2.9 question

[stxTrucker]

Hello all.
So my 2.9 blew last week in my 88 from letting my mom drive it to hell. So now I'm searching for another 2.9 and I may have found one but I have a few questions.
My ranger is an 88 4x4 manual. The engine I found is in an 86 2wd with an auto. Would there be any problems just swapping it or will it be a plug and play?

Thanks for any comments.

 

[Psychopete]

Not sure about the fuel rail connections on an '86, but compare, worst case swap the fuel rail.

Swap the whole upper plenum from the '88 onto the '86.

Compare manifolds to make sure they're the same, sucks if those have to come off. I have never had as much trouble with exhaust bolts as I have with 2.9L engines. It's pretty terrible.

Should be mostly plug and play.

 

[adsm08]

86 has EGR, 88 doesn't. That will be an issue to address. Worst case scenario is that you leave the EGR intake on. The parts will be there, but won't function, no big deal.

You will obviously have to swap over the flywheel, clutch, etc as a flex plate and a flywheel are different.

Other than that it should be almost 100% direct swap. I put an 89 engine in my 87, not issues there.

 

[straycat]

Hello all.
So my 2.9 blew last week in my 88 from letting my mom drive it to hell. So now I'm searching for another 2.9 and I may have found one but I have a few questions.
My ranger is an 88 4x4 manual. The engine I found is in an 86 2wd with an auto. Would there be any problems just swapping it or will it be a plug and play?

Thanks for any comments.

So....this is your 'mom's' fault? Your 'mom' drives your truck or is it her truck and you just say it is your truck.....lol. You can use your standard trans in the other motor unless your 'mom' broke that as well....lol

 

[stxTrucker]

So what years would be direct swap? And would it be easier if it was from a manual? And does 4x4 or not matter?

And yes my MOTHER! I let her use it for 6 months and I come back and it got toasted.

 

[stxTrucker]

It really bothers me whenever I ask for help on any forum and I get rude responses from members. What I said is what it is. It is my truck bought with my own hard earned money. If it was my moms I would I have said it was hers. And either way it really doesnt matter who's truck it is all I want is some help... smh..

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Don't mind Straycat, he's always like that, unfortunately.

It's not really all that big of a deal to swap what you need over between motors. I have an 89 Bronco II that started life as a 2wd. I got the truck with a burned up motor harness (previous owner cracked a head and melted the harness). I swapped in a harness from a junkyard Ranger (IIRC it was a 91). Plugged right up, only thing was there is one little sensor plug that I don't have a place to plug it in. Truck doesn't seem to mind a bit.

Then despite swapping heads, they gave me trouble. So I swapped a junkyard 2.9 in out of a wrecked 87/88 BII. The BII I got the engine out of was an auto 4x4 and mine was a manual 4x2 (originally). Just had to pull the flex plate and the clutch/flywheel stuff and swap it from one to the other. Then I had a problem getting it started, so I tore the top end of both engines down (down to the heads) and swapped it over. Took me three days of playing around with it for a couple hours each day (between classes, I was in college then).

The 2.9L, IMHO, is a pretty simple motor to work on.

 

[stxTrucker]

I'm not trying to swap the head. I just want to put a whole new engine in. Idk maybe I'm not understanding. I just want a whole new 2.9 in there. But maybe I just misunderstood

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I'm not trying to swap the head. I just want to put a whole new engine in. Idk maybe I'm not understanding. I just want a whole new 2.9 in there. But maybe I just misunderstood

Don't get so excited....

I'll give you the cliff notes of what I said...

I'm running an 87/88 4x4 auto bronco II motor in my 89 2wd 5-speed bronco II using a wiring harness from a 91 4-speed Ranger.

It all works, all I had to do was swap the flex plate (on the auto motor) to the flywheel and clutch assembly from my manual trans truck. 5 bolts hold the flywheel or flex plate (manual has a flywheel, auto has a flex plate) to the crank on the back of the block. Swap it and bolt it up.