Fix It

The Ford Ranger is a compact pickup truck manufactured by the Ford Motor Company since 1983. The 1991 model has a choice of several engines, including a four-cylinder, 2.3-liter engine. The oil pump circulates oil through the engine to keep it lubricated. The oil pump in a 1991 Ford Ranger with a 2.3-liter engine is on the front of the engine and is driven by the timing belt.

Instructions

1

Disconnect the cable from the negative battery terminal with a socket wrench to prevent you from starting the engine inadvertently. Remove the timing belt from its pulley and detach the electrical connector for the camshaft position sensor on the camshaft.

2

Insert a pry bar through the hole in the oil pump sprocket to prevent it from turning. Remove the mounting bolt for the oil pump sprocket with a socket wrench and disconnect the sprocket.

3

Remove the mounting bolt for the camshaft position sensor with the socket wrench and disconnect the sensor. Remove the four mounting bolts for the oil pump and detach the oil pump from the front of the engine. Discard the gasket for the oil pump.

4

Clean the mating surfaces on the oil pump gasket with a shop rag and lubricate the new gasket with clean engine oil. Install the new oil pump and gasket and torque the mounting bolts for the oil pump to between 90 and 123 inch-pounds with a torque wrench.

5

Attach the camshaft position sensor and torque its mounting bolts to between 45 and 61 inch-pounds with the torque wrench. Install the oil pump sprocket and tighten its mounting bolts to between 30 and 40 foot-pounds.

6

Connect the electrical connector for the camshaft position sensor and install the timing belt. Reattach the cable to the negative battery terminal with the socket wrench. Add 8 ounces of engine oil to prime the oil pump.

The air filter in the 2003 Ford Focus PZEV 2.3L is different from a standard filter. A standard filter is a small paper cartridge that is placed inside an air filter assembly. The Focus PZEV -- which stands for "partial zero emissions vehicle" -- uses an air filter box with a special nonserviceable foam element inside. In order to replace this filter, you have to replace the entire box, which is fairly expensive. But you should only have to replace the filter every 150,000 miles.

Instructions

1

Lift the hood of the Focus and prop it open.

2

Locate the air filter box. It is the large black box just behind the left headlight.

3

Unbolt the air filter box from the air intake hose using the socket wrench and socket.

4

Remove the air filter box from the engine bay and place the new one in its place.

5

Connect the new air filter box to the air intake hose and bolt it into place.

Fixing the head gaskets on a Subaru 2.5 liter engine is a challenging task. It should only be undertaken if you have considerable experience working on cars and have a full set of automotive tools, both standard and metric. You should always wear safety glasses and gloves for protection. Keep a fire extinguisher in the work area for emergencies, and read through the entire procedure before starting work.

Instructions

1

Relieve the pressure in the fuel system as follows: Remove the fuel filler cap; Disconnect the fuel pump relay; Run the engine until it stops. Be sure to reinstall the relay when you have completed the repairs. Disconnect the negative cable from the battery. Be sure to disengage the security system before disconnecting the battery.

2

Drain the engine coolant into a container and save it for re-use or recycling. Remove the spark plugs, timing belt covers, the timing belt, camshaft sprockets and camshafts. Follow the procedures to mark the components in order to re-install the camshafts properly.

3

Remove the intake and exhaust manifolds (use the penetrating oil to loosen the bolts if necessary) and any other brackets, hoses or components blocking access to the heads.

4

Loosen the head bolts in the reverse order they are installed: Start with the outside bolts in an "X" pattern and loosen the center bolts last. The erence below will indicate the exact sequence. Remove the heads and place a clean towel in each cylinder to prevent contamination.

5

Clean the gasket mating surfaces caully and thoroughly. Install the new gaskets on the head locating lugs and install the heads with the bolts finger tight. Use the torque wrench and angle indicators in the tightening sequence and procedures to complete the installation process. Assemble the other parts in reverse of the order they were removed.

The 1990 Ford Ranger 2.3-liter pickup uses a concentric slave cylinder, which is located inside the transmission. This means that the transmission must be removed to replace the slave cylinder. When you remove the transmission, if the clutch is older, it is a good idea to replace it at the same time, simply because of the time required to complete the job. You will need a special clutch coupling removal tool, part number T88T-70522-A, which is available at any Ford dealership.

Instructions

1

Disconnect the battery ground cable and lay it aside, making sure that it does not touch metal. Use the clutch coupling removal tool to disconnect the coupling at the transmission. Slide the white, plastic sleeve towards the slave cylinder with one hand and tug on the tube with the other.

2

Remove the lever, shim and bushing from the transmission with the appropriate sockets. Stuff a rag into the opening to keep dirt and debris from falling into the transmission. Disconnect the clutch master cylinder push rod from the clutch pedal with the appropriate socket.

3

Jack up the Ranger with a floor jack and support it on jack stands. Make a mark on the drive shaft and at the same place on the rear axle flange so you know how to line up the drive shaft when you put it back in. Remove the drive shaft at the axle with the appropriate socket then pull it out of the rear of the transmission. Plug the housing to prevent fluid from leaking out.

4

Unbolt and remove the dust shield from the clutch housing with the appropriate socket. Remove the wires from the starter and lay them aside. Remove the harness for the back-up light (near the starter). Unbolt and remove the starter with the appropriate socket. Unscrew the speedometer cable from the transmission and set it out of the way.

