1990 Ranger XLT - Engine rebuild procautions?

[wretchy_gretchy]

Hello. I bought a broken down ford ranger recently for cheap. It still runs, but it spurts oil from the tailpipe, along with a mixture of black and blue smoke. I asked a few questions on here regarding fixing it, poked around myself, and also took it to a mechanic to confirm a few of my suspicions.

Firstly, the ECM will not respond to any code reader and the engine begins to die when connected. To my understanding, the ECM is dead, but can be replaced with one found in a wrecking yard or used parts resale. This is my first step.

The mechanic thinks one of the piston rings is leaking oil, therefore the engine needs to be rebuilt. I can agree with that. This will be my second step.

I have never rebuilt an engine before, but I am pretty skilled with mechanics in general. I do have a Chilton's manual and I have been doing some research. I want to be organized and plan ahead.

What are some techniques, good tools to have lying around, or precautions I should take before ripping the engine apart?

Thanks

 

[scotts90ranger]

These engines are pretty straight forward... no real special tools needed.

First off, does your engine have a mass airflow sensor? if not, I have an ECM I'd sell cheap... email if interested...

Get a rebuild kit from Rockauto.com and go to town, just research a bit first and maybe take pictures when you start digging in, I didn't take pictures, had my engine apart for 6 months, put it together with parts from a couple engines, and the only things I misplaced were the two nuts to hold the exhaust to the outlet of the turbo... I would suggest taking the cylinder head apart and get the valves and seats ground, head checked for cracks and surfaced if it's warped.

It's a good engine to dig into for your first rebuild, very simple, being DIS the only thing you have to align is the timing belt when you're done, easy.

For parts make sure you have all gaskets including valve stem seals and a new valve cover gasket, I would get new lash adjusters ($4.71 to $8 each at Rockauto) for good measure, along with a new water pump if it looks old.

 

[stuntsunltd.]

rebuild 2.3

You will definetly need a good torque wrench, a piston ring compressor and a set of marking number punches. Mark main bearing and connecting rod endcaps with numbers so that they get re-installed exactly where they were originally. Visually inspect all the bearing surfaces for signs of wear or damage. If in doubt consult with a local and reputable machine shop. Applying proper ammounts of torque and in the correct sequenece to main and rod caps will help ensure a long engine life. You may also want to invest in a good set of micrometers to ensure your piston and bore sizes are all correct. Do your research thouroghly, take your time, and if you dont know or understand something STOP AND ASK FOR HELP. That being said these little 2.3's are pretty forgiving and very easy to do. Best of luck

 

[scotts90ranger]

A center punch or narrow chisel works fine to mark the bearing caps and such, one punch for #1 and so forth, but the two 2.3L's I've had apart have had the rods marked from the factory... These are very forgiving, I should have bought oversized pistons and had my block bored, but it runs great with what I did...

 

[wretchy_gretchy]

This is good info to start with. I've been staring at the thing wondering what I'm going to do with it. Replace engine, or rebuild. It's time to clean up the garage to work on this thing!