1. Engage the parking brake and make sure the car is in neutral.
2. Turn off the engine and allow it to cool down.
3. Open the hood of the Ford Ranger.
4. Locate the distributor cap. It is located on the front of the engine, near the top.
5. Remove the distributor cap.
6. Once the distributor cap is removed, you can see the rotor button below it.
7. The rotor button is aligned with the #1 spark plug wire.
8. Look for a timing mark on the engine block and a mark on the timing chain cover.
9. You may have to use a flashlight to see them clearly.
10. The line on the engine block has a "0" and a "12" next to it. The line on the timing chain cover has 2 marks, a "0" and "F".
11. Align the "0" mark on the engine block with the "F" mark on the timing chain cover.
12. The rotor button should point towards the #1 spark plug wire when these marks are aligned.
13. If they are not aligned, you will need to adjust the timing belt.
Use the above information and the following procedure to adjust the timing if necessary:
- Rotate the engine slightly counterclockwise by turning the crankshaft pulley or the camshaft sprocket until the "F" mark on the timing chain cover aligns with the "0" mark on the engine block.
- Loosen the distributor hold-down bolt or nut.
- Slowly turn the distributor housing clockwise. Stop turning when the engine starts to run rough.
- Tighten the distributor hold-down bolt or nut.
- Recheck that the timing marks properly align.
Note: Turning the distributor clockwise retards the timing, and turning it counterclockwise advances the timing.
