high mileage 2000 2.5 4cly 5spd should i buy it

[loneranger009]

i recently found on kijiji.ca a 2000 ford ranger reg cab short bed 5spd for $1500 (in my area that what you pay for a decent early 90's ranger) what worryies me is that the engine has 295000km or 183000mi and it appears to have been well maintained. i have looked and a long block 2.5 is around $1800-2500. i also have a low mileage 2.3 from a 1995 ranger is it possible to make this engine work in place of the 2.5. any advice is apreciated

 

[Sunk]

My 99 has 197000 mi on it, so since you said it looks like it's been taken care of, I'd go for it. The Lima engines are known for being very reliable.

 

[Thed]

187,000 miles is nothing on a four-pot Ranger.

 

[UrbanRedneckKid]

I put an engine in my old 98 at 405,000mi. A well maintained 2.5 is a long running bttch.

FWIW, what I thought was a collapsed lifter, turned out to be a rod bearing. My #3 piston shattered just block from my driveway, on a 10 degree F morning.

Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[UrbanRedneckKid]

Oh, and the 2.3 will drop right in, as it is the same engine.

The 2.5 has 7mm more stroke, and a better flowing head and camshaft.

There is a significant difference in power and drivability.

Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[cody93]

89 and up 2.3 blocks are the same as 2.5 blocks, when in doubt, give er a compression check..

 

[mobileaudio219]

18x,xxx is just getting started.

 

[FritzTKatt]

IIRC my old 2.3 had about 175k on it. It was all family owned and maintained so the motor itself was in good shape. I certainly took care of it and never had any problems.

Compression test, and check all the major components. How many owners has it had? I'd trust it more with only 1 owner than multiple.

 

[UrbanRedneckKid]

We have established the engine is awesome, now... The rest of the truck...

My previously mentioned 98...
Had a rust hole in the frame near the converter.
Leaf springs were weak, main leaves were torque warped.
Clutch master and slave both leaked.
A few vacuum lines were dry-rotted.
Tierods had extreme amount of play.
The rack leaked.
Thermostat leaked.
Radiator leaded.
Axle seals leaked.
Wheel bearings were loose.
And all the other typical high mileage issues... I put a lot of money into that $500 truck...

Don't worry about the engine, the rest of the truck will fall apart first.