Timing belt repair question(s)! URGENT!!

[brd35124]

I have a 1992 ford ranger, 2.3L- 4 cyl engine. my truck is in repair and the mechanic is insisting my engine is a INTERFERENCE engine and have been told it was not. also to repair, they are telling me that to fix they need to replace the belt, a pulley?, and a cam-kit?, and with this and the tow charge and labor am looking at $765.00. this engine was replaced in 2005 and have around 70,000 miles on it. am I being stiffed? I also don't know why a pulley and don't know what a "cam-kit" is.. can someone throw some advice to me. any help is appreciated. ive alreay been told the engines non-interference but am being told different. HELP!!HELP!!HELP!! sincerely, bruce

 

[kunar]

check this out.
http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=140813

oh, and welcome to TRS!

 

[scotts90ranger]

It's definitely a non interference engine, they're wrong on that one.

The pulley they are most likely talking about is the tensioner, it's not a bad idea to change that when doing a timing belt, there's a kit with the timing belt and tensioner for 1.5 times the price of just the belt.

No idea what the "cam kit" is...

 

[Mark_88]

Unless you posted this somewhere else recently, you are the second person in the last week who has had this situation arise.

Timing belt: as low as $15 (according to someone on here)
Replacement parts: $0

Labor: $100 tops...if you pay a mechanic to do it...

EDIT: just checked Kunar's link...so you know the story...

 

[4b316]

Get another mechanic.

 

[brd35124]

Wanted to thank you for your information for hopefully it will save me $400. the present mechanic still insisting its a interference engine and wanting to replace other parts than the belt and charge me $765, I called FORD and they set the questions straight and said theyd do it for $350, so I am gonna pay $65 for the tow to the present shop and get FORD to pick it up. I still come out approx. $335 ahead in taking this route.

 

[Mark_88]

Cool...but do what many 2.3 owners do and carry a spare timing belt...takes up very little space and can be changed in an hour or so on the side of the road if necessary...

It's good that you can afford to pay that much out for a $20 job (OK, $50 in Canada) but if/when you learn to do it yourself you will be amazed at how simple it really is...even on a FI engine...

Some day I will be able to afford to pay someone else to do it for me too...I would hope...

Just razzing you a bit...don't take offense...I learned the hard way how easy it is but it is not exactly the first project I'd recommend for anyone...because getting it right does require a bit of patience and understanding of how these motors work...if you're so inclined~

 

[john93rangerstx]

it calls for 3 hour to do

 

[Mark_88]

3 hours? Maybe on a FI model that you have to move stuff out of the way to get to the belt...I've read posts on here about changing the belts on some later models and I marvel that they made such an easy thing (on an 88 2.0) into such a monumental task...but I guess with all the extra belts and accessories it can get a bit complicated.

I like my 2.0/2.3 carbed version for many things...and this is one of them...easy to swap in heads, timing belts, and there is no A/C or PS to complicate things...

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Cool...but do what many 2.3 owners do and carry a spare timing belt...takes up very little space and can be changed in an hour or so on the side of the road if necessary...

Its much easier to NOT get stuck, and preform some preventative maintenance on the vehicle instead. Its a 60,000mi recommended replacement on the belt, why not just change the belt at or slightly before 60K and you don't have to worry about being stranded on the side of the road, etc. My '91 has 276K miles on it and I am nearing another belt replacement. Bought a new Gates™ timing belt kit, which included the idler, from O'Reilly auto parts for right at $50. Also bought a new water pump from NAPA for about $40 and have the upper radiator hose and one molded heater hose (rest have been replaced with Gates™ red jacket hose which is virtually lifetime) and I still need to get a lower radiator hose.

If you ever run into an engine that has NEVER had a belt replacement since new, you will spend a lot of time attempting to break the crank bolt loose. Ford had big lumberjacks or the Green Giant torquing this bolt down, as everyone says they are always way overtorqued from the factory. Clutch would not hold the engine from turning, I had to put a pipe wrench on that large chunk of irregular shaped iron they call a damper, and wedge it to the frame, then use a 6 ft piece of pipe on a breaker bar and socket to break it loose. Even stopped and drove to a local shop to verify it was right hand thread. Finally thought I was going "tip the truck over" trying to get it loose, but it finally came loose with no damage. It is now installed with anti-seize and "good and tight" and has never attempted to loosen. This will be belt change #4 for me.

When its done, its done, and I don't have to worry about it again for years to come.

Charles

 

[Mark_88]

I'm a firm believer in preventative maintenance...as well as regular inspections...although I long for the days when I drove a vehicle absolutely clueless as to what made it run and why it was still running for years without even so much as opening the hood to see if the motor was still in there.

No, actually, I take that back...because with those days also came the hefty charges I had to pay for someone else to do something that I learned over time I could do myself...thanks to TRS and a bit of financial challenges that I found myself in over auto repairs and upgrades done by others.

My first actual experience with this came with my Ford Tempo and a MAP sensor that went south on me making the engine do very strange things...I paid the $90 diagnostic fee but managed to find and replace the $200 part (from Ford) with a $5 part from the junkyard...

It was love at first junkyard site...

 

[scotts90ranger]

If you ever have a stuck crank bolt on an engine trying to replace the timing belt, put a breaker bar on the socket on the crank bolt and strap or tie it to the bottom of the passenger side frame rail then bump the starter, most times the bolt will come off easy that way... if not bump it a few more times

 

[martin]

The breaker bar and bump the starter works well on most motors, but it should be noted that there are some motors (Honda for instance) that turn the other way, if you try that with them you end up with a crank bolt that is almost impossible to undo.

 

[19bonestock88]

Yeah, but note which direction the engine turns, set up breaker bar appropriately... And it works like a charm on the lima... Thats the way i have always done it...

 

[EMB1230]

I like my 2.0/2.3 carbed version for many things...and this is one of them...easy to swap in heads, timing belts, and there is no A/C or PS to complicate things...

I love that my '96 has neither A/C nor P/S. I know the front timing cover have those 2 grommets you can pull off to take a peek at the belt, but Hell, on mine, ONE 10 mm bolt and my whole front timing cover is off!!!!