1985 2.3l FI engine swap question

[stringbeans3]

Hey all, new guy here. I recently bought a 1985 Ranger that came stock with a 2.3 FI 4cyl engine. The previous owner had pulled the engine, so i bought the truck with no engine and now I'm wondering what to drop in. My question is, I want to drop a v6 in, but should I drop in the 2.9 FI? or the 2.8 carbureted?

 

[adsm08]

Neither.

If you want a V-6 and are going to go to the trouble of the swap do a 4.0. They all bolt into the same spot, you will need all the same pieces, but a new dash (or at least the harness) for the 4.0, but out of the three the 4.0 is far and away the best engine.

 

[stringbeans3]

Neither.

If you want a V-6 and are going to go to the trouble of the swap do a 4.0. They all bolt into the same spot, you will need all the same pieces, but a new dash (or at least the harness) for the 4.0, but out of the three the 4.0 is far and away the best engine.

Thanks for the info. Would it be best to swap in a 4.0 OHV or a 4.0 SOHC? It's also a 4x4, so I was wondering if just sticking with a 2.3 and modding it would be easier.

 

[Twister]

Thanks for the info. Would it be best to swap in a 4.0 OHV or a 4.0 SOHC? It's also a 4x4, so I was wondering if just sticking with a 2.3 and modding it would be easier.

I would prolly go with the OHV, with the SOHC there is a lot more wiring involved becausenof obd2 and they you might run into clearence issues.

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[adsm08]

I would go with the OHV as well, but not for the reasons Twister mentions. The SOHC can be made to run in an OBDI system, it's actually not that hard. It was probably harder for me to wire up my 87 dash to an 89 dash harness for my 4.0 swap.

The OHV engine is more reliable and easier to work on. The SOHC has timing chain issues which not only require special tools repair, but it requires the engine to be out of the vehicle. You can almost rebuild the OHV with it in place in the engine bay. Almost.


There are some fitment issues with the SOHC as well, it has a very deep oil pan compared to the OHV, but they can be overcome.