5

Place a block of wood on one of the floor jacks. Slide it under the engine oil pan and jack it up so that the wood just touches the bottom of the oil pan to support the engine. Place a second jack under the transmission. If you are using a lift, use a transmission jack instead.

6

Remove the bell housing bolts and washers with the appropriate socket. Remove the transmission mounting bolts and the damper retaining bolts and nuts with the appropriate socket. Unbolt and remove the cross-member.

7

Lower the transmission jack and, at the same time, work the transmission off its dowel pins. Pull the transmission towards the back of the Ranger then place it on the ground. If you are using a floor jack, you can leave it on the floor jack if it is stable on the jack.

8

Remove the clutch housing-to-transmission nuts then pull the housing assembly off the transmission. Remove the slave cylinder from the input shaft. Slide the new slave cylinder over the input shaft, making sure the tower part of the slave cylinder faces the transmission.

9

Reinstall the clutch housing. The clutch housing has notches that line up with the slave cylinder. Make sure the slave cylinder is located properly in the clutch housing notches. Clean the mating surface of the clutch housing and the rear of the engine, especially around the dowel holes, with rags and carburetor cleaner. If there are burrs that will not wipe off easily, gently go over them with fine-grit sandpaper. Clean the area with carburetor cleaner and rags after sanding.

10

Raise the transmission with the jack. Line up the input shaft splines with the clutch disc splines. Move the transmission in towards the dowels, adjusting the jack as needed. Push the transmission onto the dowels.

11

Install the bell housing bolts and washers. Put the washers in place so that the bolts do not damage the aluminum bell housing. Tighten the bolts to 33 foot-pounds of torque. Move the transmission jack out of the way.

12

Reinstall the starter and tighten the bolts to 17 foot-pounds of torque. Jack the engine up with the floor jack. Reinstall the cross-member, transmission mount and damper. Tighten the bolts firmly. Remove the floor jack from under the engine. Reinstall the drive shaft by pushing it into the transmission extension housing then connecting it to the rear axle flange. Make sure the marks you made earlier line up. Reattach the washer, lock washer and the nuts. Tighten the drive shaft-to-flange nuts to 70 foot-pounds of torque.

13

Reinstall the dust shield. Tighten the dust shield bolts to 8 foot-pounds of torque. Reinstall the starter, the starter wires, the back-up lamp wiring harness and the speedometer cable. Check the transmission fluid level. Add Ford manual transmission lube as needed.

14

Remove the rags from the shifter hole. Reinstall the gearshift lever, shim and bushing with the appropriate sockets. Reinstall the lever-to-cover bolts and the boot retaining screws. Reconnect the master cylinder push rod to the clutch pedal with the appropriate socket. Attach the battery ground cable to the battery ground terminal. Bleed the clutch.

The Subaru 2.5L engine is made from aluminum alloy. In order for the heads to properly seal and to prevent warping, a special sequence must be followed when installing the head bolts. Not only is the tightening method critical, so is the order. You will need both inch and foot pound torque wrenches as well as a torque angle gauge.

Clean All Surfaces

Clean the cylinder heads and the block mating surfaces thoroughly with lacquer thinner or acetone. Avoid any scraping tools that could mar the surface.

Position New Parts

Lubricate all bolts and washers with engine oil and place the new gasket on the head locating pins. Position the head on the block and finger tighten all bolts.

The Tightening Sequence

The order for tightening is as follows: top center, bottom center, left top, bottom right, bottom left, top right. Follow this sequence for each step.

Tight but not too Tight

Tighten all bolts to 22 foot-pounds. Tighten all bolts to 51 foot-pounds. This first sequence sets the gasket. Loosen all bolts in reverse order. Loosen them again another 160. Tighten bolts one and two to 25 to 36 foot-pounds. Tighten bolts three, four, five and six to 132 inch-pounds.

Final Procedure

Use the torque angle gauge to tighten all bolts another 90. Follow the sequence again and tighten them another 45. Tighten bolts one and two only an additional 45(turbocharged models only).

The thermostat in the 1995 Buick Skylark 2.3-liter engine rests inside the engine intake located on the top of the engine. The thermostat regulates engine temperature by restricting the flow of coolant through the engine. When the thermostat fails, it fails in the open position, meaning that coolant flows unrestricted through the engine and the engine cannot heat up to proper levels. When this happens, you must replace the thermostat.

Instructions

1

Drain approximately 2 gallons of radiator fluid from the petcock located on the bottom of the radiator into a clean drain pan. Use a pair of pliers to open the petcock if you cannot open it by hand.

2

Follow the upper radiator hose to the thermostat housing located on the engine. Remove the hose clamp with a pair of pliers and pull the hose off the engine.

3

Remove the bolts that secure the housing to the engine with a socket and ratchet. Use the ratchet extension bar supplied with your socket set to avoid hitting any accessories located around the thermostat housing.

4

Remove the thermostat housing and housing gasket off the engine. Pull the old thermostat out of the engine.

5

Clean the surface of the engine and the bottom of the thermostat housing with a clean towel. Use a wire brush if you cannot get the old gasket material off the surfaces.

6

Place the new thermostat into the engine with the large spring submerged into the engine.

7

Place the gasket over the thermostat and then bolt the thermostat housing back onto the engine.

8

Place the hose back onto the thermostat and secure it with a hose clamp.

9

Pour the 2 gallons of fluid into the radiator filler cap located on the top of the radiator.