Is there a way to still check the timing on the 98 2.5L with a timing light? It's suppose to be 10 degrees BTDC. It's possible when the guy changed my timing belt a year ago he could've got the timing just a little off. I just put new Motorcraft wires and Motorcraft plugs on to see if it helped on my power loss, sometimes rough idle, and missing at 50-60MPH. The only difference it made was when you take off from a stop and overload the engine by pressing the gas all the way down, it doesn't chug before it gets goin anymore. It still has a slight miss sometimes at idle, but not as apparent and the hesitation/stumble from 50-60MPH didn't lessen at all. Once a day first early in the morning after it's been sitting all night when I get to the first stop on my way to work is when the engine will sound like it's losing vacuum and the engine will slow way down when you come to a stop. And when you're driving now just cruising speed and you let off the gas the engine seems it idles way down. There is no vacuum leak on the engine and the idle air is new and functioning, and the tps is less than a week old. EGR works fine, and wasn't even that clogged when I took off the manifold to do the plugs. And it's got a new intake gasket too. I know timing being off could cause some of these problems.

 

I don't see why you couldn't use a timming light, it's the old lima engine thats been made since the early 70's. Anyone else have some input here?

 

I tried it today and maybe I've found the problem. Because doing all this other stuff mechanics suggesst has not done anything much. I checked the Ford manual says the base timing should be 10 degrees BTC and when I checked it using the traditional method it showed 6-8 BTC on the timing marks. Could this be just enough to cause the miss and hesitation at 50-60mph?

 

Timing retarded 2-4 degrees from specification will not generally lead to miss and hesitation. You will get a little less gas mileage, possible higher coolant temp, and lower power output. If really retarded, it will be gutless until you get into the low 3k rpm range.
Missing at speed points to fuel delivery problems more than timing. Or EGR that is overactive, or plug wires that arc. How old is the fuel filter? What is your fuel pressure and does the pump deliver enough? Take it up a long hill and you will find out if it gets enough fuel. If not, it will sputter and buck as it runs short. Just a few things to consider.
tom

 

Well it seems like the timing wasn't off but 2 or 3 which in the Ford specs is acceptable. I drove it to my friends house which is 15 miles away, so it got nice and hot. Then we checked it again. Everytime you could hear the flutter through the exhaust the timing mark would jump from 10 down to TC and then up to 25 and then 30 degrees. And once you gave it a little gas it stayed at 10 and then when you let off and idled back down it would fluctuate from 25 back to TC and then up and down again, never staying on 10 unless applied the gas a little. Is the timing mark always suppose to stay on 10? Should it flucuate that much? It seems like the timing is wrong, every other system has been gone through on the truck. Compression is good at 160PSI, fuel pressure is good at 60PSI, plugs, wires, fuel filter, air filter, PCV, TPS, EGR solenoid, MAF, 02, and the Cat have all been replaced less than a year old. Some of those parts within a month old. I'll go and check the timing on my 93 Ranger 2.3L to compare, but I wouldn't think the mark should fluctuate that much. Its also suppose to be 10.

 

In my opinion the timing should not fluctuate that way unless there is something wrong. It almost seems that the system loses track of where it is, or is falling out of closed loop. The fuel pressure @60psi seems high to me, I thought 40 was the standard, with a jump if you disconnect the vacuum line from the regulator.
I think you have a loose wire or connector somewhere that is making the ECM lose track of the crankshaft position, at which time, it falls back the limp home or default timing position.
The timing at idle should be at 10 for base, but the ECM can and will adjust the timing as the rpms change. It will advance up to maybe 30btdc - approx - as the rpms increase. As the engine rpms decrease, the timing would also decrease its advance. There should be a 'defeat' for the non-distributor systems to get the system to fix the timing at 10BTDC for checking purposes. I do not know it, but expect that it is related to putting the system into test mode, as the older systems would leave the timing at 10 fixed for 2 minutes after you ran the KOER - key on engine running tests.
tom

 

I checked our 93 Ranger 2.3 timing which is still suppose to be at 10 BTC and it was right on as it idled just like my 98. It also fluctuated the same as I revved it and it idled back down. And it runs way better than mine and no misses at all, it's as smooth as when it was new. We only checked my fuel pressure on my 98 with the coils disconnected and the gauge hooked up. It read 60PSI. The acceptable readings from the 98 Ford Ranger service manual says 56-72PSI. So I'm right in the middle. But I could not hook it up and drive it because it wouldn't reach and I didn't know how safe it would be. I definitely can't do it with my fuel pressure tester. It's hesitating at 50-60 MPH when you go up a steep hill but it's also idling way down in the morning when I come to a stop, like it wants to shut off and then it never does it again the whole day. It's only first in the morning. If I can find someone to do a fuel pressure test running and going up a hill and the pressure is low how do you determine if it's an injector or the fuel pump? The only parts that have not been replaced as far as underhood service items are the crank sensor, purge valve, EGR pressure sensor, and EGR. The EGR valve works and when I took it off wasn't even clogged up or the intake ports either. It's never been replaced.

 

I just bought a better fuel pressure tester and retested the fuel pressure. I still can't rig it up to drive with it. But it read between 60-62 PSI. But the whole time it was running it was flickering between 60-62 PSI very rapidly. It wasn't steady. When I gave it some throttle the gauge stayed steady at 60 PSI. What does this mean?

 

I guess you have ruled out the timing changes, given the 2.3 duplicates..
The fuel pressure is supposed to increase when the vacuum in the intake manifold drops, as when the throttle is opened quickly. I do not know the spec for your year, but those that have a vacuum diaphragm connected to manifold vacuum should drop as noted.
The pressure gauge can be left connected for a while to see if you have fuel pressure drop over time. A leaky injector or fuel pump check valve would allow pressure to drop. There is a spec on how much drop is allowable over a specified time.
If you get more hesitation and stumble when climbing a hill, then you may have fuel delivery problems. I don't think I would try to get a reading going down the road... unless I could tape the gauge to the windshield, and have someone else watch or drive.
There is a 'sock' on the fuel pump pickup that can get clogged, and even if your pump is fine, filter flowing ok, injectors doing their thing, the engine will stutter and jerk if it doesn't get fuel through the sock. It is a screen covering the intake in the bottom of the tank. I had one that almost made the engine stop climbing to the Caldecott tunnel in Oakland. Finally figured it out, dropped the tank and threw it away. I mounted an extra inline filter before the pump (mechanical) and drove on.
The morning cold performance may be the ECT or ACT sensor acting up. The engine coolant and air charge temp sensors may be telling the ECM that the engine is warm, and it doesn't bump up the fuel mix nor the cold idle for a cold engine... You should get an idle above 1k I think for the first few minutes running a cold engine. It should then drop down in steps as the temp comes up.
tom