Will the difference in manufacturers of the 3.0 in 2000 create different parts and/or part numbers associated with specific factories. I am replacing the timing chain/gear set in my Ranger 3.0. the replacement chain and gears have more play in them than the old ones did. not sure what the tolerence is but there is way too much play in the chain, No guides no tensioner. the part number i got from rock auto is the same as oreilies would have pulled for me.

 

Did you compare the parts you removed to the new parts?

This should not be, now we just need to find out why.

 

The parts rcvd were considerably larger. (Rock auto Pt no c3218).

 

This is one` of the reasons why we try to stay with OEM when possible..

There could be some reason for the differences, but if nothing on the vehicle was changed, Ford should be able to come up with the right parts.

 

... well I called Ford dealership Parts dept. They said that the timing chain and associated sprockets were obsolete / discontinued He gave me the three pn's , one for each item. he cleared up any ideals about ford having mazda parts in it, said that it is the mazda that has ford parts in it. They all claim to offer OEM parts, and the one place that is for sure OEM parts discontinued The chain & gears as a set and individually. So, it's turning out to be a whole a lot of Bull. Somebody somewhere knows why. I am starting to think the engine stamp on the block could hold clues. Maybe I am the one Ranger driver that will have a good and tight timing chain when this is all over. i didnt realize a steel timing chain would streach so easily. seems like they tell you to plan on it and suggest we r&R them at 150K i think itis. annyway at this point i am down to scrapin' it or tryinto replace the motor or swapping around timing chains till i find one thats tight. Its all so ford... doncha think.

 

Well, as it turns out, the slack in ma chain aint so bad. thats why it was as loose (on one side and somewhat tight on the other) as the one I was replacing. I thought it had jumped a tooth, (no compression Cyl 2 and partial compression cyl 5, the other 4 normal.) Correct me if I am wrong; If it had jumped tooth no cyl would be compressed, then exhausted normally, They would all fail. After many sleepless hours surfing the WWW and finding so frigging many short vids just packed full of misinformation (NOTE: Excessive enthusiasm does not constitute expertise.) it has been somewhat explained to me., that the chain is designed in such a way that with temp extremes it contracts and expands and if it was to jump tooth it would be due to a sprocket becoming extremely worn down( sometimes to mere points and even then it would be very evident it had jumped tooth cause it would be all "knarred" up (damaged) where it had actually jumped. So now I am back to the original problem: No compression Cyl 2 and low compression Cyl 5. I am pulling the valve cover in the morn to check cyl 2's parts really quick before i hook up the air compressor and listen for escaping air. I have also discovered that the 3.0L engine's old distributor Shaft is still used to power the oil pump and still can affect the timing. (Which incidentally last year I had a mechanic friend R&R the oil pump). (I haven't researched this yet) I was informed I would need a specialized tool for this. the last time I heard my ranger run right was right before he r&R ed the oil pump. One last Thought before i wrap this up. A question rather, with a little slack in the timing chain the crank shaft and the cam shaft can move independently of each other ever so slightly. maybe 3 degrees. will the DCM fine tune them to exact timing/alignment with each other? or is the cam/crank relationship considered fixed? Thank you for taking the time to read my plight. the information I have gathered here in its entirety is my interpatation of a variety of DIY, forums and instructional videos and U tube productions that as we all know can be incorrect from time to time. I welcome any and all corrections humbly, as i am a retired Avionics/Electronics tech that simply can't afford the forever increasing cost of veh repairs. J O7