Anything wrong with the 2.9's?

[kawana]

Im just asking because most of the rangers im finding in my price range, have the 2.9. Do they have enough torque for offroading? Im not worried about going fast around town or anything. Besides the power, are they reliable? Easy to work on? Cheap on parts?

 

[heptofite]

i offroad with a 2.9 in my bronco II, which is a great deal heavier than a ranger, just fine.

it's also powerful enough to make my bronco II go 100mph, so i'd say you're golden.

parts are cheap, they never quit, and they got decent power.

just be careful you don't let it overheat, as they do like to crack heads.

a good swap is a radiator from a 92 ranger with a 4.0/automatic with A/C

just go to the autozone parts count and ask for that radiator, you'll need to alter your upper hose a little but the lower is the same, and you'll not have to worry about overheating it either.


good engine though, would buy it again.

 

[TheTopher]

White shirt for sure, or a colour that compliments the pants.
Do not wear teo different shades of brown as an outfir, it will look tacky!

Hope that Helped =)

Huh, now if being from Delaware causes me to behave weird, I guess she must be from Canada's version of Delaware. A town with only two moose.


More seriously, the 2.9s are famous for their low end torque. If I remember right they're making something like 80% of their peak torque before 1600rpm.


They may not have as much torque as other engines, but it's all there when you need it. As Heptofite said, they do like to crack heads so don't let it overheat, and make sure you check the truck for a cracked head before you buy it.


I believe a cracked head will smoke, use up antifreeze and you'll have some snot on the dipstick, just like if you had a bad head gasket, but with a lot more valvetrain noise. Anybody with a little more knowledge can feel free to correct me on that.

 

[theggyster]

i have a 1988 ranger that i use as my daily driver and offroad machine. the power is pretty good. engine doesn't like to rev super high though. with the big tires and 4" lift i am still getting 10.5 l/100km not sure what that is in mpg. i drive the highway in the fast lane every day no problem. max speed is about 140 on a straight away.overall for its age i think its pretty fast and reliable. what amazes me most is the fuel economy. also lots of room in the engine bay to work .parts are really easy to get and cheap. for example i bought a whole intake/ exhaust manifold gasket kit for like 30

 

[straycat]

My 89 BII had the 2.9 motor and it was a great engine. I bought it new in 89 and sold it in 2001. I needed the room with all my motorcycles and we had my 99 Ranger our 86 Subaru and the wife's 87 Mustang. That 2.9 Liter never had an issue. It was a DD that went everywhere.
One of my friend's had a son who was going to collage up in Jacksonville, Fl. He thought the BII would be a good choice for his son. They gave me $4,000 for it. It had a nice lift and 32 inch tires. It still looked new in and out and it had about 74,000 miles on it.

 

[clayhilldave]

I love my 2.9...she runs great

 

[chittybangbang]

Never had a problem with mine for 19yrs.Just don't overheat them.

 

[Frank The Tank]

Not a darn thing with the 2.9 got 275k miles out of mine.... engine still ran but trans crapped.

My latest b2 has a 4.0 swap though. It's an easy swap if you ever want more power anyways.

Frank

 

[adsm08]

Well the head/overheat issue has been beat to death in 6 posts already, so I'll leave it alone.

Unless you are running 35's without re-gearing the 2.9 should be a great off-roader. Mine is old and sickly, but I can still throw a trailer on the back, load it down to the truck's max rated towing weight, and pull it 100 miles with my 4.0 trans that has higher gears than the 2.9 trans.

She's no 4.0, but plenty torquey for just about anything you will find off road. If the 2.9 can't move you up the hill any further, you aren't in low range.

 

[99RangerKrazy]

I'll also vouch for the 2.9. However, I will not vouch for the auto tranny that comes behind them. Be sure to get a manual and you'll be set.

 

[Frank The Tank]

I'll also vouch for the 2.9. However, I will not vouch for the auto tranny that comes behind them. Be sure to get a manual and you'll be set.

Ford engineers were sitting there going....... lets make a truck that is indestructable, it shall have all of the best components we have available. The frame, the body the interior must all be able to withstand a nuclear blast, the engine shall be made of experimental metal unheard of prior to this day!!!!!! muahaha muahaha

What do you mean I can't have another raise if we build this truck so well? Ahh hell just throw in a toothpick wrapped in 3 rubberbands and a plastic torque converter..... yeah man thats a good looking trans, later, I'm off to soak up the sun in Aruba!!!!

I can only imagine that was the design theory behind the A4ld.
Manual trans all the way.

Frank

 

[Ranger Sport Honduras]

Ford engineers were sitting there going....... lets make a truck that is indestructable, it shall have all of the best components we have available. The frame, the body the interior must all be able to withstand a nuclear blast, the engine shall be made of experimental metal unheard of prior to this day!!!!!! muahaha muahaha

What do you mean I can't have another raise if we build this truck so well? Ahh hell just throw in a toothpick wrapped in 3 rubberbands and a plastic torque converter..... yeah man thats a good looking trans, later, I'm off to soak up the sun in Aruba!!!!

I can only imagine that was the design theory behind the A4ld.
Manual trans all the way.

Frank

LOL that explains it very well Frank


and yeah manual trans FTW