45 degrees BTDC??? 2.3 timing issues

[Hagan]

I picked up my 86 Ranger a couple months ago and I know its supposed to be slow but even with stock size tires and 5.13's in the rear axle it has no power. It struggles going uphill (less than 10% grade) at 55mph. And when I floor it at 3500rpm its dead it just makes noise. I'm not some engine expert but every 4-cylinder engine I have ever owned MADE power at higher rpm.

So, I figured this would be easy so I started with timing. I warmed up my engine (at least I think it was because it was blowing hot air/temp gauge was in the warm spot/and the rpm dropped). I killed it, removed the spout connector, started it and hooked up the timing light. Its at least 15 degrees PAST 30btdc. So, something isn't right. I thought maybe the crank pulley spun but it should have a key?

Then I thought about what if someone aligned the crank/cam crooked and its actually at 10bdtc and the marks mean nothing???

I'm not sure...i was going to adjust it to 10btdc but It was late and I couldn't find the socket that fits the distributor bolt.

So, what do you think?

 

[scotts90ranger]

that's probably your problem, it should be 10*, the crank is keyed and can't be adjusted. I'm wondering if maybe the timing belt either skipped a tooth on the aux pulley or if the aux pulley wasn't aligned when it was changed last, or it just wasn't timed right...

 

[Mark_88]

Did you happen to remove the vacuum line on the distributor when you checked the timing? I had the same problem till I read the steps and found I completely skipped that one...but mine is carbed so not sure if this applies if yours is Fuel Injected...

Check the steps to see if removing the vac line from the distributor is needed to set the timing...you may still be out of timing, but it won't be nearly as much when you do that step...

 

[Hagan]

There is no vacuum line attached to the distributor. It doesn't work that way.

We'll see what happens when I try to time it. I'm guessing someone messed up!

 

[Hagan]

Ok I went ahead and advanced the timing. It ran better but the idle was way too high (1000-1200rpm) so I'm going to turn it back down.

At this point I am worried if I got 31's that my truck would have a hell of a time turning them over.

 

[scotts90ranger]

with 5.13's it shouldn't, I ran 31's with a 2.3 and 4.10's for a couple years while still N/A and it was fine although needed somewhat lower gears, I did have the 100hp version (Distributorless ignition) where you have the 95hp version.

 

[Hagan]

What about 35's? Will it turn them over fine...or will it be hell?

 

[Rackster]

Reason for timing issue

Just a note on the timing being off - I had a Nissan Stanza where I floated the valves after the timing chain was thrown. I had the timing chain replaced, tensioner, and had the top end rebuilt. 20K later, it did it again. This time, I looked for the reason why when I rebuilt it. What I found odd was that the mark on the crank sprocket was not in the correct position (should have been at 2 o'clock, but it was somewhere closer to 5). I asked the Nissan mechanic about this and he suggested that I take a look as the woodruff key on the crank. To do this, I pulled the crank sprocket and found, to my amazement, it had a hairline crack at the 12 o'clock position. I would have never seen it looking down from the top with a drop of oil obscuring the view. What happened was that the crank sprocket was rotating around the crank because the key was worn to the extent it could spin around the shaft.

Bottom line: if I didn't pursue it further to find the root cause, it would have only been a matter of time until I floated the valves a third time (over a 25 cent key). Probably a bad repair in the past but maybe something else.

 

[Hagan]

I've had the crank key break on a jetski and timing was so off it was misfiring. Took forever to figure that out. Thankfully this is a non interference engine so if something does happen with the belt the engine should be fine.

Thanks I'll check it out!

 

[Rackster]

Clearance Engine

My Stanza's engine was supposed to be a clearance engine but obviously not. I had two techs tell me so, but the valve digs on the top of the pistons was proof enough.

 

[Hagan]

Unless someone took the heads off and had them surfaced??? Who knows...i hope it doesn't happen to me!

 

[Rackster]

Painful lessons

Yes, hopefully you can avoid the painful lesson. On the second crash, I heard the chain rattling on the ride home. I should have just pulled over I suppose, but honestly, I probably would have just checked the tensioner and chain guide (i.e. it was probably inevitable that it crash the second time to pursue the fuller repair). Now if I hear that familiar rattle, I let the owner know what it might be.

Hopefully you dialed in the optimal timing to suit your newly reconfigured Ranger!!

Kevin