2.3 engine swap

[93kyrangerman]

Hello everyone,





I’ve learned my ’93 Ford Ranger likely spun a rod, so I’m planning a swap. I’m decent with a wrench—not a pro—but I can hold my own.





What I’ve figured out so far:

• There seem to be different engine variants around the build dates (before 2/23/93 and through 3/23/93).
• There are Federal and California (EGR) versions.
• I’ve heard the exhaust manifold may differ between variants.

Questions:

1. What are the key differences between the pre-2/23/93 vs. 2/23–3/23/93 engines, and between Federal vs. California EGR setups (manifolds, sensors, harness/ECU, etc.)?
2. For a manual truck, is it better to pull the engine and transmission together or just the engine?
3. Does anyone have a solid step-by-step guide or thread for this swap (especially for a manual)?
4. Any gotchas I should watch for (mounts, wiring, clutch/flywheel compatibility, ECU/EGR issues)?

 

[sgtsandman]

As far as I'm aware, the basic engine stayed the same. What got attached to it is what makes the difference.

So, you should be able to get an engine of the same era and just swap whaever is different.