Fixing a 2.9 for a friend

[fortek]

My Father-in-law's 1990 (Sunstate Edition) 2.9l EFI Ranger was just delivered to my house (on a tow truck). I have volunteered to bring it back to life after sitting for a couple of years.

Here's what I am thinking - please tell me if I've missed anything:

Battery
Brakes
Oil / Filter - Is Rotella 15w40 okay? - What is the capacity?
Air Filter
Radiator Coolant - 50/50 mix? Regular green stuff?
Spark Plugs - AWSF-42C (?) ONLY 6 RIGHT???
+ Any hoses that prove to be leaky

Here's the situation. It won't start until I put in a new battery. F-I-L says that the A/C/Htr occasionally blows lightly smoky/stinky air....??? Radiator is bone dry. (Maybe a heater core leak?) Any ideas?

Book says use "energy conserving" oil. Why? I normally use Rotella 15w-40 in EVERYTHING I own. Is that okay?

I will probably by Oil, Oil filter, Air filter, Spark Plugs, Coolant and maybe even Battery at the local Wally-mart. My local Oreilly for brakes.

Belts look decent.

Anything else I should change? Anything I should know? This is a work truck that we do NOT want to dump a buttload of money into...

THANKS!

 

[mjonesjr]

15w40 is NOT ok oil. You need to use what oil the owners manual calls for, which is 10w30. Engine tolerances are designed around how thick the oil is as well. Rotella is a diesel oil anyway.

 

[fortek]

15w40 is NOT ok oil... Rotella is a diesel oil anyway.

I know what you are saying, but my 1990 Honda PC800, my 2000 Corrolla, my Dodge Diesel, my lawnmowers, my Honda Reflex Scooter and everything else have been loving it for years. It is not ONLY for diesels - it is just diesel rated.

100+ temps where I live make 15w40 a non-concern for me.

My main concern is why they were suggesting "energy conserving" oil.

 

[okietheranger]

I wouldn't put 15-40 in everythin either but hey there ur engines, so does it run or not or u just doing a tune up? And yes a 2.9 v6 takes 6 I hope that was a joke haha

 

[IMenriched]

I'd more concerned about the lack of coolant left in the system than type of oil at this point.

15w40 is a bit thick....but if you're in a warmer climate for now, just to get it running, it shouldn't matter too much. 5qt with filter is what you need

as for the coolant loss......the 2.9 has tendency to crack heads...that said...it could be very well be that the heater core (HC) has spung a leak too. (Noting that the F.I.L. mentioned it smelled funny when it last ran). The HC is fairly easy to replace and the cost isn't that bad, generally <$30.....I'd just replace it concidering the age & it has been sitting a while. Get a good thermostat while you're at it to...the old one maybe stuck.

getting the standard tune up would be good place to start too....plugs (nothing fancy standard Motocraft plugs do fine), good set of wires, cap and rotor. & air filter (again nothing fancy, standard stuff does fine)....& oh yes might not hurt to get a TFI or ignition module...they also have heat issues.

double check the gound wires and connections

other than, that seems like you're on the right track...get'er running & take
closer look at the coolant level...make sure it stay'n where it needs to and go from there.

 

[Tedybear]

Rotella at the correct weight oil will work fine in a gas engine. We've been using Rotella 5w40 for about 4 months without any problems, and the oil carries the SAE rating for gas engines as well. (full synth) Changing out for mobil-1 10w40 for the summer months.

Rotella is mainly marketed as a diesel engine oil. 15w40 however, it just gonna be to thick in the smaller clearances for that engine. Might want to start it off with the usual 5w30 and check oil pressure once you get the ol' girl running.

S-

 

[fortek]

Actually I used to own a 4cyl Ranger that took 8 plugs so it was a joke that wasn't a joke... I thought 8 spark plugs in a 4 cyl was a JOKE!

