2.9 Reliability Assurance

[ty.forestcom]

Good Evening everyone.

I’ve got a 1988 2.9 2wd long bed. Frame blasted, painted, rear axle flipped and c notch. Front has dream beams & 2” drop coils. Bell tech nitro drop shocks. Fairly Recently ditched the A4LD for a 5 speed.

I haven’t done a whole lot to the engine… New FPR, spark plugs, 2 or 3 injectors, valve cover gaskets. Air filter, IAC, TPS. Fuel pump relay and eec relay. It’s got a new gas tank and low pressure pump. High pressure one on the frame is oem. Probably a few other small things I can’t recall at this moment…

I am planning to take a trip from Louisiana to Arkansas , CO, UT, NorCal and end in SoCal. Then come back home when the time is right. I’ve got a camper top and am building a drawer system in the bed with a kitchen and garage for the trip. I am planning to replace all rubber on the vehicle, as well as the water pump and re adjusting the lifters.

What is some suggestions or wisdom y’all can give me for the reliability of the truck whilst on the trip? I would like to keep the stock heads but if you think it’s necessary to put the improved ones let me know. Also need an entirely new A/C system. The wallet will love that one .

Thank you in advance,
Tyler

 

[bobbywalter]

hot idle oil psi is the king factor.


if the compression is decent and it is fairly well maintained and not consuming more than a quart or two in 3k miles then its gonna run like a 2.9. just peachy.....and clicky clacky...cause thats what they do.

belts, hoses, pullies, alternator, powersteering, ac, and water pumps and fuel pumps can fail right out of the box or in short order.

past 120 k. when you get a bad injector it is ideal to just replace injectors as a set. preferably a matched set. not necessary just ideal for drivability issues later.

i assume its a non maf bank fire engine so its as dumb as it gets.

spare ignition module or even a whole distributor from a junkyard that you test for proper function and hp fuel pump might be something to put in a box that rides with the truck.

if it runs decent i wouldnt be afraid to do a 5 k road trip with it.

the only way to upgrade it for reliability is to megasquirt it and have a back up system.

 

[ty.forestcom]

hot idle oil psi is the king factor.


if the compression is decent and it is fairly well maintained and not consuming more than a quart or two in 3k miles then its gonna run like a 2.9. just peachy.....and clicky clacky...cause thats what they do.

belts, hoses, pullies, alternator, powersteering, ac, and water pumps and fuel pumps can fail right out of the box or in short order.

past 120 k. when you get a bad injector it is ideal to just replace injectors as a set. preferably a matched set. not necessary just ideal for drivability issues later.

i assume its a non maf bank fire engine so its as dumb as it gets.

spare ignition module or even a whole distributor from a junkyard that you test for proper function and hp fuel pump might be something to put in a box that rides with the truck.

if it runs decent i wouldnt be afraid to do a 5 k road trip with it.

the only way to upgrade it for reliability is to megasquirt it and have a back up system.

Thank you sir. Will do

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I don't think there is adjustment on the lifters, they are hydraulic.

 

[superj]

if it runs fine now, i would not be scared to take it.

thats how i judge all vehicles. if you are daily driving it and its trouble free, i expect that to continue. i drove my karmann ghia home from fort benning ga to the bottom of texas without worries so you should be good. that was the second used engine and it ran fine for the two months since install so i loaded up everything i owned while in the army and took off at midnight. made it home the next day.

 

[Shran]

I don't think there is adjustment on the lifters, they are hydraulic.

I think he meant rockers, been a while since I have had a 2.9 open but I remember seeing an adjustable deal on the rocker arms that preloads the lifters.

Agreed with everything else that was said, if it runs good now, it'll probably continue running good. Keep the cooling system in tip top shape & clean and do regular oil changes. Oil with higher zinc content or additional ZDDP additives are good.

Wouldn't hurt to get roadside assistance from your insurance or AAA before the trip, anything can happen, I'm always paranoid that my 200k 4.0 will take a major shit on a cross country trip and I'll have to leave it somewhere with all my camping gear inside. AAA was only like $80/year, small price for peace of mind.

 

[ty.forestcom]

I don't think there is adjustment on the lifters, they are hydraulic.

if it runs fine now, i would not be scared to take it.

thats how i judge all vehicles. if you are daily driving it and its trouble free, i expect that to continue. i drove my karmann ghia home from fort benning ga to the bottom of texas without worries so you should be good. that was the second used engine and it ran fine for the two months since install so i loaded up everything i owned while in the army and took off at midnight. made it home the next day.

I think he meant rockers, been a while since I have had a 2.9 open but I remember seeing an adjustable deal on the rocker arms that preloads the lifters.

Agreed with everything else that was said, if it runs good now, it'll probably continue running good. Keep the cooling system in tip top shape & clean and do regular oil changes. Oil with higher zinc content or additional ZDDP additives are good.

Wouldn't hurt to get roadside assistance from your insurance or AAA before the trip, anything can happen, I'm always paranoid that my 200k 4.0 will take a major shit on a cross country trip and I'll have to leave it somewhere with all my camping gear inside. AAA was only like $80/year, small price for peace of mind.

85_Ranger4x4: I was referring to the preload adjustment they describe in the manuals. Was guided by someone on here.

Superj: Runs like a top. Had one owner before myself with all service records. 40k original miles. (39k). It’s at 43,760 at the moment, been driving daily for 5 or 6 months. No intentions of selling, giving it the life it never got. Oil change every 3k with some marvels mystery.

Shran: Correct, thanks for clarifying. Would you recommend a new radiator? Roadside is a no brainer!

Thank y’all very much, have a nice night.