2.3L ('83-'97) oil pump mark is off

[Dav]

putting a 200k 96 motor in my 400k 95 work truck. changing seals and gaskets while it's easy. timing marks don't line up. oil pump is about 4 teeth out of wack. motor ran fine in donner truck. does it really matter if the oil pump is off,

 

[scotts90ranger]

Yes it does, not all the time but it makes a difference... I don't know how accurate it needs to be but it helps with sequential injection, if it's 4 teeth off it might just be ignoring the cam sensor and going with batch fire off of the crank sensor... helped with a '98 at work a few months ago and it DID NOT appreciate being one tooth off, I got mine right the first time so no experience on that guy... I completely ignore the '90 since it doesn't have a cam sensor...

 

[RonD]

+1 ^^^^

The Cam sensor reads the oil pump gear, as it was the easiest location for it, and cam gear and AUX gear(oil pump) are the same size, same number of teeth so need to be sync'ed for the cam sensor to be of value

Cam gear at 4:00
AUX gear at 12:00
Crank gear at 12:00

Cam sensor was added to the 2.3l in 1995
But Calif sold 2.3l had Cam sensor since 1993
So your 1995 computer needs the Cam sensor

 

[Dav]

bet you knew this was coming!: what do you use to pull the crank sprocket? seal is leaking a bit so now's the time to replace but the sprocket doesn't want to move. the sprocket puller i found on line is $350. bit much to use for 2 minutes and never again. will a narrow jaw 2 arm puller do it? that's only about $20 but it's harbor freight so it might not last long enough to finish the pull.

 

[RonD]

Check with local mechanic shops that do/did Fords repairs, they most likely have one sitting on a shelf collecting dust, RENT IT

Not sure a Ford Dealer would rent them, but all they can say is no, free phone call

There are some videos on creative ways to get the gear off
But be careful not to break the front case, which people have done before

If you have an old timing belt you can cut it just long enough to wrap the gear
Then clamp it from 2 sides like a gear puller without the hooks, strap it or bolt it
The friction of the belt on the gear teeth might be enough to get it moving and out

 

[scotts90ranger]

oof, the crank sprocket is a tough one... I've had a couple sticky ones, there isn't squat for room and I'm pretty sure the dang thing is hardened (I tried drilling one, the bit laughed...). Technically the only thing holding it on is rust so it "should" move, but of course there's no room behind it...

 

[89Twincharge]

I had a 97 in the shop the other day and there wasn't a cam sensor on it the 95 we had a few weeks prior did. My supervisor is a master tech and he was as puzzled as I was. We generally replace cam and crank sensors together on higher mileage pre 2k cars, and it had a cam sensor code that went away with the crank sensor replacement.... Who TF knows?