I have a 1994 Ranger that I bought from my nephew. he had replaced the timing belt after it broke. I would crank and run but had no power. I checked the timing, but become more confused. I only see a notch for the crankshaft and the camshaft. no triangles or diamonds or circles. Please help me with ensuring the timing is correct. I have attached 2 photos.

 

The triangles and diamonds were used on 1995 and up usually, have seen them on Calif 2.3l 1994 and earlier

Crank key needs to be a 12:00 and Cam key at 6:00

The cam gear should have a mark that lines up with mark on the engine which is at about 4:00, cam woodruff key would be at 6:00 at that time

The AUX gear, oil pump gear, only needed to be timed if there is a Cam Sensor located behind it on back cover, Calif engines had to have that

You can get a compression gauge and hook it up to any cylinder
Unhook coils for a No Start
Crank engine to get compression
2.3l should be 155-165psi
If its under 130 then move belt on Cam gear one tooth in either direction, but REMEMBER direction, lol.
Crank engine again, if compression is lower then move 2 teeth in the OTHER direction
If its 150+ then valve timing is correct

1994 diagram here: https://ww2.justanswer.com/uploads/e...-09_111224.png

 

Thank you. I will;l give it a good look tomorrow but I am almost positive the keys are in those positions. I will also do a compression test. I do know that the engine has the extra 4 spark plugs required by Ca. to burn the emission. I don't know if it has the cam position sensor or not but according to the diagram, the AUX sprocket key should also be on the 6:00 position.

 

The dual spark plug setup is for performance not emissions, popular misconception, and BOTH spark plugs fire at every TDC of that cylinder, there is no alternating.
And no, the spark on exhaust stroke TDC is not to "clean up unburned fuel", lol, its just easier to time engine to spark at every TDC when you are not using a distributor timed by the Cam.

It's just hard to find the room in a head for 2 spark plugs or all engines would have them, many racing engines did have them
Using 4 valves or 2 valves with Swirl technology gave same performance as Dual spark plugs so this technology was dropped, except in airplanes where it is a safety feature


Cam sensor was used to time sequential fuel injection better, so lower emissions with better MPG, also better to fine tune spark based on air:fuel mix
If injector opens just after intake valve then most of the fuel will go into the cylinder and less will coat the intake port sides

 

Got it in time and everything worked great. BUT the ignition switch wouldn't crank it. I had to jump the hot poll to the starter poll on the solenoid to start it. I replaced the solenoid bit nothing but clicks. I could jump from the hot to the small poll and it would crank with the new one. I crunk the motor, and was putting the original wire back on the small poll, the engine died and will nor crank now. What in the heck did I do, and how do I fix it?

 

The small "poll" gets 12volts from the ignition switch when turned to START, but this 12v goes thru the Neutral switch

On an automatic the Neutral switch is on the side of the transmission, trans must be fully in Park or in Neutral to pass the 12v
On a manual trans its on the clutch pedal, pedal must be down all the way, there is a switch on the pedals pushrod, to pass the 12v

 

The naturally switch is working. I have checked it. What I meant by " won't crank" is that the engine will turn over but will not start. I don't know why it died when I put the wire back on, but even with it off and jumping from hot poll to starter poll, it turns over great just will not start.

 

If engine cranks(turns over) but won't start then do 50/50 test, always the first test you should do quick and easy so you don't waste time on looking at the wrong things

Spray gasoline or Quick Start(ether) into the engine then try to start it
If it starts and dies then fuel system is the issue
If it doesn't start then Spark is the issue
50/50

testing for spark doesn't mean its at the right time, fuel pressure doesn't mean fuel is getting into the engine
50/50 tells you instantly where to look

If it doesn't start then you may have blown a fuse
If you have a test light or volt meter, turn key on, and then check either coil packs RED wire, it should have 12v with key on, that should come from EEC Relay and it EEC Fuse(30amp)


There is a 3rd thing since you just did the timing belt, it has walked off a pulley, have to mention it
Other thing I have to mention is gas in the tank, I have wasted time on no starts because owner told me there was gas in the tank, and there wasn't, lol.