2.8 to 2.9 swap questions

[Diego H]

I am considering swapping my 2.8 with a 2.9, the 2.9 I’m considering buying is an auto but I’d like to keep my manual would there be any issues or could I bolt the flywheel on and install it? And does anyone know how difficult the wiring is?

 

[Brain75]

well....without years I can see one big difference from googling aren't all the 2.8's carb and the 2.9 is almost certainly fuel injected... so a mess of wiring on the fuel system.


Just for clarity you have a manual in the truck that is in the truck that stays? - that means you don't have to monkey with any trans wiring changes like neutral safety switch, computer etc. so... if you happen to have a rare carb 2.9 then might not be too bad at all.
Does the 2.9 come with the complete engine wiring harness?

 

[Diego H]

well....without years I can see one big difference from googling aren't all the 2.8's carb and the 2.9 is almost certainly fuel injected... so a mess of wiring on the fuel system.


Just for clarity you have a manual in the truck that is in the truck that stays? - that means you don't have to monkey with any trans wiring changes like neutral safety switch, computer etc. so... if you happen to have a rare carb 2.9 then might not be too bad at all.
Does the 2.9 come with the complete engine wiring harness?

So the 2.8 is carbed (84) and the 2.9 would come out of a 87 bronco 2 and is fuel injected
Also my truck is manual and I would want to keep that trans

 

[Brain75]

and what is your end goal, do you want a carb'd 2.9 or a fuel injected 2.9?

 

[Diego H]

and what is your end goal, do you want a carb'd 2.9 or a fuel injected 2.9?

I would leave the fuel injection on the motor a carb set up would be cool but is so hard to do it’s not really worth it

 

[Brain75]

It is possible to make a carb'd 2.9, but it is not easy - you may run into unicorn hunting in the junkyard for a different intake and dizzy, etc (they don't swap - intake spacing is different and the dizzy runs backwards)... I would try to avoid planning down a route where you have to hunt for things that might be really hard to find..

some issues I found here on the ranger station just by searching (I can't verify these myself, no 1st hand knowledge on the 2.8):

post #2 in this thread:

2.8 to 2.9 swap

My 2.8 has the 5-speed tranny but the only thing I dont know is if it will bolt up to the 2.9. Thanks

www.therangerstation.com

post #4 in this thread:

2.8 to 2.9 swap

I've got an 84 2.8 4spd 4x4 with 3.08's and have access to an 86-87 bII 2.9 5spd w/push button 4x4. Since im getting it for free with a bad piolet bearing. Can i swap just the motor. Or do i need the tranny as well, witch it would be nice to have overdrive tranny.

www.therangerstation.com

You are going from a 1st generation system to a 2nd generation system, so I don't know how much headache there is between the computers..

whole threads you might want to read first

2.8L to 2.9L swap

Greetings everyone, after a long break from my project (getting married and all), I finally have some time to get back into it. I recently purchased a donor vehicle (1989 2.9L Ranger) and I want to swap the 2.9L motor onto my 2.8L Ranger (1985). I would like to keep the 1985 dash. What wirings...

www.therangerstation.com

2.8 to 2.9 swap

I'm new here and I will introduce myself in a thread tomorrow. I have a 84 bronco 4wd automatic with a 2.8(dead due to your typical cracked head). Well my grandfather's neighbor said he could get it running, so he took out the 2.8 block and put in the 2.9 block. Then preceded to put the carb...

www.therangerstation.com

 

[SenorNoob]

I would go ahead and go 4.0. Even those are getting harder to find...

 

[Brain75]

plus all of these options involved are all 20mpg +/- nothin'... so why not have the power of a 4.0 and the parts options like you said.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

2.3l Ecoboost…

I mean, might as well go modern if you’re upgrading from carb… but that may be a bigger project than most want to take on. You really need some fab and welding skills, electrical know-how, and a decent sized wallet. I don’t know your exact situation on that kind of thing.

4.0 OHV definitely merits consideration. All the same work as a 2.9 swap with the benefit of better heads and more power. You will need a 90-94 donor. Get the whole thing, Ranger or Explorer. You’re gonna need a bunch of stuff… same goes for a 2.9 swap, just more years to pick from and B2 or Ranger. Ideally you would get an exact match for your rig, so that would be an 86-88 Ranger, preferably an 88 because of the no EGR with the same cab and bed as yours. You will need the entire fuel system and all of the engine wiring. Probably a bunch of dash wiring. Maybe some other stuff. That is the easiest EFI swap. Using a B2 donor for a Ranger is going to give you trouble adapting the fuel system and possibly wiring issues.

At that point I’d do something for sure, and that is to do the fuel system the way it should have been. 89-92 tank and fuel sender, then run new lines and put the fuel filter where you can get at the dumb thing. First gen systems for the 2.9 used two fuel pumps and some hokey plumbing, second gen and forward used a better system.

5.0 is actually a potentially easy swap since you can run those with a carb and avoid the electrical and fuel system problem but then you’re going to change your entire drivetrain. Still a worthy consideration.

 

[Brain75]

lol, the OP asks how hard it is, kinda giving the indication he doesn't want hard and you picked one of the hardest known possible that I can think of (behind the TDI,other totally foreign motors)....

I had forgot the fuel system, but yeah carb's are like 5-6 psi and fuel injected are 40-50, so the whole dang fuel system is unavoidable too..
On my '48, I actually used a high pressure pump in the fullsize bronco tank and then a regulator to drop it down to carb pressure.

 

[SenorNoob]

For easy, I'd be lookin into a no-title, or tree fell on it running and driving truck. Use your body on it...

 

[Brain75]

the ultimate easy button, another 2.8 from the same generation/specific setup... I've pulled and dropped in a motor in a long weekend.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

lol, the OP asks how hard it is, kinda giving the indication he doesn't want hard and you picked one of the hardest known possible that I can think of (behind the TDI,other totally foreign motors)....

I had forgot the fuel system, but yeah carb's are like 5-6 psi and fuel injected are 40-50, so the whole dang fuel system is unavoidable too..
On my '48, I actually used a high pressure pump in the fullsize bronco tank and then a regulator to drop it down to carb pressure.

I gave the reasonable options, lol. Any time you do not swap like motor for like motor, there’s going to be more work involved. Easiest swap is another 2.8, then probably it would be a toss up between carbed 5.0 or 2.9/4.0 with a complete Ranger donor. Of modern engines, there’s 2.3 Ecoboost is the most suited to fit and work with only a little more effort than 2.9/4.0/5.0, but it’s also not a swap for the faint of heart.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

the ultimate easy button, another 2.8 from the same generation/specific setup... I've pulled and dropped in a motor in a long weekend.

I managed to pull a 4.0, put head gaskets on another motor, and drop it in… in about 6 hours once. But I’ve also had more practice than I’d like to admit.

 

[Brain75]

that's practice.... though I can rebuild a Bock 4 cylinder compressor in about an hour now.... worked for Bock USA for a while, assemble new from parts in about 45 minutes. I can't say I have had that much practice swapping motors (nor do I really want that brag right I think)...