Welcome Visitor! Please take a few seconds and 
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2024
- Messages
- 3
- Reaction score
- 2
- Points
- 3
- Age
- 37
- Location
- California
- Vehicle Year
- 1997
- Make / Model
- Ford Ranger XL
- Engine Type
- 2.3 (4 Cylinder)
- Transmission
- Automatic
- 2WD / 4WD
- 2WD
- Total Lift
- 5" front Mid travel
- Total Drop
- 1"
- Tire Size
- 33
- My credo
- life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you take it.
Back story: i live in Los Angeles and have a small project in san diego, CA. about 115 miles one way.
first trip out there a few weeks ago, i got about 75 miles to my destination the got a blinking CEL, misfire cylinder 4. decided to make the 30 some mile journey anyways to my destination, a little rough of a ride but i made it there.
got some spark plugs and changed them, ran ok for about 2 minutes then another blinking CEL, misfire cylinder 2 misfire. drove it 1/2 mile to the house im staying at. changed the spark plugs in cylinder 2. no dice.
truck sat for a couple days then i stupidly decided to test my rotten luck and trek home (115 miles away)....
long story longer, ran shitty for 5 miles , started losing compression then POOOOFFF biggest cloud of white or blue smoke I've seen in person covered both 6 lanes of the north and south interstate 5.
luckily got a tow back home.
blown head gasket is what i figured from reading this forum, and i was correct.
head gasket had a missing section between cylinder 2&3.
along the way while disassembling the top end, saw my poor timing belt and had to change it.
ok her is where things get a little fuzzy.
found TDC and removed top end,
replaced gasket,
put top end on
changed timing belt to the best of my abilities, had one hell of a time with the cover and the power steering bracket.
and everything else that goes along with changing a timing belt. got everything back in order except i must of been off a tooth or i didn't pay attention to the TC mark on the crankshaft but it ran shitty, rough idle and had no giddy up. but made highway speeds.
i had to get back to SD and this truck is my only reliable transport and id lose my job if i didn't show on Monday.
flash forward to Tuesday and i made it to my destination with only a coolant temperature sensor high CEL and monitors not complete. Changed the sensor and worked all week then made my trip back to LA.
made it home...had to fix this issue with my timing belt.
checked the belt and sure enough when the crankshaft was at TC my timing on the oil pump and camshaft were off...
not to mention i put to much oil in and there was oil in my intake manifold (at least i think it was just oil. did smell a little gassy but after i drained a little out to full level it smelt like oil....
spent another day cleaning up intake and making sure things were all connected and tried to get my timing marks aligned but am having a boat load of trouble getting my oil pump to get in the right position and/or my crankshaft to stay in TC after i align my oil and camshaft marks.
i followed the directions from this forum on how to do so almost to the T i just didn't remove my radiator but still cant seem to get my crankshaft to either stay on TC after my marks are alligned , its like the oil pump has a void on the diamond mark and every time i take the belt from the crankshaft to the oil pump and try to getthe be;t in he grooves it wants to jump past the msrk or stay well behing it when i try and account for the slack .
then when they are aligned my crankshaft out of TC.
since my TC mark is not aligned when my other two marks are, im assuming its a timing issue why the truck runs like crap, (it feeels like it have more power, but still lacks what it had before all this.
or is my motor blown also?
did i not have it at TDC? im lost.
sorry for the long story....
first trip out there a few weeks ago, i got about 75 miles to my destination the got a blinking CEL, misfire cylinder 4. decided to make the 30 some mile journey anyways to my destination, a little rough of a ride but i made it there.
got some spark plugs and changed them, ran ok for about 2 minutes then another blinking CEL, misfire cylinder 2 misfire. drove it 1/2 mile to the house im staying at. changed the spark plugs in cylinder 2. no dice.
truck sat for a couple days then i stupidly decided to test my rotten luck and trek home (115 miles away)....
long story longer, ran shitty for 5 miles , started losing compression then POOOOFFF biggest cloud of white or blue smoke I've seen in person covered both 6 lanes of the north and south interstate 5.
luckily got a tow back home.
blown head gasket is what i figured from reading this forum, and i was correct.
head gasket had a missing section between cylinder 2&3.
along the way while disassembling the top end, saw my poor timing belt and had to change it.
ok her is where things get a little fuzzy.
found TDC and removed top end,
replaced gasket,
put top end on
changed timing belt to the best of my abilities, had one hell of a time with the cover and the power steering bracket.
and everything else that goes along with changing a timing belt. got everything back in order except i must of been off a tooth or i didn't pay attention to the TC mark on the crankshaft but it ran shitty, rough idle and had no giddy up. but made highway speeds.
i had to get back to SD and this truck is my only reliable transport and id lose my job if i didn't show on Monday.
flash forward to Tuesday and i made it to my destination with only a coolant temperature sensor high CEL and monitors not complete. Changed the sensor and worked all week then made my trip back to LA.
made it home...had to fix this issue with my timing belt.
checked the belt and sure enough when the crankshaft was at TC my timing on the oil pump and camshaft were off...
not to mention i put to much oil in and there was oil in my intake manifold (at least i think it was just oil. did smell a little gassy but after i drained a little out to full level it smelt like oil....
spent another day cleaning up intake and making sure things were all connected and tried to get my timing marks aligned but am having a boat load of trouble getting my oil pump to get in the right position and/or my crankshaft to stay in TC after i align my oil and camshaft marks.
i followed the directions from this forum on how to do so almost to the T i just didn't remove my radiator but still cant seem to get my crankshaft to either stay on TC after my marks are alligned , its like the oil pump has a void on the diamond mark and every time i take the belt from the crankshaft to the oil pump and try to getthe be;t in he grooves it wants to jump past the msrk or stay well behing it when i try and account for the slack .
then when they are aligned my crankshaft out of TC.
since my TC mark is not aligned when my other two marks are, im assuming its a timing issue why the truck runs like crap, (it feeels like it have more power, but still lacks what it had before all this.
or is my motor blown also?
did i not have it at TDC? im lost.
sorry for the long story....
