Hi again, I have a 95 with the 2.3 and the timing belt broke after only 2 yrs on the truck. All the pulleys are turning freely. I put another timing belt and tensioner on. I noticed while turning it to make sure everything is in time that the belt wants to ride off the crank by 1/8, maybe 3/16
Is this a problem? Is the balancer used as a guide? The belt is flush on the other pulleys except it is riding off the new tensioner just a little bit.Can someone PLEASE tell me what can be causing this. Thanks , Allen

 

I don't have this engine, but I have experience with timing belts.
Turn the belt around, and if it wants to climb the other way, then the belt is defective.
Other things that can cause this are worn bearings in the idler pulleys, when there is tension on them they move sideways and cause what's happening to you.
They will turn freely, but still may be worn.

Possible the bearing on the new tensioner is faulty.

 

Thanks Jeff, I think I will try that. The belt that I took off looked brand new except the clean break. That one had not been scrubbing on anything.I was thinking maybe my crankshaft bearing have gone bad?

 

If by you mean the crank shaft main bearings, then no, if they were out of alignment that much to cause the belt to move, the bottom end of the engine would be totally shot.
1/8 to 3/16th is not much, as long as it's not scuffing the edge of the belt.

What was the make of the one that broke and did you get the replacement from the same place and is it the same brand ?

Usually Gates or AC Delco are OK.
A Ford belt would be best, but probably expensive.

 

Which one is it riding off of, the crank or the tensioner ?

Either way, I'd say your tensioner is either improperly installed, or damaged

And like Jeff R 1 said.
Turn the belt around, and if it wants to climb the other way, then the belt is defective.

 

Thank guys
I turned the belt around and put the original tensioner back on.I seems to riding off the crank about 1/8 and staying at that point.It is staying centered on the tensioner now. I turned it about 10 revolutions.
The belt that broke was an unbranded ebay (yeah,before you say it. I know) This is a Gates.I think I will go ahead and finish putting it together. What do you guys think?

 

Oh yeah, glad to know that about the crankshaft, supercab. Makes me feel a little bit better

 

There is a timing belt guide on the crank shaft, looks like a larger washer, it could have been left off by previous installer

Drawing here: https://www.autozone.com/znetrgs/rep...528008cef2.gif

The Cam gear has the belt guide for rear of belt and the crankshaft has the guide for the front of the belt

 

Mine does not have that guide(washer). The diagram looks a little different than my engine. Same basic layout though. My oil pump is higher up.
does the 1995 2.3 suppose to have the guide? If so, that is probably the issue

 

My crankshaft has a key at the top(at TDC) but the diagram does not show it, so I dont know for sure, anyone?

 

The key is to locate the crank timing gear in the proper orientation.
While it can be used as an indicator, the best mark is the "Dot" on the crank gear - sadly that is not visible once the engine is reassembled.

The "Key" should be at the TOP of the crank - 90* (or perpendicular) to the oil pan seal line...

 

New to the site and not that familiar with protocols. My 96 2.3 has absolutely no power or torque off the line. at 2500-3000 it feels like a hit of nitrous. Can barely get up to speed. installed a new belt with all three marks lined up perfectly. Made no difference. New fuel pump, new throttle position sensor, new plugs, on and on. Any suggestions are very welcome. It is a manual trans too. Please help before I hurt myself and the truck!! Thank you.

 

Welcome to the forum

Yes, you should usually start your own thread unless commenting on/replying to this threads specific topics

1996 2.3l will make best power at about 2,600RPM, so what you feeling is normal for that engine

You may have an MPG rear axle, rear axle gearing for MPG not off the line power

Look at your drivers door label and get the AXLE code, then look here: https://www.therangerstation.com/tec...le_codes.shtml

The lower the ratio the better the MPG, the higher the ratio the faster you get off the line

Assuming an automatic trans, manuals allow you to govern RPMs better