Fixin' up the "Farm Truck"

[fordwheelinman]

Usually you have to pull the engine to do the pan gasket, might be a good time to give the engine a bath if he pulls it all the way out.

We replaced the oil pump in my dad's first gen 2.3 ranger by pulling the transmission out. Did the same thing years later in tech school with a 2.3 foxbody mustang.

Sent from my D6708 using Tapatalk

 

[prerunner]

Any thoughts?

Good call on the plugs.
Should be sweet when you get caught up on the neglect this trucks been through.

Great project.

 

[TxRanger57]

Good proyect, if u remove t he engine, do a little paint n reseal all engine on rockauto you get good prices is better, maybe is good if you replace oil pump too

Enviado desde mi SM-G386T1 mediante Tapatalk

 

[RayInStl]

Some small success to report. I leaned out the fuel/air mixture and adjusted the timing slightly and now it doesn't buck or try to die when warmed up. It has very little power though. I think I'll mess with the timing some more before I leave work.

 

[Mightyfordranger]

Sounds like you got some work to do and what happened to the other intake??? Would it not fit??

 

[RayInStl]

I haven't tried yet. I'm looking for a good 2 bbl carb for it. My brother had a 2100 laying around, so I'll probably rebuild that and see how things go.

I've gotten it to run pretty well, but it still seems really low on power. I have to flog the motor to get up to highway speeds and even the slightest incline results in loss of speed.

I know it's just a little 4 cylinder, but I was hoping it could at least keep its speed. I've owned many 4 cylinder vehicles over the years, but none as lethargic as this 2.3L. I think I still have some tuning to do. I think it should be making more power than this. Maybe not much more, but some more.

 

[cp2295]

Change the fuel filter I'd start there make sure the fuel pressure is right... Not a lot to go wrong on your system. Maybe it's pinging? Idk


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[RayInStl]

I need to pick up a pressure gauge anyway and a new fuel filter wouldn't hurt. So I'll give that a shot. I was thinking I might be a little too far advanced on my timing. I'll check the fuel and put a light on the timing and see where I am. Thanks for the tips.

 

[Mightyfordranger]

Have you tore the carb apart to clean it yet?? Might be all full of poo poo...

 

[RayInStl]

The farm truck lost a little bit of it's "character" this weekend. I unloaded the camper shell at my brother's place. It's going on his 90 Ranger.

While we were over there, I replaced what was left of my muffler with one he had left over from an engine swap we did on his wife's CJ-5. The little ranger is starting to feel like daily driver material now!

I also picked up a bench seat console online. It's a nice console, but a little too long for the ranger. The shifter hits the cup holder when in second, forth, or reverse. I haven't decided if I'll modify the shifter or modify the console.

 

[hoosier1104]

Matte clear coat that bitch. The patina is awesome! Definitely rat rod material for sure.

 

[Mightyfordranger]

Um wow yes for sure that is perfect I'd keep it like that for as long as I could lol

 

[96firephoenix]

Wow, that interior was in great shape under that protective layer of dirt that kept off the UV! silver linings, lol.

You're doing a great job of catching up on the work on this car!

 

[RayInStl]

Day ????: MOAR POWER!!

Thanks. I'm really happy with the interior. The drivers side of the seat has a seam that ripped and a previous owner cut holes in the doors for speakers, but other than that, she's mint.

I like the patina, too. I thought about painting it, but I think I'll leave it like it is. I will fix the rust on the rear fenders, though, so I might have to do some painting there to protect the new metal.

I've been slowly adjusting the timing back and forth and think I'm really close. I don't have any bucking whatsoever. I was really having trouble any time the motor was bogged down at all. It would buck and have no power at all. I'd have to down shift, rev it way up, and then shift again. Not anymore! Power is way up from where I started. But I think I'm hearing just a hint of ping, so I'm going to back it off just a tad and see if that goes away.

I think I can lean up the mixture just a bit too. I think I had my initial idle set too low, so the mixture had to be overly rich to compensate. I brought up the idle and leaned out the mixture a lot more and she seems happy. I was really worried. The first couple tanks only averaged around 12 mpg. I really hope to be in the high teens. I think I'm on track for that now.

It's so much nicer to drive. Now I need to do something about those worn out factory speakers. I have a functional muffler now and can hear just how bad they are!

 

[RayInStl]

Merry Christmas!

Santa dropped off, or rather went and picked up, some goodies for the little Ranger today. Got a rebuild kit for the Motorcraft 2100 that I was given by my brother. Also got a new cap and rotor to finally finish the tune up I started a few weeks ago.

I'm a little concerned that the 2100 I got may be too much carb. It's the 1.08 Venturi version and has 48F jets in it right now. I've read that it 1.01 is preferable for these motors. I don't know. All I know is this YFA has got to go! One way or another! The 2100 came off a junk yard Jeep CJ-5 and was coated in years of grease, grime, and mud!

Today... is a good day.

After a little cleaning and partial disassembly.

Are these jets too big? Too small?

The cap and rotor are currently holding down my classic coke cooler, lol.

I straightened my shifter a bit so it isn't hitting the cup holders any more. It just barely clears the dash.

But at least I can have a drink without doing the "stick shift shuffle"!

Santa also dropped this off, but sadly it's got my brother and his wife's name on it. Yes, Santa shops at Harbor Freight. Get over it.