Rebuiding My 2.3, Gonna Add a Little Pep To It

[SykoRanger88]

i wanna rebuild my 88 2.3 ranger, it makes a pretty nasty noise when it runs it pretty much sounds like a diesel, but doesnt smoke and it fires right up and gets good gas mileage, i wanna get it completely rebuilt, but im not sure if i should just get a complete top end rebuild instead since maybe everything from the pistons down are fine, i just need to know what parts and rebuild kit companies to go with, if i do a complete rebuild im gonna mill the head and bore the cylinders .030 over, port the head and throw a good cam kit in it, i dont wanna a mild cam and i dont want a full on race cam either, any ideas on what to get? i wanted to get all the top end stuff replaced which would be like vavles,springs,cam,followers and such, and i think my truck has a flat tappet cam? any help please if anybody knows a place thats real well known and has good parts let me know i got about 800 bucks saved up and rising for this little project lol.

 

[Mark_88]

If you were in Canada I'd sell you my rebuilt head for $500 (it cost me $600 to do)...

As for parts kits...are you doing this work yourself? You can buy head rebuild kits, depending on what you need to do...valves, seals, and cam bearings are the main parts, but you may need to replace the top end parts like lifters and springs (I didn't need them on my 89 Mustang head according to the shop that did mine)...

However, it appears that you're not quite sure what exactly it needs...the diesel sound may be just a loose exhaust manifold or a leak somewhere...that's not something that requires a head rebuild...just a bit of tin can scrap or a patch kit...

I'd get someone to look at the exhaust first...if it runs good and gets good mileage...I wouldn't tear it down...the power you are looking for doesn't come from a head rebuild unless you modify things like fuel injectors, pistons (overbore), and otherwise improve the air/fuel flow...and that can take big dollars...unless you just turbo charge it and put rear gear upgrades in...

 

[dangerranger83]

Turbo = Power upgrade for the 2.3. Everything else wont give much of a power upgrade.

 

[SykoRanger88]

the noise is pretty bad lol, and i cant really tell where its coming from but it seems to be the valve cover, it sounds really awefull and somewhat intermittent, a guy i know said it could be cam followers? well i figured with being bored .030 over,milled head, ported, good cam, flowmaster 40 series, good homemade intake, and a newer style tube manifold from another ranger that it should add a little pep lol, i know a guy that has a turbo tbird thats just sitting but im not sure what year it is i think 86-87 is what it needs to be but i was gonna look into that sometime when i get everything else taken care of, the noise is like ticking, taping, slaping lol kinda sounds like a shitty running diesel, i can hear it over my exhaust and stereo easily specially at idle and cruising at low rpms, this is my daily driver and its pissin me off. my dad knows a machine shop that could do the machining for us and even assembly if we wanted to and my dad was gonna do the porting.

 

[dangerranger83]

You could have a cam lobe that is worn down and smaking the top of the valve or a collpasing valve spring(s) allowing the same thing to happen. A turbo ranger is a nice thing to have I'm told.

 

[Mark_88]

the noise is pretty bad lol, and i cant really tell where its coming from but it seems to be the valve cover, it sounds really awefull and somewhat intermittent, a guy i know said it could be cam followers? well i figured with being bored .030 over,milled head, ported, good cam, flowmaster 40 series, good homemade intake, and a newer style tube manifold from another ranger that it should add a little pep lol, i know a guy that has a turbo tbird thats just sitting but im not sure what year it is i think 86-87 is what it needs to be but i was gonna look into that sometime when i get everything else taken care of, the noise is like ticking, taping, slaping lol kinda sounds like a shitty running diesel, i can hear it over my exhaust and stereo easily specially at idle and cruising at low rpms, this is my daily driver and its pissin me off. my dad knows a machine shop that could do the machining for us and even assembly if we wanted to and my dad was gonna do the porting.

OK...that makes more sense...rebuilding the head may be needed...but if you've got fuel injection let your dad know (in case he hasn't read up on it) that, according to people I've read on here and other sites, too much porting on FI can be detrimental...if it was carbed it wouldn't matter too much...bigger is usually better...and to have the head magnafluxed before doing anything...I had to go get another head because they found cracks on the first one...

