Ebay diesel Ranger

[Cwheeler]

Just bought a 1986 Turbo Diesel ranger. It has been sitting for 10 years! I took the timing cover off to make sure the belt was up to par before i started it. I then put a ratchet on the cranch and gave her a twist and with a little effort she broke loose. Then we hooked a chain to her and pulled her about 100 ft and VROOOOOMMMM and it even ran on the 10 year old diesel that was in it from 1998!! I bet that diesel only cost about 89cents a gallon. I have a transfer case for it so i am looking for a front end and a drive shaft to make her 4x4. The guy said it got 35/gallon when he drove it. So 4X4 won't hurt the mileage to awful much. I forgot to show the video of the truck! Here it is. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNEueB1Zfsg

cool man, ive got an 87 2.3TD 4wd, just go and find a fm145 4wd transmission from behind any 2.8 or 2.9 and swap the bellhousing on your 2wd trany and it should work nicely. oh and I straight piped my truck, it sounds mint

 

[bobbywalter]

theres no way i could tolerate a 4 cyl diesel for daily use unless i could quiet it down like a current tdi vw


but they sure are neat, i drove a ol fullsize chevy truck with a 4 bt in it....a real nice 4bt and couldnt do it, a guy from out by t/c is supposed to be putting it in his jeep now. i will live with the 6.5, way quiet comparativly at cruise and idle, and still sounds right when you nail it. most of the guys running these in waggys love them, getting around 18 town with 33/35 in tires.


so i will stay 6.5 till i can find a quiet turbo 4 cyl with mad power like the tire roaster in the cummins/ranger vid....the tire smoke is fine but the wasted fuel smoke is making us look bad.

 

[1983dieselranger]

Hey i am buying a 4x4 ranger and i am going to make my 2wd turbo diesel a 4x4. Do you know what all that entails? I am wanting to put the turbo diesel into a ext cab 4X4 but can't find a good body? Any suggestions or stuff to look for when converting a 2wd to a 4x4?

 

[bobbywalter]

Hey i am buying a 4x4 ranger and i am going to make my 2wd turbo diesel a 4x4. Do you know what all that entails? I am wanting to put the turbo diesel into a ext cab 4X4 but can't find a good body? Any suggestions or stuff to look for when converting a 2wd to a 4x4?

well, putting the factory ranger td in an ext cab 4x4 ranger would be a waste in my eyes, seems i have seen them around too. the lack of power would be overly frustrating at least for me. a bone stock 4x4 ext cab with 215 tires and 373 gears maybe would be ok as long as it has a manual trans....something you dont plan to wheel.


if you can source parts cost effectivly and can play with boost ect to get the power up its definatly feasible. a perkins or similar 4cyl mid model tractor engine would be a better candidate in my opinion then the stock engines. i looked at some but settled on the 6.5...its a parts availability and cost thing.


but if you want to do this its pretty much a matter of finding the 4x4 mitsu trans and installing it with a t case. of course you may wish to consider hydroboost brakes ect...big problem i have is potential cooling issues, i have not decided on radiator type and mounting location yet, but am considering hydroboost and electric cruise control....maybe even air conditioning...but the donor van and my rig have no ac...

 

[1983dieselranger]

The turbo diesel had 134 pound feet of torque. I am not looking for anything to go wheeling or to even drag race. I am just looking to get decent fuel mileage while having cabin space and 4x4 at the same time. It gets 35 mpg right now and i am sure you could stretch that to 40 if you drive conservative. so i figure i could get 25-30 mpg if driven right with ext cab and 4x4. Speaking of power.... how would i get the boost up on the turbo diesel in a cost effective kinda way?

 

[1983dieselranger]

Hey cwheeler do you have a vid of your truck with straight pipes?

 

[Will]

How much boost does that turbo make right now?

I wouldn't mess with it. That's a wiffle engine. The turbo makes it driveable, it runs cooler and more efficently. It's never going to be a powerhouse and you risk overspeeding the turbo or scattering engine parts.

If you wanted to mess with it, first you have to figure out how to turn the fuel up. Increasing the volume in the injection pump chamber is probably how you do that. There's a screw in the rotor of my DB2 that does that. I don't know how yours would work.