I bought the 10w30 since I had to go buy the filter anyway, but everything I own gets the Rotella 15w40. I get it by the 2.5gal (?) size...

He said he thought the heater core might be bad. I'm gonna use straight water to check it them drain it and add coolant once fixed.

TFI - Ignition module - CHECK!

THANKS GUYS.

 

[fortek]

OKay - Update

1 - I changed the oil - Old oil did not appear to have any water in it, but it seemed thin and smelled like gas.

2 - There seems to be a slight bubbling coming from the bolt closest to the firewall on the Valve Cover on the driver's side. There is also wetness and some rust on the rear 2 spark plugs.

3 - No moisture on passenger floor, though I am currently running the truck with the heater on to see if I get any.

4 - Brake pedal goes all the way to the floor and there is a "blowing" sound...?

5 - Radiator was not actually dry but VERY low.


So... if the head(s) are cracked, and this is a junky work truck, is there an additive that will do a quick repair on it? Replacing heads is beyond my expertise and this is not a truck that we would want to drop a lot of cash on.

 

[Beanmachine7000]

They do have that Bar's Leak stuff that seals head cracks, I wouldn't recommend it, but my best friends dad just did it to his truck (against my recommendations) and drove his truck from here to Michigan and back with no problems... I say if it's something that won't matter too much if it eventually blows up you can try it...

 

[fortek]

I just don't think that head replacement is in the budget for this old truck. Funny thing is it appears to only have about 65k and is in decent shape. It is up to my Pop-in-law - he's the guy with the wallet on this job.

What do you suppose that job would run at an auto repair shop?

Oh - and the A/C is blowing warm - compressor comes on for about 3 seconds then off - then on then off. Aaaaarrrrgh!

 

[Beanmachine7000]

Sounds low on refrigerant...

 

[IMenriched]

OKay - Update

1 - I changed the oil - Old oil did not appear to have any water in it, but it seemed thin and smelled like gas.

2 - There seems to be a slight bubbling coming from the bolt closest to the firewall on the Valve Cover on the driver's side. There is also wetness and some rust on the rear 2 spark plugs.

3 - No moisture on passenger floor, though I am currently running the truck with the heater on to see if I get any.

4 - Brake pedal goes all the way to the floor and there is a "blowing" sound...?

5 - Radiator was not actually dry but VERY low.


So... if the head(s) are cracked, and this is a junky work truck, is there an additive that will do a quick repair on it? Replacing heads is beyond my expertise and this is not a truck that we would want to drop a lot of cash on.

#3 there is a drip port built into the Heater Core cover...so don't look for too much leakage inside the cab...just smell. the port should dump out just out side the fire wall on the passanger side....so watch for puddles on the drive. but they also could get plugged and still leak inside.

#4 sounds like the vacuum booster for the brakes or master cylinder.
in that case ...Id also pull the little vacuum line off the FPR (fuel pressure regulator) and see if fuel dribles out of it.....if yes...the FPR is done. It maybe still shot but that would be a quick and easy way to check. the reason the vac booster could be affected, is that gas could back wash into the intake and then the booster and eat the seals from the leaking FPR. that is a extreme case thou.

the bubbles by a bolt on the head isn't a good sign for the head. As Beanmachine7000 mentioned the stop leak would help if the leak/crack isn't to bad & cost/value is the driving force behind not getting it done right...give it a whirrl. but the stop leak stuff slows down radiators to...in other words, they can work to well. I understand that you're not wanting to over invest the value of the truck.

how did it run after you got it going??

 

[fortek]

...how did it run after you got it going??

It runs great - no "burnt syrup" smell or steam from tailpipe.

When the "squishy" brakes are applied, the idle goes up on the motor, then goes down when the brakes are released.

I spoke to the owner and he said he was not in the market for head replacement. It's just a work truck...

If these V6s didn't get such crappy MPGs I might offer to buy it. My old Dodge Diesel would get better MPGs with a Ranger sitting in the bed...