Which timing belt does my Ford 2.3L Lima need? Count the teeth

There are three timing gear setups on the Ford 2300 and 2.5L SOHC engines, and the belts do not interchange. Here is how to tell which one you have in five minutes.

Before you order a timing belt for a Ford 2.3L or 2.5L "Lima" engine, find out which gear set you have. Buying the wrong belt is the most common mistake, and it is easy to avoid.

Step 1: count the teeth on the gears

Look at the crank, cam and intermediate shaft gears (the gears the belt runs on) and count the teeth.

• 19 teeth on the crank, 38 on the cam and 38 on the intermediate shaft: Ford round tooth gears.
• 23 teeth on the crank, 46 on the cam and 46 on the intermediate shaft: Esslinger "Wide Round" gears.
• A square tooth belt is the third option on OBD1 (pre-1994) blocks.

Step 2: match the belt

• Ford square tooth, OBD1 (pre-1994) blocks: 129 tooth belt.
• Ford round tooth, OBD1 (pre-1994) blocks: 129 tooth belt.
• Ford round tooth, OBD2 blocks (1994 and up): 131 tooth belt.
• Esslinger "Wide Round" tooth, OBD1 (pre-1994) blocks: 155 tooth belt.

The Ford round tooth and the Wide Round profiles are totally different, so the belts and gears cannot be swapped between them.

Step 3: check the gear width

The Ford round tooth runs on gears about 1.130" wide. The Wide Round belt needs gears about 1.300" wide, and is 36% wider than the stock belt. If you want something stronger than stock but want to keep your Ford gears, there is a Kevlar version of the Ford round tooth belt that is 3mm wider than stock.

While you are here

A new belt on an old tensioner is the cheapest way to repeat the job. Read why the stock tensioner fails, and then follow our timing belt replacement guide.