Ford Ranger: PJ / PK WLAT 2.5 and WEAT 3.0 Duratorq timing belt drives the injection pump

The 2.5 and 3.0 Duratorq diesels in the PJ and PK Ranger are rubber-belt engines, and the same belt drives the camshaft and the injection pump. Ford's interval is roughly 120,000 km, but the newest of these is now fifteen years old, so on most of these utes the belt is past its age limit whatever the odometer says - belt rubber perishes on a calendar. There is no rattle or warning before it goes; the engine simply stops, and because the valves stop while the pistons keep moving the usual bill is a camshaft, a set of valves and often a complete head. A low-kilometre PJ or PK that has spent years sitting is more at risk than a high-kilometre one that has been serviced, which is exactly backwards from what most buyers assume. Ask for the invoice, not the seller's word.

• No warning at all - the engine stops dead and will not restart
• Engine spins over fast and freely after the failure with no compression
• Squeal or dry rattle from the front of the engine as the tensioner bearing dries out
• Fine black rubber dust around the edge of the timing cover

1. 1

   Ask the seller when the timing belt was last changed and ask to see the invoice - a workshop receipt showing a date and an odometer reading is the only evidence worth anything, and the water pump and tensioner should be on the same bill.

2. 2

   Look for a service sticker under the bonnet or on the door frame with a belt date, and photograph it.

3. 3

   Compare that reading against today's odometer to work out how far the belt has run.

4. 4

   Look at the black plastic timing cover on the front of the engine with your phone torch, checking for clean fresh fasteners that suggest recent work and for fine black rubber dust around its edges that suggests an old belt breaking down.

5. 5

   Start the engine and listen at the front for a squeal or a dry rattle.

6. 6

   If the seller cannot produce a belt receipt, price a belt, tensioner and water pump into your offer before you decide.

7. 7

   If a workshop inspection is possible: have a diesel specialist inspect the belt and tensioner behind the timing cover and confirm the injection pump timing.

Parts involved: High-pressure fuel pump, Timing belt.

$800 to $5,500 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.

An estimate, in NZD, for the repair as normally carried out. What a specific car costs depends on which part has failed and what it damaged on the way — treat this as the floor for a negotiation, not a quote.

• “When was the timing belt last done, and do you have the invoice?”
• “Were the tensioner and water pump replaced at the same time?”
• “What was the odometer reading when the belt was changed?”
• “Has this ute ever sat unused for long periods?”

The failure described above is documented in the sources below. The inspection instructions and the cost estimate are KickTyres’ own interpretation of them.

• Quick Auto Parts (AU) - timing belt kit listed for Ford Ranger PK 3.0L diesel (WEAT, 04/2009-08/2011)
• CarsGuide Q&A 'Timing belt for Ford Courier' - 120,000 km interval on the same Mazda-derived 2.5 turbo-diesel belt drive
• Endurotec / Allied Auto Online (AU) timing belt kit listings covering WL and WLAT 2.5 Duratorq in Ford Courier and Ranger applications