Ending of an era...

[85_Ranger4x4]

I think my 2.8 has finally used up its last life, the thing waits until I get halfway across town and then blows the dipstick off of the tube and starts hosing down the exhaust manifold with oil... and it has more smoke than normal coming of the exhaust pipe. I am temped to try seafoam or something in it and try to reseat the rings, but I am not very optimistic it will walk away from this.

It is a little down on power, but still cracks right off and idles nice and smooth when I start it, so at least I don't have to push it around for the begining stages of putting a different engine in it.

Kinda sad, I got it my sophmore year of high school in August of 2000, and shortly after that dad didn't think the engine would get me out of high school. It did, and up until this recent spell it kept running better and better. I have known for a long time it was on borrowed time, so really it is impressive it has lasted as long as it did. I have been planning on a V-8 swap, but oddly I have everything stashed away but a usuable engine... I was hoping to get at least another year out of the 2.8.

Glad I got that shiny new duraspark distributer, valve seals, water pump, thermostat, belts and hoses for it... none of which will help me out a bit in my next engine.

 

[dangerranger83]

Put a can of restore in the oil and see if it helps you out for awhile. As for your dipstick blowing out check your PCV valve to see if it is clogged. This same thing happen years and years ago (before I was born) my mom was driving my dads Pontiac Lamans and blew all the oil out of the dipstick and instead of stopping and turning off the motor she kept driving it and the motor was ruined. Turns out the PCV valve was stuck shut.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

PCV is maybe 6 months old, it still rattles when I shake it so I don't think it is stuck. I checked it out after the second time it did it, the first time I just hoped I didn't have the dipstick seated all the way.

It is also rolling smoke out of the hose that goes to the air filter so it should be able to vent pretty good from that alone. I also have a bunch of oil in the air filter housing too.

I am really tempted to limp it over to my dad's shop and see what we have for vacuum and compression just out of morbid curiosity...

 

[dangerranger83]

I would to see if it can be saved for a little longer until you can do a v-8 swap. Your putting a v-8 in a 4x4...ive got to see this i wanna do this but dont have the money or the knowledge on what to put in or where to start....first thing is putting my v-6 2.8 liter in.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I might try some sort of magic in a bottle stuff, but I think you can only "save" something so many times...

The 4x4 V-8 swap has been done a lot on here. I am also currently lacking funds to do it, hence why I was hoping it had another year in it so I could get my F-150 paid off and go thru my 289.

Luckily I don't HAVE to have the truck, so worst case I can park it until I get something else lined up.

I have been packing stuff away for a couple years, 4.0 radiator, C-4/5 transmission w/ factory shifter, double sump Mustang oil pan, and a 289 that needs completely gone thru (bore block, turn crank, clean up heads). About the only major parts I still need are engine mounts, driveshafts, exhaust, distributer (truck is already wired for duraspark) and I am ready to go, most of the stuff I still need I can't do until the engine is in the truck anyway.

 

[dangerranger83]

Nice choice on using a 289. Ive been told they can do high rpm's safetly. I would choose it over a 302 anyday.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Nice choice on using a 289. Ive been told they can do high rpm's safetly. I would choose it over a 302 anyday.

It was free

They are a slightly destroked 302, really all things equal I don't know if one is much better than the other. The thing that kills the 302's rep is the decades of Ford turning out cheaply built 302's that put out pathetic #'s for emission/smog sake.

 

[Kyle 99Ranger]

PCV is maybe 6 months old, it still rattles when I shake it so I don't think it is stuck. I checked it out after the second time it did it, the first time I just hoped I didn't have the dipstick seated all the way.

It is also rolling smoke out of the hose that goes to the air filter so it should be able to vent pretty good from that alone. I also have a bunch of oil in the air filter housing too.

I am really tempted to limp it over to my dad's shop and see what we have for vacuum and compression just out of morbid curiosity...

