1993 ranger 3.0 motor bad... what can i use?

[simplmn80]

I recently bought a 1993 ranger 4x4 auto with the 3.0 on ebay for under a grand... very nice truck, interior is literally like new.. xlt, loaded.. love it!!!
problem is with the motor.. head gasket or possibly cracked head, oil is milk.. want to just swap motors and be done with it.... Ive read several forums on here about interchangability but still not 100% sure...

the thing that i am confused about is obd1 and obd2... and if the short block is the same during the transition.. i understand that i will have to strip the intake and yada yada.. but .... how far up in the years can i go untill something changes? 01-02? if someone could give me a definate cutoff year that would be awesome!! also, the ohv taurus motor... what years could i go with? also understand it would need stripped and the head gaskets changed..

thanks in advance guys!!! love this site!! so much info!!!

 

[stegomon]

92-97 has the same intake and block. in 95 or 96 they went from a dizzy to a coil pack. a 98-2012 will work. just need to change intake from your old engine with a few sensors to the new engine. you can also use a block from a Ford Taurus. but you will need to change head gaskets

 

[bucko]

Why not just pull the heads on the original motor and replace them? By the time you go through the headache of locating a used engine (trusting you find a good one), locating any changes needed if it requires a change from OBDI to OBDII, not to mention the cost, you could have your original engine back to running condition.

 

[stmitch]

94 was the last year for distributors
95 was the last year for OBD1
There were small changes to the intake manifolds, in 98 and again in 01

3.0 short blocks may be slightly different over the years but they should all be interchangeable, so technically any OHV 3.0 from a Ranger, Taurus, Sable, Aerostar, Tempo, Topaz, Probe, etc could be used (stay away from the DOHC Duratec engines). For the least amount of work, getting a Pre 95 engine is the way to go but the others can be made to work too. It just depends on your level of comfort and ability to swap the parts over.