2.9 opinions, or better yet, truths?

[fabman_52]

What I need to know is.....
1. Are they dependable?
2. Do they last?
3. What can I expect for power?
4. What auto trans do they come with?

I have had 4 Rangers in the past, all 2.3's with 5 speeds. I just picked up a 1987 ex-cab with a 4x4. Pretty clean truck. auto trans is shot, all else is good. Paid 175.00 for it. only rust is on the bed, which I plan on swapping out for a long bed. After I extend the frame of course. I plan to make this truck a keeper so I am looking for all the good and bad for this motor and trans combo. I've been looking for a generation 1 extended cab Ranger for ever, just to put a long bed, fat fenders and dual wheels on.
Will be looking forward to all replies.
Thanks Ahead, George.

 

[jasongind]

2.9l

I have an '88 ranger with the 2.9L and A4L auto trans. I had the towing guts put into the tranny at its rebuild. Personally I like the combo. It has plenty of power for what I do and the fuel economy is better then my '05 Taurus which gets 23 city/ 25 highway. The only big thing I really know to look out for is cracking the heads. I bought the truck and it had a cracked head. It wasnt to bad to do, about $300 total and a day to do myself at home. You can check in the tech libaray under- engines; then 2.9 and get all the info you could use on this engine. Well good lick and enjoy your "new" rig.


Evereyone Dies, Not Everyone Lives...

 

[abrush]

Well, hopefully you will have better luck than I did. I went through (2) 2.9L engines in less than 3 months. I only use the vehicle to commute to work and back. I don't do any off roading or heavy driving. The first motor drastically lost power so I dropped in another one. 800 miles later it started knocking very badly. After this point I had had it with those engines so I got smart and dropped a 4.0L V6 in it. Needless to say, several months later and thousands of miles I have had not one single problem.

I have heard from some people that they have had good luck with the 2.9L so it just depends on the abuse and care that was probley put into it over the course of the years.

 

[Monty35]

If it's something to consider but I've owned 4 RBV's in my past, 5 motors in a span of 2 years, all with the same problem
an 87 ranger bought with a cracked head, swapped the motor for a good one, head cracked about a year later and gave it to a friend.

an 88 ranger bought with a cracked head, new motor installed by certified mechanic bought the engine from him too. That motor had a cracked head and 2 collapsed lifters so he put in ANOTHER 2.9, the head cracked about a week later after a coolant hose busted on the highway. I sold the truck then

an 89 ranger bought with a cracked head, motor pulled for 4.0L offroad pig project which I never finished

a 92 explorer with a 4.0, no issues, ran great until I yanked its motor for the 89

Maybe I have bad luck, maybe I didnt take enough care of them. I never drove like a maniac, routine maintenance was always done, oil and coolant checked weekly, I tried to keep an eye on the temp gauge and only had the 88 overheat on me as far as I could tell, I should have checked the hoses though so that was my fault. The biggest thing I can recommend is to install an oil pressure, and coolant temp gauge. Aftermarket of course, even a cheaper one will be better than the stock dummy gauge and will give you actual numbers to see before it's too late.

Good luck with it! Hopefully your history with 2.9's is better than mine D=

 

[Chris102371]

I've had mine for over a year now and it is running strong. Mine is a daily driver but I run the crap out of it to. It runs best on 93 octane. I really like mine, but I am thinking of putting a 4.0L in it.

 

[fabman_52]

The more I hear the more I think I just might go with a 4.0, I might as well, my cousin blew his trans in his 92 Exploder last week, called me today, was gonna junk it, so I talked him out of it. Now I need to know what all is involved in this swap and what trans will I need. His has push button 4x4 that don't work. So guy's help me out here. What do I have to do to make this right. It will be a keeper/daily driver for the wife and I'll never hear the end of it if this thing isn't dependable. I have to keep it an automatic, she can no longer drive a stick due to illness, We're gettin old!

