97 2.3 issues/questions

[mike A]

just bought a 97 ranger with the 2.3, its got a whicked top end knock (the deal i got this thing for the knock doesnt matter) but i was wondering if anyone has had a 2.3 that this happened to. Guy i got it from threw the timing belt on it at one point, he put a new belt on it then it drove fine for 500ish miles then the knock showed up. I havent picked it up yet so i havent gotten a chance to tear into it, but i suspect it dropped a valve. I'm hopping to pull the head and have it rebuilt and have her good as new again so i can park my 8mpg f150 for a while.

anyone have sugestions on what could be the issue here?

what may be my worst case sinerio/best case senerio?

thanks guys

 

[matt4068]

best case scenario, timing off a tooth, or broken valve spring is the cause of the noise, hold the valve up, replace the spring. call it good to go.
worst case scenario, head needs replaced or rebuilt/ damage to piston or engine block requiring motor replacement.

 

[mike A]

Well I have good news, and bad.
Good news is I finally got a break from work and school on monday so I went and got it, didnt have a chance to even look at it until today but thats the end of good news.. didnt take but 10 min to find out I have a bigger project on my hands than expected.

Pulled the valve cover looked around and all looked good, didnt even see any metal shavings, untill i dipped my finger in a oil puddle in the head.. shined a light on my finger and it looked like someone poured glitter in the motor.

I put a ratchet on the crank and spun it over, I could hear what sounded like a main bearing or loose piston in there.. so looks like i'll be doing a full rebuild on it, just hope the cylinder walls and crank aren't beyond saving..

but on the bright side, looks like I have plans for this weekend..

oh and where can i find the build threads here? I may start one for my future little DD

 

[mike A]

the motor and tranny is out the motor is on the stand. tore the motor down and it had 2 spun main bearings

 

[Mirage]

This would be a perfect opportunity to pass along some knowledge. Did you take pics of the tear down? If not maybe write down some of the problems or difficulties you ran into tearing it down. Then as you put it all back together take lots of pics, share your experience. It may help someone in future.

Keep us posted on your progress. Hope it goes smoothly for you.

 

[mike A]

This would be a perfect opportunity to pass along some knowledge. Did you take pics of the tear down? If not maybe write down some of the problems or difficulties you ran into tearing it down. Then as you put it all back together take lots of pics, share your experience. It may help someone in future.

Keep us posted on your progress. Hope it goes smoothly for you.

ya know, your right, and there is no 2.3 lima build in the tech archives, I may put it back together and document tear down while I am waiting on cash flow for my new parts.. I may start a just engine build here to match the build of my entire truck

 

[Mirage]

Sounds like a good plan. I did this on an old Mustang (rebuilding a '73 351C 4v) forum a long time ago and was amazed at the hits I got on it. I found it much easier to take pictures, as video takes a long time and many, many re-takes to get the important points across. With pictures you can take a bunch, from different angles etc. and sort through them later to get the desired effect and emphasis on the important items. Just take your time, this also gives you time to do the job right. While you're taking the pics it gives you time to plan the next step, inspect the parts and what not. On the 351C build I found that I had lined up the top 2 piston rings wrong, (the gaps were lined up instead of staggered), and I caught it in the picture before I tightened the bearing cap down. Saved me a lot of heartache.

Good luck!