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How to ID 3.0L Vulcan Engine


philbirkeland

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I will shortly be looking on Craigslist for a '91-'97 2WD Ranger with 3.0L Vulcan V6 and 5 speed manual transmission. Owners will not necessarily know what is in their truck. I am a Ranger newbie. 2WD and manual transmission are easy to recognize. So is a 4 cyl engine, by counting sparkplug wires. However, the V6's are potentially confusing. By just lifting the hood, how do I tell the difference between a 2.9, 3.0 and a 4.0? Puzzled in Tacoma. Phil.
 


Chance

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They are fairly distinct engines.
the 2.9 has 2.9 Fuel injection written right on the plenum.

The 3.0 as viewed from the back

The 4.0


I could take a pic of an extremely dirty 3.0 if you want an actual picture of one.
 
mn_smokeater

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What he said
 
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graff104

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if it is pre 95 the 3.0 will have a distributor instead of a coil pack which is a dead give away.
 

macarchie

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If I am not mistaken, (for the 1991) the 2.9 L was only available with 4WD and the 3.0L was only available with 2WD. I have the 3.0L (2WD) with 197,000 miles. The engine has never had a problem. The 5-spd tranny was rebuilt years ago and occasionally a new starter and water pump was needed, but it has been a great truck.
 

DCinDC

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3Ls have several different intake configurations.

Read the valve covers, or VIN engine code "U".
 
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