2.3L ('83-'97) Amateur hour 2.3

[Aushkoshbgosh]

I did get it there is a lot of useful info in here think my problem RN is that my gas return line isn't hooked up yet and my timing is off by like a whole cycle
Anyway here's some screenshots that I wish I'd been able to find sooner sharing is caring

 

[Aushkoshbgosh]

So this fuel line was torn off at the front, this is hose that runs between the filter and the intake, It wouldn't seat right because the other end is still on the intake. Tomorrow when I find my heat gun I'm gonna cut the old end off melt the end of this hose and slide it on then put a hose clamp on it and hopefully that will hold.

 

[Aushkoshbgosh]

Here's one for the electricians the butt connector I had on my alternator kept coming loose so I rigged this dumb little connection up. I'm gonna wrap it in electrical tape before I take it anywhere but I wanted to show it off before that

 

[Frank S]

I was going to suggest you find a manual! A Haynes will do in a pinch for the skill level you have, but a genuine Ford manual is better. The big difference is a Ford factory manual assumes you're a reasonably experienced mechanic (or you wouldn't be working for a dealer shop!) whereas the Haynes assumes you're a DIYer and may not know as much.

The only way to learn is to jump in there! You're going to make some mistakes, but we all did. You have an advantage -- this and other forums! easier for you to ask questions, get advice, and just search for common information. Like the timing marks/belt....

 

[Aushkoshbgosh]

I took your advice and got a haynes manual he was only 15 bucks at AutoZone and came in handy almost immediately
Turns out that leak in my fuel line, at least the first and most obvious one, is actually coming from a spring lock coupling between the fuel filter and the fuel intake rail because of the way I removed the hose the first time. I just tore the hose straight off of it instead of using a spring lock key to detach it. Shame on me.
The manual points that out and I just bought a spring lock key and popped the male end right off brought it inside. I was able to use some red silicone and a heat gun to put the thing back together and tomorrow I'll go out once it's dry and see if it'll hold pressure. Assuming it does, I'll be basically done I got to find out where this last hose is supposed to attach and I've got an extra hose elbow joint that I don't know where it belongs so that's kind of a problem I got to figure that one out but yeah after that i just gotta get the timing right and it should run like a top.

 

[Aushkoshbgosh]

I might have used the wrong connector to link up the oil separator to the throttle body/ upper intake whatever. If that's the case then I'll pull that hoses off replace it with the extra elbow I got and that connector will probably hook up to the loose fuel line.. what I assume is the fuel return line? Not sure exactly. It may be the second tank hose either way all the pieces will be more or less where they're supposed to be.
I still got to remember to find that missing exhaust manifold bolt when I'm done
And I gotta make sure those are torqued properly
Gotta make sure the oil temperature sender is properly attached and working right.
And the hoses all need to be clamped once I'm sure they are in the right spots Then once the timing is set I'll pop the radiator back on.
I should probably drain the coolant the thermostat was open so long I know at least one bug flew in there and died, god knows what else got in it. I recently lost my job which is actually kind of a blessing in disguise because it means I've got time to finish this. Got an interview tomorrow though so might not have as much time as I'd hoped

 

[Aushkoshbgosh]

The fix held together

 

[scotts90ranger]

I'm glad it held, red silicone (or any silicone really) isn't really fuel resistant though so be weary of it...

 

[Aushkoshbgosh]

Hmm. That's troubling, thanks for telling me. the way the fuel line is fixed it shouldn't be an issue
What prevents the fuel from leaking is the way the plastic line hugs the ribbed pipe on the fastener the silicon's just a filler to keep it from slipping not a gasket but if it fails Ill know why

 

[scotts90ranger]

Just checking, there should be an O ring in the connection, didn't know if you tore that and tried to silicone it back together from what you typed, the fuel lines on my '90 are just hoses jammed over the ribs on the quick connect fittings on the fuel filter and fuel rail with two hose clamps per connection, the only failure I've had in like 13 years is the cheap hardware store hose I used the first time around, it got hard and brittle and literally cracked in half after like 2 years, replaced it with good Lawrence Marine red stripe teflon lined hose and it's been good ever since...

 

[Aushkoshbgosh]

Yea it's exactly that
No I didn't tear the o ring or if I did I wasn't aware of it... There are two on the male side of the connector and they were both intact

To clarify I put silicon on the base of the ribs of the quick connectors (springlock joiners) so that the hose wouldn't leak or slip

I ended up replacing the male half of the joiner and that worked, I think the spring was worn out but I'm not sure

I managed to create a new disaster for myself
This ones pretty embarrassing

 

[Aushkoshbgosh]

So
...
I found another leak it was In the pump reservoir
The issue was a warn out o ring.. but the tank has a lathe cut o ring more like a gasket. And they don't sell the right size near me. I didn't wanna order it and wait so I got the next size down...
And figured I'd stretch it somehow
Ok.. bare with me
I figured out it only needed to stretch to be the diameter of the tank... So I stretched it around the outside of the tank. Then I figured I just had to heat up the rubber enough to denature it and it would seat... And uh.. my dad God bless him suggested I stick it in the microwave for "a couple minutes.." obviously I didnt do that that would be insane. stuck the tank in the microwave for .. 30 ish seconds... I figured the rubber would loosen up and it would seat just fine idk what I was thinking.

 

[Aushkoshbgosh]

So I'm looking at replacement options now
The tank is the only part that needs replacing the switch is fine but you can't buy one without the other the switch is expensive and hard to find.
On the bronco forum someone actually had a similar issue and replaced it with a cheap water fuel separator on Amazon.
This one :
iFJF 802893Q01 Fuel Water Separator Kit 10 Micron 18-7983-1 Filters for Replacing Mercury 35-807172 35-60494-1 18-7944 Marine 35-55501 35-57250 35-806771 35-802893T 35-802893Q ABB-FUELF-IL-TR https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085FT6WJZ?tag=959media-20
He says it works so that's plan b
Plan a is to call a scrapper I know that has a late 80s ranger when they open. In about... An hour so
.. hope someone gets a laugh out of this. I didn't

 

[Aushkoshbgosh]

I also thought of just bypassing the switch as a temporary fix just running the lines straight back to the tank
Suggestions are welcome

 

[Aushkoshbgosh]

Oh..unrelated but after I sort the fuel line problema out, all that's left is timing. I mentioned a couple times that this thing doesn't have timing marks or a rear shroud for the belts.
So I'm doing it blind, I figured out the crank pulley does have a mark and I think I have it lined up so at least I believe the cylinders are tds. And the auxiliary sprocket just operates the distributor so I figured out which peg was sparking number 1 and made a mark where the sprocket turns the distributor towards that peg
Now I'm trying to figure out the camshaft sprocket. I understand it need to be set to "position 1" which is the first compression on the first valve and that I can figure out where that is by sticking a screwdriver in the sparkplug hole and."feeling" the valves position with the screwdriver. Can someone explain this to me? what I'm suppose to be feeling for? What angle to I hold the screw driver? I don feel anything in any position .. and How do I know I'm on the first compression stroke?