2.3L ('83-'97) Timing questions

[ForgedCrank]

I've gotten myself confused... again.
It seems there is something unusual about this engine compared to the normal instructions that i find because I have no diamond timing marks on my plastic cover.
The only markings I have are the stamped dot on the crank gear, and the cast-in pointers on the cam and oil pump gears.
The confusion is that I've read a bunch of how-to posts about this and they conflict a lot. Some are saying use the shaft keys, some say use the arrows, some say both.

Is it as simple as having the crank key pointed @ 12 o'clock, and the cam and oil pump keys pointed @ 6 o'clock? If I do that, the crank gear dot mark doesn't point to the slot in the aluminum cover, so I'm skeptical of this entire thing.
Also, on this engine, does the oil pump gear timing even matter?
This is how I have it set now, but I don't know if it's right or not, and I'm not so comfortable setting this by trying to eyeball 6 o'clock etc.
Suggestions?

 

[ForgedCrank]

This is the method in question. This appears to be the simplest way, but this guy is setting up a distributor engine (mine is electronic) so it's older and I'm worried something may be different with the mark on the cam gear. Will this method work with my 94? (Start @ 2:00 in the video)

 

[scotts90ranger]

Assuming you don't have a cam sensor in the hole in the block where there would be a distributor (usually only california models in '94) then the oil pump pulley doesn't matter at all.

For the crank, the keyway goes up and the dot goes to the mark on the aluminum piece right where you have it pointed (I sometimes slip the balancer on and the front half of the cover and make sure it's at TDC).

For the cam the key goes down and the notch points to the notch in the timing cover toward the bottom right.

 

[scotts90ranger]

Oh, very important! Use some thread sealant on the cam bolt! I don't know when they put plugs behind the bolt or if they ever did but I had a very serious oil leak out of my cam pulley at one point

 

[ForgedCrank]

Oh, very important! Use some thread sealant on the cam bolt! I don't know when they put plugs behind the bolt or if they ever did but I had a very serious oil leak out of my cam pulley at one point

I'm glad you said that. all I did was put a bit of blue locktite on it. I didn't see any call for sealant in the shop manual. I pulled that bolt back out and on this one (94) there is no plug behind that bolt so it most certainly would have leaked. When I disassembled it, it had red something on it from the factory, I just figured it was thread locker... so I'm really glad you said that. I woulda been p***** having to take that all back apart again, so thank you.
I'm also feeling pretty dumb right now. That "mark" for the cam gear... I thought it was a clip seat for the cover to snap onto. I probably still would have asked, it doesn't match the instructions and I wouldn't want to assume on that one.

anyway, thanks a mil for the info

 

[scotts90ranger]

That one was hard to diagnose! I don't drive my '90 much but over the last few years since I put that engine together it was just a leaker, oil everywhere, at least a quart of oil per tank of gas, I'd tried all sorts of stuff then one day tore it apart to look at the front seal and stuff and saw oil in the bottom of the cam pulley... Now it's all stealthy and doesn't leave a telltale trail