cheap engine swap

[DMChilson]

i have a 85 B2 that i blew the engine a few years ago..
and i recently bought a 86 ranger with a 2.9L and i was just wondering.. if everything will bolt right up. or what i have to do.. i dont have alot of money but.. i have alot of time. thanks.

 

[kemicalburns]

what motor does the 85 have? i believe the 2.8, 2.9 and 4.0 share the same bellhousing bolt pattern

 

[Ranger Business]

get a 4.0 man.

 

[broncointhemaking]

im not for shure but if they were both 2.9s its a straight swap ig theyr not just warning u wireing canbe a BIG problemb so good luck n if they are try rebuilding the old one and swaping it back in later n if u need suggestions in in parts to put in a 2.9 let me know im in the middle of it my self

 

[88BII got it for $250]

Is your Bii(85) a 5-speed, or auto?

 

[DMChilson]

my B2 is a 2.8L with a 5speed and my ranger is a 86 2.9L with a 5speed and its 2wheel drive. the B2 is a 4x4.

 

[alaskan155]

the tranny from the 2.8 will bolt to the 2.9 so no problems with the 4x4 part, just transfer all the wiring including the dash from the 86 into the 85, and the 86 should use a low presure pump in the tank and a high pressure fuel pump on the rail so you should be good there, just transfer that to the 85, and use the 86 tank

 

[DMChilson]

now both of my trucks have the same dash. and my bronco was made in November of 85 could it possibly most of the wiring i dont live in a DEQ part of the state. so i wouldnt need to hook up my emission pump. or anything else that would they would require

 

[Little_blue_B2]

I would go for the 4.0, if I would have known more at the time that's the route I would have gone instead of rebuilding my 2.8. But if you really want the 2.9/have a free engine go for it. The tranny should bolt up....might want to look around the tech section for a conformation. Wiring will be a pain...going from a carb to a fuel injection, that might take some skill.

 

[Totalled]

The 85 does not have any of the circuits for the fuel pumps. You'll need to add them or just swap wiring harness's. Your existing gas tank will work, you'll need to swap in the sender and fuel lines from a 86-88 BII.

 

[haulasswithclass]

engine swap

I would really try to find a 4.0. The 2.8 to a 2.9 to me is not worth the work.

 

[nightshift]

You Pay Your Money And You Take Your Chances

A fuel injected 2.9 would have a more power than a carbed 2.8, and possibly better gas mileage.

The BIG issue, to me, is reliability. It's a real crapshoot with the 2.9. If you've been reading the posts for a while, you'll notice two common problems with 2.9 engines.

First, cracked heads. The original cylinder heads were prone to cracking if you ran a little too hot. Depending on where the crack occurs, it can lead to a destroyed engine (antifreeze in oil...very bad). This can be avoided by buying aftermarket heads.

Second, lifter noise. In this engine, it's a symptom of a serious oil pressure problem caused by a bad camshaft bearing. Oil pressure is fed through an anular groove cut into one of the camshaft bearings, and passes up through passages to the lifter galleys and rocker shafts. This works OK as long as that camshaft bearing doesn't get sloppy. For some strange reason, it does. The oil pisses out from between the camshaft bearing and cam journal, and your valve train doesn't get enough oil pressure to work properly. In some cases, this could cause low oil pressure at idle speed. Ford recognized this problem, and quietly changed the circuit for the electric oil pressure gauge to cover it up (unless the pressure got VERY low, which is how I found it). Replacing the cam bearings, using synthetic oil, and changing oil & filter religiously would probably fix the problem. I have 84,000 on my remanufactured engine. I'll let you know in about another 40,000 miles.

When working properly, the 2.9 is a relatively good engine. Peppy for its size. Personally, I like it. But if I had to do it again, I'd go for the 4.0.

Look, you're going to do a lot of work to put in a 2.9 or a 4.0. Sell your donor vehicle, save up some money, and buy a beat up explorer with a 4.0. I think you'd have most of what you need there. Others here can tell you more about that.

That 2.9 may look attractive because you got it already. But believe me, you may very well end up spending a lot more bucks and ending up with more headaches than what you got now.

Get the 4.0. Check out the horsepower and torque difference!

 

[Clem]

The 4.0 swap would be a good deal, but the difference in power out put from the 2.9 isn't that great till you get into the 4.0 SOHC.
I have an 86 B2 4x4 with a 2.9, five speed, and 3.45 gears. This little rig used to eat 4.3 bow ties for lunch and would stay with a 5.0 Mustang up to 95 or a tad more.
I bought a 95 Ranger 4x4 with a chipped 4.0, 5 speed, and 3.73 gears that had a little snoose to it, but wouldn't stay with my B2.
Now I have an 02 Ranger 4x4 with a chipped 4.0 SOHC, 5 speed and 4.10 gears that will undoubtedly eat my B2 for lunch or any other meal.
I have driven some of the older 4.0's that really went, but like my B2, they seem to be few.
My B2 has 240,000+ miles on it, has set for the last 6 years and as of 3 weeks ago, it became a restoration project. The plans haven't been made yet as to what will happen with it, but the guy down the street just lost his 2000 Explorer to his hot rod son who slid into the end of a retaining wall at the passenger side door pillar. So maybe it will make a donor. Who knows?

 

[twoll86]

you can find explorers for cheap i just bought one with 7in of lift wit a bad trans for 400 and im useing it for a donor it had a bad trans but idc i im putn n a 5speed