Need opinion on a gut feeling - used ford 4.0

[OldSchoolin86]

I'm getting a 4.0 for my BII because the 2.9 is almost dead, like it won't even do highway speeds for 4 miles anymore. I found this 4.0 in the local scrap yard and I'm debating getting it. They don't have much info on it except that it will cost me $400 and it comes with a 3 month warranty. I ran the vin on the van it's sitting in and it came up with 188k miles on it. My probelm here is I've owned a lot of fords and not a singe one of them didn't start leaking oil from the vavle covers or the oil pan once they got past the 100,000 mile mark.

I know it's silly to ask this with these crumby pics but does that look like a 188k motor to you? The whole motor is as dry as these head shots. I'm wondering if it's not a reman.:wondering

http://miltechsolutions.tripod.com/offroad/fte/head1.jpg
http://miltechsolutions.tripod.com/offroad/fte/head2.jpg

[Howdy]

I have a 5.4 with 150,000 miles on it in my truck, Don't drip a bit of oil. So I think it's very possible that motor is original.
Howdy

[Tri-ZNate]

We had a ford (and I believe a 4.0) that we beat the **** out of for a good 17 years. The only problem was it wouldn't idle sometimes but never leaked anything.

[darrel632]

The 4.0 in my Ranger is OK at 183 K doesn't leak Poor milage though my 5.4 GM V8 does better by a bunch

[85hondaatc125m]

We got a 3l in our 94 ranger, 290000km and no leaking at all! Ford makes good engines
_125m_

[OldSchoolin86]

Very suprised, I've owned 6 100k + mile fords and they all leaked. I guess from the responce I'll pass on this one a look for another. Thanks guys

[LonesomeTriZ]

I use to run nothing but 4 liter engines. I think they are very fine engines. I was able to get one of my last 4 liters to put out more power than a biult 5 liter. As log as you know how to biuld them, they will last forever. The heads in those photographs appear to be original. That Ford grey is hard to duplicate from a can. I have never known of a machine shop to reman a set of heads and leave the paint on them. The price you were quoted is a hell of a deal. Most people have no idea what kind of potention those engines have. You can get them to put out a lot of power and torque with simple bolt on improvements. This is my last Ranger project. The 4 liter it has is stock interenally. However, it went any where in the hell I pointed it.

[OldSchoolin86]

I use to run nothing but 4 liter engines. I think they are very fine engines. I was able to get one of my last 4 liters to put out more power than a biult 5 liter. As log as you know how to biuld them, they will last forever. The heads in those photographs appear to be original. That Ford grey is hard to duplicate from a can. I have never known of a machine shop to reman a set of heads and leave the paint on them. The price you were quoted is a hell of a deal. Most people have no idea what kind of potention those engines have. You can get them to put out a lot of power and torque with simple bolt on improvements. This is my last Ranger project. The 4 liter it has is stock interenally. However, it went any where in the hell I pointed it.Nice ranger! Well now you have me thinking again about it. I hate the 2.9 so one of those won't be going back in for sure. If I had the money I'd just buy a new reman 4.0 and the used ones aren't growing on trees here. I guess for $400 it's worth a try. After all I do get 3 months to test it out.:D

Great point on the paint, it probably is original. I'll look around this week some more and if I can't find some thing else I'll pick it up. Thanks for the help.

[250rAL]

It looks like the valve cover gasket has been replaced; you can see gasket sealer running down the head. Not a big deal though. The cork gaskets don't last forever.

[LonesomeTriZ]

Before I got into the four liters I biult a couple of 2.9's. one was in an 87 Ranger XLT the other was in an 88 STX. A 2.9 is hard to kill and fun to biuld. I am willing to bet you could pull that stock 2.9 and freshen it up with a lot less effort than swapping in the four liter. If I had a scanner I could show you my 88 STX. That truck has been torn apart for years now, but it still as one hell of a reputaion. I was able to reach speeds of 110 MPH on the interstate and still have the gearing to go through the deep holes the big trucks were getting stuck in. Think about what is involved in swapping different engines before you start the task. The eletrical portion is a nightmare, trust me.

