Truck Repair: timing belt, open valve, ford ranger

Question
i have a 97 ford ranger 2.3L 159,000 and the timing belt broke, replaced it, lined all the pulley's to the marks in the inner timing cover,also placed it at TDC. re-assembled and started runs fine, but problem is when i take off it has short skipps and then takes off, and when i put a load on it such as turning a/c compressor on with heater controls it starts to skip, and when in high gear at low RPM's it does the same thing, didnt know if you had any advice you could off me? thank you !

Answer
Hello Gary,
I am not sure on your engine if there is room for the crankshaft to turn and the pistons go through their complete travel without hitting an open valve. There is always at least one valve open at all times, and if the piston hit it when the belt broke, a pushrod could have been bent. That would cause a valve to not open completely now, and a slight difference in performance for that cylinder, especially at low RPM's under load.

Van