88 2.3 for a 93 2.3

[Robert_1967]

hello
I have a 88 ranger super cab, it has the 2.3liter fi engine, and it's about on it last leggs, I have found a good running 2.3 liter in a 93, but it has the 8 plugs, and no dist. will my intake work on the newer head, and I know i can use my dist, but can i get this to work useing only 4 of the plugs? and what eles would i have to change ??


thank you

 

[Bryan22]

you can make it work. you have a bunch of options. you can use the harness and motor from the 93.
you can use your head wiring and distributor off your 88 and just put all of your sensors and stuff on the 93 setup.
Or you can use the 93 head with your harness and re-wire a few things to get the dual plug setup to work with your computer. It's not all that hard, but i don't remember where i saw the digram from TFI to DIS. if you look around you'll find it. no matter what you choose, the blocks are the same until 95 so you can deffenitely make this work.

If it were me i'd use you you're wiring and sensors with the 93 motor and rewire it for DIS.

 

[Robert_1967]

Well I guess I wont be using it then, My head is about shot, need valve guilds, cam bearings, new cam, and who knows what else.

oh well, I'll just keep looking for another 2.3 from a 88 ford then.

 

[Bryan22]

why not use the head off the 93? if you wanted to be real lazy about it you could just hooke it everything up the same as it is now and leave the spark plugs in the drivers side of the head to hold compression and still use the distributor.

 

[Robert_1967]

I'm wanting to use the block and head, I just don't want to fool around with trying to get the newer fuel injecting system to work right, that was why I wanted to use my intake on the new motor, I done figured that I would leave the old plugs in the one side and new plugs on the other and hook them up.

BUT if my intake wont work on the new head, then I'm back to looking for a 88 2.3.

I saw a 89 mustang the other day with a 2.3 4 plug system in it, so I'm going to try and find one of them.

I would try to find a turbo 2.3 out of a turbo bird, but I don't know if I have to change the motors computer.

thank you all

 

[Bryan22]

it's not that hard to get the 93 setup to work. but whatever.

 

[Robert_1967]

I just saw a 92 with a 4 plug head but the intake was different, how hard would it be to use ??

 

[Bryan22]

just as hard as the 93. which is not very hard. i've got a motor from a 92 in my 94 right now. seems like you really don't want to do anything except drop a motor in. So what you need is a motor from and 88.

 

[Robert_1967]

Just wanted to thank every one for thier help.

my big main problem is I just dont want to cut up a bunch of wiring, or rewire a bunch of items, if I have to go that far I can get a big v6 out of a 2001 model ranger for 1000.00, but there lies the problem again, I'm trying to get by with as little fuss as possable, I don't mind changing intakes, or the dist. or little minor things like that, I just dont want to get into more than I cant handle right now.

BUT once again thank you all for your help.

one more question, whats the differance between a 2.3 FI, with a cast oil pan, and a 2.3 carb with a stamped oil pan, beside the fi and the oil pan???


thank you all again.

p.s I just love this website.

 

[Bryan22]

The main differences start after 94, when they went to obd II. All the OBD I motors are pretty much the same. You don't need to cut or splice any wires if you don't want to. just take all your sensors and your wiring from your 88 motor and put them on that 93 motor, plug everything back in like it was and drive away. only thing is if you retain your distributor your also gonna have to use all the accessories and everything from the 88 cause i think the power steering/ac bracket is in the way of the dist. on the dual plug set-ups.

What im getting at is the only option that will involve re-wiring anything is using your computer controls with DIS. and even doing that you only have to move about 6 wires around. You're making this into a much more complicated thing than it needs to be.

you live in cali? If so let me know and i'll figure a way to help you get it going.


finally found the link i was looking for. This is all the wiring you'd have to do to utilize the DIS ignition system with your 88 computer and harness.... http://www.merkurxr4ti.com/ref/dpdis_wiring_mods.PDF.

The 93 allready has the crank trigger and ignition control module installed on it from the factory, all you would have to do is run about 6 wires and you're all set.

One more thing, this site is filled with great information, go to the tech section at the top of this page and check out the 2.3 section, it will tell you everything you want to know about the differences over the years.


clicky- http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/4cylinders.html

 

[Robert_1967]

if I used the 93 with it's intake, wont I have to change the engine cpu?, and use the wiring harness from the 93?
if all I have to do is change my water and oil senors, and not the cpu and fuel pumps, than I guess that would be the sencond best thing to do.

I have a friend that has a 88 turbo bird that I was thinking about, but then I got to thinking, would my cpu work on that engine or would i have to get the cpu from the car also.

If I could afford it and didn't need my truck for a week, I would just have my engine rebuilt and be done with it.

I wish I was rich

 

[scotts90ranger]

the distributor doesn't physically fit with the intake manifold for the dual plug engines from what I hear