I did my P&P myself with a home grinder kit...made it about 1/16" to 1/8" bigger and I've yet to road test it with everything working properly...hopefully I've gained and not lost on the rebuild...

But rebuilding the head isn't all that hard...mine was machined too...not too much though...and it runs really nice and smooth now...can't wait to get it on the highway...

 

[scotts90ranger]

do a compression test on the engine to see how healthy the rings are. it sounds to me that you have thrashed lash adjusters or a bad cam or follower. If I'm right, you could spend a couple hours throwing valve springs, valve seals, lash adjusters and if it's not a roller cam already a roller cam and related hardware. When you get a compression gage, choose one that takes the same quick release fitting as your air compressor, this will let you change the valve springs and seals without having to take the head off.

once you get in there it isn't all that hard to replace all the stuff, I'd never done it before and had it figured out in less than an hour, the trick I will share is to take a rubber mallet or something and wack the valve spring caps to loosten the wedges before you go trying to remove the springs

 

[SMTGREG]

Like others say you probably have a cam follower that has wiped out a cam lobe. These engines are not cheap to make more HP. Check with Lunati, Esslinger or Racer Walsh for the cam and adjustable pulley. Get the two piece follower for anything other than a stock cam. A free flowing exhaust system should be next. When getting to wild with a cam or compression mods the EEC system will need a programmer. Your best bet is to get the turbo motor, rebuild the head and bolt it on and drive it another 100,000

 

[dangerranger83]

^^ what he said.

 

[SykoRanger88]

alright so to rebuild the top end who should i go with? esslinger? i figure that i want to get a good cam,vavles,springs,rockers,lash adjusters,followers,vavle seals,head gasket i think thats it lol, my dad said he was just gonna port match the head or something he said he doesnt wanna do much more then that without a flow bench, i think my truck has a flat tappet cam, the year after they used rollers i believe, is there any way i can convert to roller or is there alot involved and should i just get a decent flat tappet, im not sure what all to get i know esslinger has a bunch of different things i wish they just had a complete top end rebuild kit.

 

[Mark_88]

I converted to a roller cam by just buying an 89 Mustang head and having it rebuilt by a local shop...if you don't know any machine shops that do engines in your town then you may want to ask around...I don't know if Esslinger actually will rebuild your head...but you might want to have it tested (magnafluxed) before shipping it out...if they test it and it's cracked you will have to pay shipping two or three times...

 

[SykoRanger88]

im debating on whether i should even touch this engine or if i should just try to get a complete 2.3 turbo tbird engine lol and use this engine for spare parts.

 

[scotts90ranger]

A roller cam will just drop in, no mods needed, but I suggest new lash adjusters, if you get an after market after market roller cam uou should be able to get used followers from a junk yard without worry.

 

[SykoRanger88]

A roller cam will just drop in, no mods needed, but I suggest new lash adjusters, if you get an after market after market roller cam uou should be able to get used followers from a junk yard without worry.

seriously? if so i was thinking about getting this nice big kit for a roller cam from esslinger, they make a bigger kit for the roller cam would this be a nice choice that would work good? http://www.esslingeracing.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=E2232K&Category_Code=CCK or is that overkill? lol it comes with oversized valves.

 

[RacinNdrummin]

Unless you put a huge cam in the 2.3, upgrade to big valves, mill the sh*t out of the head, and convert to Carb/standalone EFI, a NA 2.3 wont make very good power.

Porting the head makes almost no difference unless you upgrade to big valves and do some bowl work, gasket matching doesnt do anything on these engines.

If you upgrade to bigger valves, you need a cam that raises the RPM range to take advantage of the flow potential, this will cause idle problems with the factory computer and chances are you will run out of fuel long before you make any power, so a standalone EFI or carb would be needed.

I would Never-ever-ever put a slider cam into a 2.3, especially with the availability of roller cams for these engines.

The thing is, You can put all of that work into a NA 2.3 and you might reach the power levels of a stock 2.3T setup.

2.3T has so much more potential at a fraction of the cost.