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Does the Ford Ranger two-litre bi-turbo-diesel have a timing belt or chain? There are mixed opinions on the internet.
I can see why the internet cohort might be confused by this question (and why your mate at the pub may or may not know what he’s talking about) because it’s a bit of a weird one. For reasons of friction reduction (efficiency) and reliability, the camshafts in the Ford Bi-turbo are driven by a rubber toothed belt. But – and here’s the strange bit – the belt is partially submerged in the oil in the engine’s sump, so it’s a 'wet' timing belt. While the vast majority of other rubber, toothed timing belts run in a 'dry' environment.
Ford reckons this gives the engine the low noise of a conventional rubber timing belt, combined with the low friction running of a conventional `wet’ timing chain. But the high-strength cords and the oil-resistant rubber the belt is made from, says Ford, also mean that it should last a lot longer than a conventional timing belt. While conventional belts should be changed between 80,000 and 120,000km (roughly speaking) the Ford belt is said to be good for 230,000km.
For the record, the Bi-turbo’s oil pump is driven by a second belt of the same construction.
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