[OldSchoolin86]

Before I got into the four liters I biult a couple of 2.9's. one was in an 87 Ranger XLT the other was in an 88 STX. A 2.9 is hard to kill and fun to biuld. I am willing to bet you could pull that stock 2.9 and freshen it up with a lot less effort than swapping in the four liter. If I had a scanner I could show you my 88 STX. That truck has been torn apart for years now, but it still as one hell of a reputaion. I was able to reach speeds of 110 MPH on the interstate and still have the gearing to go through the deep holes the big trucks were getting stuck in. Think about what is involved in swapping different engines before you start the task. The eletrical portion is a nightmare, trust me.

LOL, nah that 2.9 is beat! She needs more work then I'm going to put into it. Now for the 4.0 I already got the eletrical covered, it's not too bad. I just found a 4.0, 71,000 miles for $825 with a 6 month parts and labor warranty. What do you think of that deal?

[LonesomeTriZ]

That is the kind of price range I would expect. That is a pretty good deal. Especaily with that kind of warrenty. Is the engine out of the vehicle so you can inspect it? Will the wiring harness go with it. Keep in mind Ford likes to re-engnineer everything every two weeks in seems. It is best to get the harness from the same vehicle the engine is from. 9 out of 10 times, problems from a four liter is eletrical. I have seen good engines get torn down because of a bad sensor.:wondering some people do not take the time to check that sort of thing before they start to assume.:crazy:

[OldSchoolin86]

That is the kind of price range I would expect. That is a pretty good deal. Especaily with that kind of warrenty. Is the engine out of the vehicle so you can inspect it? Will the wiring harness go with it. Keep in mind Ford likes to re-engnineer everything every two weeks in seems. It is best to get the harness from the same vehicle the engine is from. 9 out of 10 times, problems from a four liter is eletrical. I have seen good engines get torn down because of a bad sensor.:wondering some people do not take the time to check that sort of thing before they start to assume.:crazy:I agree, the original harness would be best. They claim everything comes with it but the ECU (harness, accessories) so I'll have to see what kind of deal they want to do on one of those. I'll call them in the morning and get the details. I'll post an update tomorrow on that.

I keep reading that the 2.9 B2 trans will have a short life once bolted up to a 4.0l. What's your opinion on that? I'll be honest, this B2 will see more commuting then dirt. Thanks again Lonesome.

[LonesomeTriZ]

Go with an EOD. That is what I had in my silver truck. I biult it for trail use, but it was also my daily driver. I had specific goodies installed in it so it did very well for what I used it for. Even when I put in on the interstate for long hauls it did great. It does not cost a lot to up grade those over drives to perform better on and off road. But then again, it comes down to what you want to spend. You get what you pay for so keep that in mind.

[LonesomeTriZ]

From what I found, this site had the best prices on ECU's. I had to buy a couple of module's from them for my eletronic four wheel drive. They seem to beat every ones elses prices. I may also be able to find all the after market companies I use to deal with that makes performance products for the engine a drive train. I even found a kick ass after market transfer case made for the 90 and up rangers.

http://www.fordpartsnetwork.com/

[OldSchoolin86]

The AOD can be built nicely but I forgot to mention I'm running a manual trans. opps
Great link. I'll have to check it out. I'm going to wait on the performance, I just want to get it running good for now then it's suspention and body work, too much damn salt on the roads up here!

EDIT: 3000th post, I am a whore, lmao.

[LonesomeTriZ]

I did not mess woth too many standards. I'll lazy, I do not like to shift gears any more. Let me know when you want to do the suspension and I will let you in on some secret tricks.;) . I know how to make to TTB's stretch. They are really good front ends as long as you know the tricks to them.

[blue83ranger]

if you need any info on rangers a great site is www.therangerstation.com There are more than a few people on there that replaced their 2.9 for a 4.0 and they useally say the wiring is pretty tough. and if you go to the 2.9 forum there's a guy there that swears 2.9's are one of the best engines ever. i have 2 rangers with 2.9's and i have no complaints, so far.

[LonesomeTriZ]

I totally agree. The 2.9 is a good engine. They are hard to kill and do have a lot of potential. I would rather jsut rebiuld and modify the a 2.9 rather than swap in something bigger.

[OldSchoolin86]

The 2.9 is famous for oil starvation on the right bank and cracked heads, no thanks. The 4.0 is the same block but it's got the bugs worked out. Installing it is a bolt in deal, all you have to do is a little splice work for the harness. Way better motor then the 2.9L. I just couldn't imagine not doing the swap if it's going to out of there. More power and reliablility.

