Timing belt trouble '97 Ford Ranger

[HAPPY+RANGER+GUY]

good link

http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=140813&page=1

Sorry...not sure how the link got screwed up.

 

[HAPPY+RANGER+GUY]

Not sure what you mean...

This is untrue:

"he claims that the engine in this particular Ranger is rare has dual overhead cams and that it's known as an "Interference Engine". "

 

[EMB1230]

The only thing made by Mazda is the transmission used in all 1988+ Manual shift Rangers, Even the B-Series trucks were actually made by Ford.

 

[nadsab]

LOL - almost THREE years later and the Ranger still sits in driveway un driven LOL.

Well - do you folks think it is worth it to buy a rebuilt engine with 3 year warranty, for the ranger and put it in? Or do you think I should try to get the timing chain set right?

Mileage is approaching 250 thousand - I think there is around 230 or 240 thou miles on it I will have to check.

Is it worth spending 1600+ bucks for a rebuilt engine, and for labor to put it in? Or try to get the current engine running instead - by someone who knows what he or she is doing? Try to set timing myself?

I don't know why that mechanic 3 years ago had so much trouble setting the timing correctly - is it that big of a deal with this particular engine?

Also - is there a way I can tell exactly what block/engine is in there from the VIN? Truck had under 50 K miles on it when we bought it so I assume it is the original engine - unless something fishy was going on at the dealership and they swapped in a different engine...

Also, does anyone know where the serial number of the engine block is located?

 

[tomw]

A good used engine is available locally(S.E.) for ~$400-500 depending on exact vintage and condition. Yours has sat since 2013. Your mechanic should change his work designation, as he apparently does not know which end of a screwdriver to use as a hammer. Being rude, he is apparently incompetent, and cannot read the readily available posts about changing the timing belt on a Lima 2.3.
Search here for directions, or ford-trucks.com, or ranger-forums or fordrangerforum or do a google for images of a Ford 2.3 timing belt. You will likely get thousands of hits.
The process is relatively simple, and does not take a rocket scientist to accomplish.
If you have access to a torque wrench ($15 @ harbor freight) a 24mm(??) socket for the crank pulley bolt, a socket wrench set ($5-ish@harbor freight), a flat-blade screwdriver to loosen the hose clamps, and some time, you can do it yourself. Or not.
I would not give another dime to your 'mechanic', and would actually ask for a refund as he did NOT successfully change the timing belt.
Letting the truck sit is not a good thing to do. Brakes start to leak, rust, etc. The battery will sulfate and become useless, requiring replacement. The bearings in all the accessories will start to dry up, and so on.
So, choices are 1)new-to-you truck, 2)fix the fix of this engine, 3)get a good used engine and 4)get a rebuilt engine. I would not put that many $$s into an truck that old unless I was going to run it for 3-4 years to amortize the cost. Your choice.
tom

 

[enjr44]

Well, I think you should think about selling it to someone that needs a truck and wants to fix it. If it has set for three years you probably don't really need it. I just went through one that had set for about 5 years. It took about 500 to put it right.