are all 2.3 heads compatible with all intake and exhaust manifolds.

[unrevealeddrive]

i was rebuilding my head i had it almost done and it was knocked off my work bench by my dog and it broke one of the camshaft towers off.... will a head with a roller cam fit? mine has the round intake ports and those have the D shaped ones.

 

[RonD]

From the Tech article section:

Heads:

All 2.0/2.3/2.5 heads will physically bolt in place of each other. They all have similar exhaust port shape and placement. All cams are interchangeable as long as they are used with the proper followers. Later model (1995 and newer) roller cam followers cannot be easily swapped onto an older head as the valve stem size was reduced in the newer heads and matching slot in the follower was reduced. Early 2.0 and 2.3 heads have the same small round intake ports spaced evenly apart. They differ from each other in their valve sizes though.

Head Variations:

There are several variations on the 2.3 heads though they break down into (4) distinct types:

1) Passenger car oval port heads - 1974 - 1980 Mustang, Pinto, Fairmont, Bobcat, etc.

2) Passenger car D-port head - 1981 - 1995? T-bird, Mustang, Etc.

3) Truck round port - 1983 - 1988? Ranger

4) Truck D-port - 1989 - 2001 Ranger. The 1989 - 1994's and 1995 - 2001's have different combustion chambers and ports. It is thought that the newer head is better designed.

 

[unrevealeddrive]

so if i get a different head with a roller cam will my intake and exhaust still fit. also would any one happen to have a spare head that i could buy.

 

[unrevealeddrive]

also will the new valves i purchased fit it i get a head for a 1993

 

[RonD]

Yes, to the intake and exhaust manifolds.

Yes, to the valve size, '83 to '94 used the same size.

Read here for all the info: http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/4cylinders.shtml

Sorry, no 2.3l head here but someone may see this.

You can also post in Parts wanted section at Ranger and Mustang forums

Here is ours: http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=173

 

[Mikel89us]

so if i get a different head with a roller cam will my intake and exhaust still fit. also would any one happen to have a spare head that i could buy.

Exhaust, yes, valves are the same 79-94 except the 2.0 head (I think). Intake, no! If you get a 93 head, your old style intake will not fit.

The 89-up rangers, and 91-93 mustangs all use a dual plug head, and the intakes between these heads are different. The intakes are specific to years, 89-94 intakes interchange, the 95-97 intakes interchange, and the 98-01 intakes interchange.

The old style 4 plug head intakes are different too, the very early had the oval port, I believe they stopped them in 79. The 4 plug d port is the same as the oval port but the bottom is flat. These are the most common, and likely what you have. If you have the 4 plug oval head now, you don't want to use the intake on a 4 plug d port, because it will pool fuel by the port and cause bad mileage, poor idke and low end torque, and high end hp. Make sure your intake port matches the head before you buy it. I don't want to be rude, but I want to be direct, use your own observational skills, if you end up with the wrong head its because you weren't paying attention.

 

[tomw]

To confuse the issue a bit, if I wanted to put a roller-cam version on my '85, I have 3 choices.
1) Replace the cam & followers with an '89-94 model year cam.
2) Replace the head and intake with an '89-94 head & intake, or
3) Replace the head & intake with a '95-01 head and intake.
From the pictures I have seen, doing the latter two would involve a lot of 'figuring' to get the sensors & fittings & mechanical parts connected out. The intake manifolds seem to have changed significantly over time.
Can anyone who has done the swap verify if the above is close and the results of the swap?
tom
tom

Does this track properly? I deduced it from the sticky at 2nd spot on the forum page.

 

[Mikel89us]

If you have a distributor motor, and want to keep it that way, its not possible to use any head 89-up. The distributor hits the #1 intake runner. Now if you want to convert to the crankfire ignition and use the dual coil packs, yes it can be done. It merely requires the crank sensor to be mounted properly, which requires some precise machining. You them also need the wiring and ecu to properly run said system. I'm not sure if the 95-up head and ignition can even be used on an old motor. It uses a cam sensor, which the old motor does not have, and as far as I know, cant be fitted.