[LonesomeTriZ]

I do not think they are the same block. I have been inside both the 2.9 and the four liter on several occassions. They are night and day. I never had any problems from my 2.9. Even when I finally drove it to the edge, it was still a running engine when I pulled it out. I was so very hard on that engine. I have not messed with either one in a while (Powerstrokes are my thing now), but from what I remember, the swap will not be all that simple.

[OldSchoolin86]

I do not think they are the same block. I have been inside both the 2.9 and the four liter on several occassions. They are night and day. I never had any problems from my 2.9. Even when I finally drove it to the edge, it was still a running engine when I pulled it out. I was so very hard on that engine. I have not messed with either one in a while (Powerstrokes are my thing now), but from what I remember, the swap will not be all that simple.
Yup, same block. It's part of the "Cologne" family. If you've had that kind of luck with a 2.9 then you are a lucky man. Check in over at FTE and you'll be shocked from the hundreds of personal tesimonies on these problems.

[honda200]

What can be done to the 2.9 litres before having to change the motor? i want to get a bit more (ok, alot more) power out of mine, heres a pic...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v314/curtis_guitars/My%20Truck/Finished2.jpg

Curtis

[OldSchoolin86]

FYI I found this awesome site tonight for used parts. It's a huge data base for tons of salvages yards. I found over 20 4.0L's in my area ranging from $350-$650 all with less then 100k on them.

http://car-part.com/

[thefox]

I just sold my '86 Ranger with the 2.9 in it, it had 136k on it but still ran well. Would agree with the oil problems OS brought up. It seems whenever I said I had a 2.9 with over 100k on it to other ranger owners they asked how bad my tick was. What I gather was the weak point was the oil passages for the cam/rockers wasn't that good and most engine would develop a tick typically once they reached the 100k mark. I guess I lucked out with mine not having a problem.

[honda200]

my truck has 213 thousand on it, and it doesnt tick :)

I change the oil and filter every month and a half, 2 months with really good oil, and a lucas oil additive.

It, just has no balls....lol

Curtis

[1984kxtTECATE]

Matter of fact I just got done doing a pair of valve cover gaskets on a ranger with 230,000 miles on it, first set it needed.

My Dads 95 F 350 with the 7.5 in it has over 300,000 and it dosnt leak a drop of oil. BTW that motor has never been rebuilt.

[LonesomeTriZ]

They sure looked different when I tore into them. I never had one of each sitting side by side, so I can not say for sure. but I do know I coul dnot find much if anything that would interchange. My 2.9 lasted because I maintained it very well. I did not start having any problem until I did some top end work to it. But even then, that was my fault.

If you want to get more out of your 2.9 equipped Ranger you can do a few suttle things to the top end that will really wake it up. First of, a mild street prot and 3 angle valvle job oepened mine right up. True dual exhaust an not that junk cat back crap also really helps. I did away with my cats and ran custom made long tube headers custome pipes that went all the way back. No hack jobs, get it done right at a proffession shop, trust me the look sound and performance will make it worth it. And the most important thing you can do to your Ranger is gears, gears, and gears. Swap out your gears to the right set up for your tire size and RPM's. If you are running a standard I am willing to bet 4:11's will do you perfectly. The cool thing about that, you can find an older Bronco two in a salvage yard and get the front junk out it for next to nothing. That is what I did and it only cost me $40 as opposed to $300 for the gears and having them set up. plus it will bolt right in. I also got the rear end with a locker and matching gears for $100.

[Banage]

Super nice ranger!! But my dad and me have had fords all my life, my car has over 200,000 on it, and not a drop, but its a 2.4 not a 4.0

[OldSchoolin86]

Super nice ranger!! But my dad and me have had fords all my life, my car has over 200,000 on it, and not a drop, but its a 2.4 not a 4.0
I'm glad I posted this here, I might have bought that engine. I'm looking for something with lower miles now. Thanks for all the help everyone. That paint tip was great too lonesome.

[blue83ranger]

the site i listed above has a list of every ranger motor and what you can do to improve it. Depending where you want more power, low or high end the '86 and '87 2.9's had a bigger throttle body than the '88-up which is better for top end and i was told the smaller ones have better low end. and they even show you how to adapt a 5.0 throttle body on. i highly recommend you check it out.
there are a few people who go to the extreme with there ranger. i saw one guy put a 460 in the bed and had like 3 transfer cases and something like 44 inch tires and could go through any mud hole he wanted.