Blown 2.3

[RangerFabWorks]

it wasnt a ring smoke. my valve seats were shot from the truck sitting so long. ive done them before on other trucks but it didnt smoke bad enough for me to be concerned. like i said, just a puff on start-up. and i dont think it was timing. i know how to time a motor. and i still had timing left in it. and the carb wasnt fully leaned out. i leaned it out as for as i felt needed. could have gone more. i think lucas oil had partially to do with it. plus i had overheated the motor a couple times before. so it was time. thanks for the imput

 

[Mark_88]

Ditto Shady...

The original motor seemed to be in a bit of a downward spiral and the over revs and other changes may have been contributing factors...

But, now that you know the old 2.3 can have some balls I'd say go with a rebuild on it or just drop in another one if you can find a low mileage unit...

I've got an 87 2.3 block with 140K original kilometers on it...and you can bet that I won't be honking on it like that any time soon...even though I know the bottom end is solid, it's still not something I'd do after having spent so much time and energy building it...

If I had rebuilt the bottom end with forged pistons and a slight overbore I might go for it though...

 

[Mark_88]

I ran Lucas in one engine for well over a year...and that probably extended the life of the engine in my case because it had a cracked piston and eventually a cracked head...they don't take too kindly to being overheated from my experience.

 

[RangerFabWorks]

Ditto Shady...

The original motor seemed to be in a bit of a downward spiral and the over revs and other changes may have been contributing factors...

But, now that you know the old 2.3 can have some balls I'd say go with a rebuild on it or just drop in another one if you can find a low mileage unit...

I've got an 87 2.3 block with 140K original kilometers on it...and you can bet that I won't be honking on it like that any time soon...even though I know the bottom end is solid, it's still not something I'd do after having spent so much time and energy building it...

If I had rebuilt the bottom end with forged pistons and a slight overbore I might go for it though...

yea no more 2.3s for me, me and doorgunner are putting 350s in our rangers. check us out in the v8 conversion forum. also check out doorgunners awesome project in the metamorphesis forum under just plain stupied.

 

[Fast Fords]

besides my famous heating issue (which did not act up ONCE driving to oakville and back yesterday going 90-110 km/h and a 3 hour drive one way), my 2.3L has been revved to hell and back. Never had any engine-type issues. Maybe there is a difference with being carbed? not familiar with the carbed vehicles unfortunately. Seeing as it is a 1984, i would say age was the fatality. Its like taking an old man who has been sitting for 10 years and making him run a 300 km marathon..your engine had a "heart attack"..

 

[RangerFabWorks]

besides my famous heating issue (which did not act up ONCE driving to oakville and back yesterday going 90-110 km/h and a 3 hour drive one way), my 2.3L has been revved to hell and back. Never had any engine-type issues. Maybe there is a difference with being carbed? not familiar with the carbed vehicles unfortunately. Seeing as it is a 1984, i would say age was the fatality. Its like taking an old man who has been sitting for 10 years and making him run a 300 km marathon..your engine had a "heart attack"..

i should have givin it some vicodin, or bayer asprin or tequila then

 

[Fast Fords]

i should have givin it some vicodin, or baer asprin or tequila then

the pills may have helped lol...good luck with the V8 swap..should be fun!

 

[Mark_88]

yea no more 2.3s for me, me and doorgunner are putting 350s in our rangers. check us out in the v8 conversion forum. also check out doorgunners awesome project in the metamorphesis forum under just plain stupied.

Check it out later, thanks...

My nephew spent about $6,000 on a Chevy 350 engine...I think it had something like 450 HP when it was done and he was talking about adding a different manifold and four barrel to bump it up...anyways, he messed up the truck that he had it in and asked me if I was interested in putting the motor into my Ranger...

Not that I didn't consider it, mind you, but putting an engine like that in my Ranger would be like, oh, I don't know...sorta like putting a condom on a dildo...it would shake, rattle, and put down rubber where you wouldn't think rubber should be...

 

[powerwagon]

i just bought my first ranger its a 88 2.3 and #2 cyl is not fiering i did a presher check to day and one of my cyl only has 50 pounds and the other 3 have 125... so im guna get a leak down gage and find out if its a valve or rings. the truck sat for 2 years befor i got it so i gave it alote of seafoam in the gas to healp it out. that cyl had a fould out plug and all the rest are nice and tan so im hoping its carbon in the valve but if not i will rebild.

can any one tell me a good place to get berings, rings,and,rebild kit for my 2.3? i have a 50 ho but i like the gas saving 4 banger for now

 

[RangerFabWorks]

ebay has rebuild kits fairly priced. and mark_88, its not a high horse 350 im putting in, maybe 200 to the wheels. 450 is just plain sick for a ranger. and im going auto from a stick, that will help out the "rubber" problems. thanks

 

[powerwagon]

thank you!

 

[ILLEGALCONCEPTS]

Running too lean and a lil too advanced maybe? That sucks but I'd like to grenade a motor once.. I have a 94 with a 5 speed and 3.73 rear gears and stock tires/rims and once i went to 35mph in first doing a burn out, didnt sound healthy but its doin jus fine nowadays. I dont have a tach so i have no idea what rpm it clocked..

You were bouncing off of the rev limiter. That happens at about 6250RPM. I've been there, done that. I abused the hell out of my truck when I was younger and it's still running great. I still hit the rev limiter from time to time when I am being stupid, its there to save the motor.

A guy I use to work with tried to blow on of these motors up. It was still in the truck and they put a brick on the pedal and ran the fuel tank out. It sat at max RPM for alomost half a tank, never gave out.

James

 

[BlackBII]

I think shady nailed it. That and you were listening to eric clapton....

 

[RangerFabWorks]

i was listening to eric clapton it the morning, i didnt have him on when i revved the engine. its possible. fact was it happened so now i have a 350 to spin the tire(s)

 

[Derek The Great]

"i was like, hell yeah, i blew my first motor, then i was like, damn, i just blew my first motor, now i dont have a car............" Lol
Nice explanation shady. Not to hijack the thread or anything but i'm curious as to whats goin on with my truck. Every once and a great while (like 6 months) I'll start up my truck and it will burn oil like mad for like 4 seconds and then it stops, what the hell could that be? It goes through a quart of oil every 3k or so..
Thanks,
Derek