engine swap?

[89rngr]

Im a newbie to performance parts. i have a 2.9L in my ford ranger, i want to get more hp out of it. I dont know if i should swap in a bigger engine or if i should get performance parts. right now i have an cold air intake thats all. im soon to be putting in exhaust and a electric fan.

im wondering if i should invest in this engine? i heard that its poor a poor engine, but its worked out great so far.

ive been looking into a 4.0sohc, problem is that its also my daily driver and i dont want gas mileage to decrease significantly, right now i get a little under 20mpg and i would like to keep at least 14 or more mpg. I also need it to pass smog, i can deal with taking off parts and putting on new ones but swapping a whole engine sounds like its to much. (ive never swapped engines before but id be willing to learn). I would also like to know what engines i can swap in that i could smog for dmv. I live in california btw.


any responses would be greatly appreciated

 

[trail B2]

I put in a 4.0 and I really like it I got 18 last time I checked on a86 bronco with 33" tire and 4:11 gears about 75% highway.Personally I don't have any faith in 2.9 ever having much performance without turning it into a revy pita.Checked on SOHC have a friend that had one loved it but as you study the web sight you'll see ther's a little more to those but if one would be real nice.

 

[89rngr]

I put in a 4.0 and I really like it I got 18 last time I checked on a86 bronco with 33" tire and 4:11 gears about 75% highway.Personally I don't have any faith in 2.9 ever having much performance without turning it into a revy pita.Checked on SOHC have a friend that had one loved it but as you study the web sight you'll see ther's a little more to those but if one would be real nice.

what should i be looking for in an engine?
i dont know much about parts other than to replace it if it breaks haha

i want something reliable for the most part, then smog is the next factor..

this is something i really want to get into however i dont have many people to ask

 

[Ozwynn]

find a 91 - 94 Explorer. that will have all your swap parts.

 

[89rngr]

find a 91 - 94 Explorer. that will have all your swap parts.

im confused. arent explores a ohv?

 

[Ozwynn]

yeah and I would stick with it..... the SOHC is more trouble than its worth.

 

[89rngr]

the SOHC is more trouble than its worth.

explain please... the swapping part? or do they have more problems



and dont the explores only get about 155hp?

 

[Ozwynn]

the swap is more involved because it is Ecc - 5 and OBDII. The engine while reliable has several maintenance issues (replace the timing chains before dropping the motor in)

 

[89rngr]

the swap is more involved because it is Ecc - 5 and OBDII. The engine while reliable has several maintenance issues (replace the timing chains before dropping the motor in)

are obdii and ecc-5 both computer components?
i could only find out what OBDII was "a vehicle's self-diagnostic and reporting capability."

 

[Ozwynn]

ecc 5 is the engine management system and OBDII is the standardized on board diagnostics required on 1996+ vehicles.

the explorers get 165 HP and 185 is not hard....... its the torque you want to be concerned with because the torque is available at a much lower RPM on the OHV 4.0L. You have to rev the crap out of the SOHC engine to use its power.

 

[Gotta_gofast]

I strongly suggest you spend many nights researching this topic before you purchase any parts. I really like how you are willing to learn, but I fear that you might be getting in over your head (at the moment). A 4.0L OHV would be the easiest swap for you. What you will gain from this swap is

1. More power
2. Experience
3. Experience
4. More experience.
5. And yes, you earn bragging rights!


The OHV engine can be further upgraded when you are bored (or after funds have recoop'd) with headers and a little head work/camshaft. Anyways, check out the tech library and click on anything that you might find related to your topic. Search the threads and then search some more. You will find a vast sea of past experiences and tips, do's and don'ts', and then when you have researched enough that you find yourself thinking "I feel like I've done this before", then pick up the parts and dedicate a good portion of time for this.

Last point, you mentioned that this is your daily commuter. Do you have access to a second vehicle? This is not something a first time swapper is going to tackle in a weekend.

 

[89rngr]

torque is available at a much lower RPM on the OHV 4.0L. You have to rev the crap out of the SOHC engine to use its power.

ok i understand it now, the only difference i seen was about 40hp between the two motors and i always thought hp was converted into torque. and i figured if my 2.9 put out 145hp that the 4.0 wouldnt be a big jump like the sohc.
i would rather have the torque so i then the ohv is the way to go.

I strongly suggest you spend many nights researching this topic before you purchase any parts.

Yeah im not like most kids my age, i've been doing research for a long while now but i felt like ive gone no where and i found the easiest way is asking questions because i honestly dont know where to start. and luckily im a college student so im planning to set this back to when im on a school break, not to mention i need to get funds together.

where should i look for a motor? i think pick and pull would be the cheapest but i wouldnt know what to look for in a good motor. do they have rebuilt ones? and if i swap it will i need a new tranny?

 

[Ozwynn]

get a rusted out 91 - 94 explorer. that has most of the parts you will need from engine to axles.

 

[Gotta_gofast]

BDAB, I'd have to dissagree with you somewhat. The SOHC starts twisting the crank harder than the OHV somewhere around 2000rpm. Below that mark, the SOHC isn't exactly submitting to the OHV as there's about a 5ft/lb difference. While I think the SOHC (2004 and up due to previous models notorious timing chain "incidents") is a better performer for street, towing, and off-roading, this is my opinion. Actually, to be more specific, the 4.0L SOHC WITH the auto are my pick of the litter. I'd rather let the torque converter multiply the SOHC's torque at 2000+rpm when needed.

Anyways, I friend of mine has a '93 ranger with the 4.0L OHV. It makes for a great daily driver and feels WAY torquier than the 2.9L in his other truck. Both are manuals. Also, there's really not a whole lot of differences between the two engine bays.

 

[89rngr]

get a rusted out 91 - 94 explorer. that has most of the parts you will need from engine to axles.

since i would be swapping the axles would it be worth my time converting it into a 4wd?

also i wanted to put in a different rear end for more torque, how is this done? ive heard a dana 44 is a good choice?

im also looking into trading my truck, are the 4.0s in the 89 rangers the same as the ones in the ford explores?