From the sounds of it I would say your cylinders and rings are shot. Try a polish hone of the cylinders and a new set of rings. If that doesn't take it all out of the cylinder walls you'll have to go oversize. Nothing else would be launching your dipstick out of the block but blow-by.... a serious case of blow-by haha!

Good luck and Take Care,
Kyle

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

From the sounds of it I would say your cylinders and rings are shot. Try a polish hone of the cylinders and a new set of rings. If that doesn't take it all out of the cylinder walls you'll have to go oversize. Nothing else would be launching your dipstick out of the block but blow-by.... a serious case of blow-by haha!

Good luck and Take Care,
Kyle

This engine is shot, it has been borderline for awhile and finally fell off the cliff. It needs more than just rings, the oil pressure isn't too hot when she gets warm either, which would be crankshaft issues as well. If I open it up and go thru it, it will be nothing more than a 110hp money pit. I would rather put to towards something with a little more bang per buck... although if I do happen along another 2.8 I would stick it just to keep the truck moving and rodant free. I have nothing but respect for the engine, it held on way longer than it should have.

Aside from an autopsy to see just how gruesome it is and some possible beginings of a "wall of shame" I doubt I have too much more use for this engine.

 

[dangerranger83]

How many mlies do you think it has...just want to know. The on im putting in has 180,XXX miles on it but doesnt burn or use oil...just dripps it from around the fuel pump, Ill be taking care of that.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Milage unknown, the truck was rolled at some point and someone stuck a cab from a 4 cylinder truck on it (according to the emissions label) They got in over their head with the wiring and hardwired the engine to run with the stock ignition and carburator. I durasparked and tried a different carburator it later, but most of the damage was done at that point.

Truck says 40k and some change on the odometer, it said 25k or 26k when I got it. Valve covers and the top of the heads was covered with gunk, so it wasn't a low milage or well maintained engine before I got it.

 

[Frank The Tank]

just drop another v-6 in there till you can afford the swap.
everything bolts right up... 100 bucks at a junk yard... your out an afternoon.

That is what I would do, for now.

Frank

 

[dangerranger83]

Like Frank the Tank said just drop another v-6 in it for now if you can until you can do your v-8 swap.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I think I am just going to more or less park it for now. I only drive it on weekends when I go to my parents place, so it isn't like I need to have it going again tomorrow to get to work. Plus I might go ahead and put the 8.8 in it since it will be down and not going anywhere for awhile during that process anyway.

Dropping in another 2.8 has always been an option since shortly after I got the truck... the problem is the herd is getting rather thin to pick from in my area. They are few and far between and rarely in a junkyard. It would be great though, since I have many new parts in the last year or two on my current engine that still have a lot of use in them.

I am thinking for about the same $$ I might find a running 302 and get the ball rolling on that. Exhaust isn't a big deal, I have the factory stainless exhaust out of a V-8 1997 F-150 (that fit surpisingly well) in it now, so I can probably adapt it a little more to fit with a different engine. I want duals, but they can wait. So that leaves the driveshafts for major the only major expense besides the engine itself.

I think it comes down to what I find first and what mood I am in at the time... it is about the same to go either way.

 

[dangerranger83]

When you do start doing work on your truck do a very detailed build thread on it. I wanna know exactly what it takes to drop a v-8 in a 4x4 ranger.

As for me, srry to thread jack but while we are on the subject of motor swapping, I finally sold my motorbike and got good money out of it and this weekend im going junk yarding to find a 5 speed Toyo Koygo tranny for my truck. Hopefully I can find on and it wont cost me to much. To complete my swap I need the 2.8 fly wheel and its bolts, tranny with its clutch components and trannsfer case.

Ill be seeing my 87 2.3 liter motor and 83 4 speed tranny when I pull them out. That should help me fund my truck build. As of right now its holding down the driveway.

BTW how do you think a 2.8 would look in Daytona yellow paint...a hint of things to come.

What happened to using the 289. Not run or would it be cheaper to find a running 302.