Then, you have to figure out how to adjust the wastegate. If you turn the screw up and inject more fuel, the turbo would spool up more quickly and hit the blowoff valve more quickly--then you would put out black smoke because there would be no additional oxygen to consume the extra fuel with. If you did burn the fuel, the turbo would speed up even more making more air available, making more exhaust gas, speeding it up even more. Without real knowledge of the setup, overspeeding would be a real risk, as would blown head gaskets, damaged crank, maybe overheating. And for what gain?

 

[bobbywalter]

How much boost does that turbo make right now?

I wouldn't mess with it. That's a wiffle engine. The turbo makes it driveable, it runs cooler and more efficently. It's never going to be a powerhouse and you risk overspeeding the turbo or scattering engine parts.

If you wanted to mess with it, first you have to figure out how to turn the fuel up. Increasing the volume in the injection pump chamber is probably how you do that. There's a screw in the rotor of my DB2 that does that. I don't know how yours would work.

Then, you have to figure out how to adjust the wastegate. If you turn the screw up and inject more fuel, the turbo would spool up more quickly and hit the blowoff valve more quickly--then you would put out black smoke because there would be no additional oxygen to consume the extra fuel with. If you did burn the fuel, the turbo would speed up even more making more air available, making more exhaust gas, speeding it up even more. Without real knowledge of the setup, overspeeding would be a real risk, as would blown head gaskets, damaged crank, maybe overheating. And for what gain?

not sure if it is gated or not. assuming it is gated, raise the bypass and burn all the fuel unless its already there...if it is already doing that, dont mess with it.


seems this powertrain in a 4 door geo with some jeep axles would net some good economy and cabin space.hmmmmmmmm

 

[87stx]

I would trade my 87stx for a good diesel ranger with a turbo. I went to school for diesel mechanic, came over here from a diesel site when I couldn't aford diesel and sold my trucks. My previous truck was a 92 F350 with a 7.3 nonturbo. Not a lot of power but reliable, tried and true. I would love to put head studs on and turn up the fuel and straight pipe that thing with stacks since I had 5 inch stacks on all my trucks!

 

[Cwheeler]

Hey cwheeler do you have a vid of your truck with straight pipes?

no, but I suppose I could take one. give me a little bit

 

[Unkl Steve]

Tranny swap?

Hey other new guy!

I've got an '86 turbo diesel 4x4 I bought for parts.

I plan to sell the 4x4 chassis when I get all the stuff I need off of it.

I would love to trade the tranny housing off of this 5-speed 4x4 for the tranny housing off your 5-speed 4x2.

Also, I would entertain offers on the balance of the truck - transfer case, axles, warn hubs, etc. as a rolling parts truck. The body is puked, but the undercarriage may help you out. I'm taking the interior, the sway bars, the spare tire rack, the engine and trans out. The rest is up for grabs. Comes with one spare axle shaft (front left I think) and 2 spare radius arms. Oh yeah, and I'll throw in all that rust for nuthin!

 

[1984DieselRanger]

The turbo diesel had 134 pound feet of torque. I am not looking for anything to go wheeling or to even drag race. I am just looking to get decent fuel mileage while having cabin space and 4x4 at the same time. It gets 35 mpg right now and i am sure you could stretch that to 40 if you drive conservative. so i figure i could get 25-30 mpg if driven right with ext cab and 4x4. Speaking of power.... how would i get the boost up on the turbo diesel in a cost effective kinda way?

im not to fermilliar with the 2.3 but the basic idea for most diesel is Turn the max fule skrew out i beleive on the fuel pump, and then adjust the waste gate ( if there is one) to open later.

 

[longbedGTs]

I had an 84 Ranger Diesel longbed 2.2/4spd. I drove it to/from work for a few months then sold it on eBay. It was too slow for me. It got right around 33-35 MPG.

 

[lazlow]

I have a 1987 Turbo Diesel. Pretty good shape. around 450,000 miles and still going strong! Got it for free from my dad. Ill get some pics up soon.

 

[jaymegriffiths]

hi i have an opportunity to buy a 1985 2.3 td 2wd 5 speed, and a 1983 2.8 v6 5 speed
4x4... would the 2.3 diesel just bolt in or would the 2.3 5 speed mate to the 2.8 4x4 transfer case?
whats the easiest way to put the 2.3 in the 83 4x4?
anbody have any knowledge of this swap?