transmission
Manual
Is the four cylinder Ranger from 2010 an interference or non interference engine? I ask because I'm not sure of the history and I'd like to replace the timing belt or chain before bad things happen.
 
it's a chain.
actually 2 chains, a long one for the cams and a short one for the oil pump.
it's a bit of a process to replace the chain(s). there are no keys, you need to replace the special diamond coated washers that lock
the gears in place.
front of engine comes off, top comes off too then the cams get held in place with a locking bar, crank against a stop bolt.
THE INSTANT YOU LOOSEN THE CRANK BOLT THE ENGINE NEEDS RE-TIMED.

don't remember if it's interference, I'll have to check. valve lift is not much on DOHC flat-tappet engines. cam followers are basically a flat tappet.

for what it's worth, my 2005 2.3 had 360,000+ miles on the original parts when pulled out for bad rings & oil consumption.


EDIT
valve lift 0.324" intake, 0.307 exhaust.
 
Last edited:
OMG.... I have to apologize. Every 6 months I forget the answer to this question. I forget because I'm older and because I have three cars, a tractor and a mower I have to keep track of. The answer is that the Duratec 4 in 2010 Rangers is a timing chain and non interference. Just because it is a chain doesn't mean it won't "stretch". At 100,000 miles I've seen chain wear on timing chains and the engines do run a bit better with new ones and new tensioners (at least my slant 6 Dodge Dart Swinger (1971) ran noticeably better with a new timing chain at 100,000 miles.
 
it's a chain.
actually 2 chains, a long one for the cams and a short one for the oil pump.
it's a bit of a process to replace the chain(s). there are no keys, you need to replace the special diamond coated washers that lock
the gears in place.
front of engine comes off, top comes off too then the cams get held in place with a locking bar, crank against a stop bolt.
THE INSTANT YOU LOOSEN THE CRANK BOLT THE ENGINE NEEDS RE-TIMED.

don't remember if it's interference, I'll have to check. valve lift is not much on DOHC flat-tappet engines. cam followers are basically a flat tappet.

for what it's worth, my 2005 2.3 had 360,000+ miles on the original parts when pulled out for bad rings & oil consumption.


EDIT
valve lift 0.324" intake, 0.307 exhaust.
It took me the better part of a day to replace the chain and tensioner on my 1971 Dodge Slant Six. It ran noticeably better. I also did the timing belt on my 4 cylinder Mercury Lynx 1984 and it ran noticeably better. I did the timing belt on my 1993 Miata and it became a new car in terms of power. It seems even small differences in cam timing can make a noticeable difference in performance.
 
I'm 72, what 'da heck are we talking about?????

:icon_rofl:

the tensioner is designed to take up quite a bit of slack as the chain stretches.
 
The confusion is that timing chains (and belts) are complicated matters. Some engines will self destruct if the belt or the chain breaks. Some engines are non interference and there is no problem if the chain or belt breaks. Ford has made the whole issue horribly complex in that it does not have a keyway which locks the cams to the crank. Instead it uses a bizarre diamond washer (why not have a keyway and a pin to lock it all in place?). Making it even more bizarre is that Ford switched from interference engines to non interference, from keyway to diamond washer, from metal components to plastic chain tensioners. IMHO, the senior management design team at Ford needs to be given 20 belt spankings for their lack of consistency and thoughtfulness in this matter. I still am not sure if I should replace all the timing components at 140,000 miles on my 2010 4 cylinder. The latest I read is that it only needs to be replaced when noisy. I don't know what noise they are referring to though. Engines are noisy but not supposed to be rattling like we associate with old chains.
 
Last edited:
On that engine, I'd say if it doesn't sound like the chain is trying to get out of the cover, you're good.
 

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