1991 Ford Ranger 2.9 v6

[JaydenS222]

Hi I’m going to look at a 1991 ford ranger with 300,000 km (186,000 miles) on it. I don’t know too much about it or any of the ford rangers but I know it has the 2.9 litre v6 and the transmission was rebuilt 100,000 km (62,000 miles). The clutch was also done at this time. The guy wants 1800 Canadian (1300 us). This is going to be my first vehicle and I want to be reliable but also want to be able to do some 4x4ing. Just curious how long the engines can last and if this is a good deal?

 

[rusty ol ranger]

The 2.9 is for the most part, bulletproof. Regardless of what others say. Their only real weakness is a tendency to crack heads after an overheat or two.

Check for signs of coolant in the oil, and the overall condition of the cooling system (color of coolant, gunky radiator, etc) and if theres any red flags there id be leary.

However, being a 91 youll have the "improved" heads, 86-88 were a more crack prone casting the the 89-92 heads. But the later ones are still kinda fragile.

But other then that, if you keep them cool they'll run forever. One guy here had 660,000 on an all original 2.9 in an 87 Bronco II, i put over 300k on mine and theres been many other high mileage examples.

The only other "issue" is they like to make lifter tick, generally considered more of an annoyance then a serious issue.

I think the 2.9 is the best "all around" engine ever used in an RBV, they got spunk, will run forever with proper care, and are pretty decent on fuel.

Also, 1300 bucks isnt bad for that truck at all as long as its mechanically sound.

 

[Nez'sRanger]

Same. I got mine for $2,000 us, and it needed the heads rebuilt because the guy never serviced the coolant system, and it overheated, but, now that I have it running very reliably, i have no regrets! I think it's important on a new-to-you 2.9 Ranger to make sure the cooling system is in perfect running order. If they neglected that during the rebuild, and/or haven't serviced it in a while, chances are it will bite you if it isn't addressed. If that's that is in order, I think you got a good deal!

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

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