ohh Shiii... knocking

[dangerousrangerous]

So I'm pretty good with cars. Just rebuilt the engine in my 83 mitsubishi starion turbo. And just waiting to get a few things back in before I drive it again. SOOO I've been driving my moms truck around. This morning I got in it and around 2200rpm I hear this knocking noise. It is for sure the rod bearings. Idle is wayy quiet. I check the oil and it is hella low. I had to put 3 quarts in it to fill it. My Mom told me when i started driving it that it hadn't ever used oil before but that it had been a while since she had had it changed. I never lost oil pressure so I didn't ever worry about it until the sound. So I stopped driving it hoping to maybe save the crank. I have in the past been able to fix knocking like this by dropping the oil pan and replacing the rod bearings from below the car. I am wondering if anyone has ever done this before on a ranger. Anyone know if the oil pan will even come off with the engine in the truck? I crawled under the car and it looked like it might be possible if you lift the engine up a few inches with a jack on the bell housing. In the case this is possible where is the cheapest place to get rod bearings? And if this isn't possible and my crank is trash what cranks can I use? only 01 and up 2.3L cranks? Sorry i'm a ford newb and i couldn't find anything with the search function.
Thanks,
Travis

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

with a 2wd, you should be able to snake the pan out by unbolting the motor and jacking it up. worse case scenario would involve pulling the engine, which with a 4 banger isnt bad. if you dont have a cherry picker, you can drop the trans...i know the pan will come out then (you can jack the motor up higher).

crank bearings can be had at any local parts store. i prefer clevite, napa uses them.

if the motor sounds fine at idle, your crank is probably far from needing replacing. if you opt for a new one, your best (and possibly only) bet would be a ford dealer.

 

[dangerousrangerous]

Alright sounds good. I hope I don't have to drop the trans but I can if needed. I have my own car to fix. Really glad to hear the crank should be fine. I'll pull the pan and inspect it. Obviously I need to flush this thing like mad and get any bearing bits out of it as well.
Thanks,
Danger Ranger-

 

[Sunk]

I worked with a guy who would semi regularly roll in a couple new bearings on his parents mini-van when it started making noises, so its possible to do providing both the crank and rod are in good shape.

Good luck!