What year engine is this?

[russkateer]

Hey all, I have been reading this forum for a few years as I have owned 3 rangers, 85, 92 & now 96.

2.3L Engine is blown so I went about replacing it. Found an engine on craigslist, claimed it was from a '96 and only had 75k miles on it. $200 seemed like a good deal. About an hour ago I got my old engine pulled and was getting ready to swap all the accessories over to the donor motor, well now that they are sitting next to each other, there are a few differences. Which means I need the right motor... and get rid of the wrong one. But, I want to have the right info about this engine so that I can sell it to someone, instead of being a schmo and selling someone an engine they don't need.

I have attached pictures of the mystery engine...does anyone know what it is?

 

[russkateer]

side by side

Here are the two engines side by side... notice the lower left part of the block. This is where the power steering and AC bracket was mounted on my original engine. Both have the number 2222 in white paint on the side.

 

[Mark_88]

Well, they are both 8 plug heads...the one in the foreground looks like an older one...can you get a pic of it from the front? I can't see if there is an oil pump where the auxiliary gear goes on it and that would tell you if it was a 95 or up...if there is no oil pump on the front of that engine then it is 94 or earlier...

 

[russkateer]

Well, they are both 8 plug heads...the one in the foreground looks like an older one...can you get a pic of it from the front? I can't see if there is an oil pump where the auxiliary gear goes on it and that would tell you if it was a 95 or up...if there is no oil pump on the front of that engine then it is 94 or earlier...

Thanks for the reply, see pics below...

I hope this is what you are asking for.

 

[Mark_88]

Sorry, must have missed your post. That really looks like an early version...maybe 91 or 92...but could be as late as 94...definitely not a 96...you can see the difference in the oil pump configuration.

 

[scotts90ranger]

with that crank sensor configuration it's for an EDIS system, so not a '89-94, my guess would be '95 then... if you find a part number on the front seal housing it would probably give you an idea of age, my guess is it starts with F5...

Your original looks to have the aux shaft driven oil pump, so I'm guessing you got a '95 engine to replace your '96

 

[4b316]

it is a 89-94 model,too much to change to make it work in your truck.you need to get one from a 95-01,2.3 or 2.5.Its easy to tell the difference,if it has a plug or cam sensor where the dist.used to be,it is before 95.Another easy way to tell is that any motor that will work in your truck will have the same style intake with the individual runners not the one cast together.

 

[russkateer]

Thanks

Thanks for the replies...if we are voting we get 3 votes for pre-95 and one vote for a 95... I was under the impression that a 95 would work, and this one may, but I need the power steering pump & A/C bracket (I suppose cast aluminum) to be able to mat to it. This motor didn't come with that bracket, which is what threw me off to begin with. Everything else bolts on no problem. So, maybe I'll try finding that bracket from a 95 at the junk yard. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[4b316]

You will have trouble with the crank sensor,it is a whole different deal between the 94 and 95,s.

 

[scotts90ranger]

4b316, look at the reluctor wheel on the replacement engine, specifically the pics in post #4, that's not the '89-94 setup, but it's the pre '96 style block, and on the very first picture you can see the crank sensor is on the front passenger side not where it is on the '89-94, those are the reasons I'm voting '95... in which case the drivers side brackets would be different like you are experiencing

 

[4b316]

Scott,how can that be?As far as I can tell,they never put a reluctor on a pre 95 engine and as you can see in the pics,it definitely has a plug in the dist hole making it a pre 95.Did he put the front pulley on the engine to turn it over?If you look in the very first pic,you see that he has no crank pulley on the 94 engine.I think I will stand by my earlier statements.Russkateer,will you post a pic with the front pulley off both engines?

 

[cp2295]

Here are the two engines side by side... notice the lower left part of the block. This is where the power steering and AC bracket was mounted on my original engine. Both have the number 2222 in white paint on the side.

can you see the casting number on the block or the heads? E means 80s, and F means 90s. So for example if it said F5** that would be 95.. At least it's that way for the 3.0s.. i'd check the tech area and see about rebuilding a 2.3, should tell you what the block stamp means.

 

[scotts90ranger]

Scott,how can that be?As far as I can tell,they never put a reluctor on a pre 95 engine and as you can see in the pics,it definitely has a plug in the dist hole making it a pre 95.Did he put the front pulley on the engine to turn it over?If you look in the very first pic,you see that he has no crank pulley on the 94 engine.I think I will stand by my earlier statements.Russkateer,will you post a pic with the front pulley off both engines?

You've dealt with more of these engines than I have, especially the newer ones, I'll take your word for it... I just saw the crank sensor and reluctor wheel