• Welcome Visitor! Please take a few seconds and Register for our forum. Even if you don't want to post, you can still 'Like' and react to posts.

Are the HEADS "weak" on the 3.0L Vulcan?


fixizin

fixizin

FoMoCo is forcing me to buy a 'yota
Supporting Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2008
Messages
1,170
City
Fort Lauderdale
State - Country
FL - USA
Vehicle Year
99
Drive
2WD
Engine
3.0 V6
Transmission
Manual
Tire Size
P235/75R15
My credo
A properly suspensioned Ranger can be safely airborne for up to 4 seconds at a time! =:O
First of all, I know the block is cast iron, but are the heads iron also, or aluminum? What do they WEIGH?

Back on topic, why do so many 3.0's need new heads? Is it the valve guides, and it's just easier to get heads with them already set up?

Is there a cooling issue that causes them to crack?

Do tell...
 
I know the 2.9 has a tendency to crack heads. I have yet to hear of the 3.0 cracking heads. The 3.0 I had was cast block and heads. Never had an issue with it.
 
The 3.0 has cast iron heads; it's an old school OHV engine.

The 3.0 is a stout motor and I've had almost no problems with its head cylinders.
 
I have never seen a 3.0 with a cracked head that had antifreeze in it. I have only seen one with a blown head gasket and a warped head that was overheated for 2 hrs. Head wasn't cracked though. As said before, it is one of the last old school cast iron OHV pushrod engines.

2.9 and 4.0 heads are weak. This is well documented. I would take a Lima or a Vulcan any day over any other ranger motor. For me, durability is everything.
 
Simple_serf said:
I have never seen a 3.0 with a cracked head that had antifreeze in it. I have only seen one with a blown head gasket and a warped head that was overheated for 2 hrs. Head wasn't cracked though. As said before, it is one of the last old school cast iron OHV pushrod engines.

2.9 and 4.0 heads are weak. This is well documented. I would take a Lima or a Vulcan any day over any other ranger motor. For me, durability is everything.
Click to expand...

+1

My truck may be slow, but my 3.0 will ALWAYS get me to where I need to go reliably.
 
Cool! ROCK ON VULCAN!... now I need to do my penance and complete all that overdue maintenance. :blush:

So in the 4.0 realm, there's the OHV ("X" VIN?), and the (I'm assuming LATER model) SOHC ("C" VIN)... what years were each sold, and are they both problematic in the cylinder heads dept.???
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Sponsored Ad


Sponsored Ad

TRS Events

Member & Vendor Upgrades

For a small yearly donation, you can support this forum and receive a 'Supporting Member' banner, or become a 'Supporting Vendor' and promote your products here. Click the banner to find out how.

Latest posts

Recently Featured

Want to see your truck here? Share your photos and details in the forum.

Ranger Adventure Video

TRS Merchandise

Follow TRS On Instagram

Latest Album Photos

IMG_0790.jpeg
20250606_193025.jpg
20250717_161404.jpg
2f30d2e5-a0b6-4419-bb34-5c120604fb82.jpg
IMG_0673.jpeg
IMG_0675.jpeg
IMG_0671.jpeg
85 ranger
85 Ford Ranger
PXL_20250409_152004355.jpg
IMG_9440.jpeg
IMG_4799.jpeg

TRS Sponsors


Sponsored Ad


Sponsored Ad


Amazon Deals

Sponsored Ad

Back
Top