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Author Topic: 2.3 Timing and trans questions  (Read 2022 times)

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Offline Greymare

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2.3 Timing and trans questions
« on: October 14, 2014, 10:55:51 PM »
Well I finally got my 1976 Pinto Wagon home. I must apologize that I have not posted pictures yet. It is a 2.3 auto and its yellow with plaid style interior. The car "ran" when it was parked a little over 5 years ago but the last time it was tagged was in 2000. I opened the back hatch to remove some of the stuff and noticed it has a sugar ant infestation. Little did I know I would have the full interior out of the car and all the carpet removed before I found the end of them. I have never seen anything like it. I used up 4 bottles of ant spray and the were every where!

well I finally got around to trying to start the car. I noticed it was firing at the coil(which is working really well! You could tell by the way I jerked when it hit me! LOL) but was not fire to the plugs. I pulled the cap and noticed that the distributor wasn't turning. Well in a brain dead moment I went ahead and pulled the distributor to see if the gear inside was turning. Well its not. I then got smart and decided to check the timing belt through the opening around the housing. Well I am pretty sure the belt had broken.

Now to my question. I have never worked on one of these engines. I have done some internet searches and looked around and most of what they show is for the ranger engines and its all about putting them in time before you pull it apart. I know the ranger is different in the fact that it has coil packs and no distributor. This lead me to believe that you don't have to time the oil pump shaft as you could point the distributor as you install it. Would that be a true statement? If not is there timing marks in the pump/distributor gear? If there is can someone send me some pictures of them? I am currently out of town but hope to tackle this task when I get home this weekend.

Also I know the car has a automatic transmission in it but how do I tell if its a C4 or a C3? I want to change the fluid and filter prior to getting the car back on the road as its been sitting and I have no clue how long its been since it was changed before it was parked.


Any other stuff besides the list below you would recomend changing before I start driving this thing?
1) I am going to check the brakes out and replace if they need it. This includes the fluid.
2) Timing belt (are there seals or anything that I need to change while I'm down to this point?)
3) New v belts needed
4) New plugs and wires
5) Valve cover gasket (Its leaking pretty bad.)
6) Oil and filter
7) Trans fluid and filter.
8) Check the rear end fluid.
9) Fuel pump? I know there are cheap enough and I have had 2 manual pumps ruin 2 engines from sitting and the diaphragm busting and pumping gas into the crank case and spin bearings before I knew what was going on.
10) Rebuild the carburetor
11) replace the fuel filter.
12) drop and clean the fuel tank.
13) Anything else you can think of.

Thanks in advance for any help you all can offer.

Offline 74 PintoWagon

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Re: 2.3 Timing and trans questions
« Reply #1 on: October 15, 2014, 08:12:23 AM »
Look at your pan and compare..

Art
65 Falcon 2DR 200 IL6 with C4.

Offline dick1172762

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Re: 2.3 Timing and trans questions
« Reply #2 on: October 15, 2014, 08:40:21 AM »
All the things you listed sound correct and are easy to do. You need to look at the early Rangers as they are very much just like your Pinto. Make sure you use the one piece valve cover gasket as it is so much better and re useable than the old design gasket. Same way if you need to ever pull the pan(can be done in the car if you drop the rack). All three seals are the same at the front of the engine. Most of the time the cam seal is the one that leaks because someone removed the bolt for what ever reason and didn't rap the end of the bolt with Teflon tape(a must). Crank seal is the hardest one to get to. You will need to pull the damper and pulleys off to get to it. Lots of work but doable and worth it.
Its better to be a has-been, than a never was.

Offline Greymare

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Re: 2.3 Timing and trans questions
« Reply #3 on: October 15, 2014, 11:10:44 PM »
Thanks for the info folks! I will have to look at the pan when I get there. I noticed the nice 1 piece rubber gaskets. Those are the ones I had already decided to use. Don't want to be messing with oil leaks once I get it going. I have plans later to add a turbo with the factory carb converted to a blow through unless I can find some type of fuel injected stand alone system. The pan patterns will make figuring out what trans I have a snap. Thanks again guys!

Offline 74 PintoWagon

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Re: 2.3 Timing and trans questions
« Reply #4 on: October 16, 2014, 07:30:31 AM »
The one piece gaskets are the best thing there is, wish they would have came out with those 30 yrs ago..
Art
65 Falcon 2DR 200 IL6 with C4.