Installing a Timing Belt on Ford Ranger 2.5 Engine

It is recommended that you replace the 2.5 Ford Ranger timing belt at 60,000-mile intervals. This is based on the service history on this particular engine. It has been identified as a free-wheeling engine, which means that it is highly unlikely that any type of damage to the engine would occur in the event that the timing belt would fail or come off during the operation of the vehicle.

You will need certain tools to complete this job, including a special tool from Ford. The tool is required for the tensioner and it has a part number of #303-097. Additionally, you will need a standard wheel puller, a set of 3/8-inch drive sockets, a 3/8-inch drive ratchet, a set of ½-inch drive sockets, a ½-inch drive air gun, a set of metric wrenches and an air-conditioning reclaimer.

Remove the radiator shroud and loosen the water pump pulley bolts. Remove the accessory drive belts. Remove the water pump pulley bolts. Remove the water pump pulley and the radiator cooling fan. Drain and recover the Freon from the air-conditioning system. Remove the air-conditioning compressor.

Remove the power steering pump but leave the lines attached and move aside. Remove the air conditioning bracket. Remove the crankshaft pulley bolt and the pulley using the wheel puller. Remove the timing belt cover.

Turn the crankshaft clockwise until the keyway on the crankshaft sprocket is straight up and the dot to the right side of it is lined up with the corresponding mark on the block. Check that the triangle mark on the camshaft sprocket lines up with the same type mark on the block at the 5 o'clock position. If not then turn the crankshaft one more time and it will align.

Loosen the large bolt on the top of the tensioner and then loosen the bolt closest to the tensioner pulley. Use the special ford tool and turn the tensioner clockwise to take the tension off of the timing belt and tighten the adjusting bolt lightly to hold it out of your way. Remove the timing belt.

Install the new timing belt starting on the right side and work counterclockwise. The circle on the crankshaft sprocket and the diamond marks on the oil pump and the triangle marks on the camshaft sprocket should always stay lined up. Loosen the adjuster bolt on the tensioner and rotate the engine two turns clockwise and realign the timing marks. Tighten the tensioner-adjusting bolt next to the tensioner pulley and then pivot bolt. Install the rest of the components in the reverse order that they were removed and tighten the crankshaft bolt to 121 foot-pounds of torque.