 

[grnrngr]

I got 4 years out of my 2.9 4x4 Ranger..it had a coolant leak when I got it, fixed it and it lasted a long time before it finally did overheat bad and got the old water in the oil problem. Parked it and bought an abused '86 2.9 B2 4x4, got 4 or 5 years out of it until it recently developed this oil pressure problem. I think they're great motors although I am gonna drop a 4.0 in the Ranger when I can afford it. My B2 has the shift on the fly electric t-case shifter..wasn't working when I bought it, read all about how to fix the thing, took it apart only to find it had no guts to fix. got a whole new unit for $25 at the wrecking yard and it works great (I have an extra if you need one..) In fact, I think I prefer it to the manual shifter (I've had manuals in my ranger and a couple jeeps)..if you can get your cousins cheap (or free) do it! and don't wory about the electric shift thing..it's an easy fix..is that what is wrong with his or is it actually blown gears?

 

[2manyfords]

Go for the 4.0L.

Almost the same fuel economy as a 2.9L and gobs more torque.

They haven't used the 2.9L in Rangers since '92 so finding a good one is getting tough.

 

[dgarner08]

i don't have a 2.9 but a buddy of mine has a 1988 ranger 2 wheel drive and that truck has ben through hell and back it has around 350000 on it and hasn't ben worked on except for about 8 heater cores and a oil line but it finally died. (bent push rod) keep in mind the average speed of this truck was around 85 at all times and he reved the crap out of it all the time and it had ben wrecked six or seven times. it was a good truck

 

[Mutant Pony]

1.They CAN be dependable. They often tick but, Its no big deal.
2.They have been known to go over 300,000. (rare though)
3.It's a v-6 in a heavy vehicle. Power is not in the description.
4.They came with the A4ld trans, This trans can last a long time if driven easily. They don't take abuse though, The 4.0 liter A4ld is a little tougher and will bolt in. Still fairly easily broken. Most people just convert to a stick.
If you convert to the 4.0 you will have to have the Explorers wiring and computer. You will need to get another Explorer trans if you need an auto.
Someone here needs to research adapting an AOD/208.
We have one guy working on adapting a c4/c5 to a 4.0 in his lifted 4x4 Aerostar. The trick there is the torque converter. That might be an option for you as well.

 

[almostclueless]

They haven't used the 2.9L in Rangers since '92 so finding a good one is getting tough.

That is the main point.


The 2.9's I owned ran great. Drowned one, traded the other in for a new car for the boss.

 

[mhughes165]

the 2.9 with proper preventitive maintence over its life WILL outlast your owning the trukc in most cases, i got ym old 87 that was a oncall fire truck for the firechief for most its life and it had 250k worth of firecall miles on it, hard accelerating, hard shifting, the 2.9 is actually a motor that lieks u to beat on it, buddy blew a 2.9 in his ranger driving it like miss daisy every day, the old enigne in mine finally went at 370k miles, and thats only becuase i accidently froze the block while changin the coolant, i love the 2.9, but the lack of power is finally starting to catch up with me so in goes the low mileage 4.0 i got

 

[Jspafford]

Every gripe I hear is about cracking heads, which is not an engine problem anymore than a lack of upkeep on the owners part. Run the 4.0L with with no oil and then complain that they tend to lock up.

I get great mileage with my 2.9 for a 4WD truck.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Well over 300K on mine. Bought it with a 1\2mile.

C marshall had a BII with over 600K

Power wise, with a Stick shift there awesome, 1st through 3rd hold on, 4th and 5th are a little strung out.

Auto's dog them down considerably.

Mileage, high teens, or low 20's.

For the increse in displacement, and decrese in mileage, the 4.0 is not all that great.

later,
Dustin

 

[Jspafford]

Well over 300K on mine. Bought it with a 1\2mile.

C marshall had a BII with over 600K

Power wise, with a Stick shift there awesome, 1st through 3rd hold on, 4th and 5th are a little strung out.

Auto's dog them down considerably.

Mileage, high teens, or low 20's.

For the increse in displacement, and decrese in mileage, the 4.0 is not all that great.

later,
Dustin

I agree with you Dustin. At first I wasn't impressed with mine, but over the years of driving it and many other vehicles, I now see how peppy it really is. It is fun to drive and like you said, with a stick shift, they are great. Never drivin one with an auto before.

I get 24mpg with mine in the summer.