How do you guys like your 2.8?

[mrkilroy6]

Currently I have a 2.9 in my ranger but in the future I was thinking about swapping in a 2.8 and going to a carbureted setup. How is the 2.8? I know it has a little less power than the 2.9. How reliable is it as I know the 2.9 has some reliability issues.

 

[Sweet-85']

I love my 2.8! Like you said, it's a little lacking on power, but a properly geared truck shouldn't have a problem (same concept as gearing a 4 cyl 4x4 truck). They are stupid reliable, they don't really make enough power to break anything. I let mine sit for almost a year with a bum fuel pump, 5 minutes and some ether and she was running (puking fuel from the pump, but running). Durasparked of course. There are still some products on the market to bump the power (cams, intake, carb and such) if you require more.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Been sitting on a tire in the corncrib for 7 years.

Tough engine, mine took a lot of beating. Duraspark it and put a correct carb on it and it should do well.

 

[adsm08]

You will not, and cannot gain reliability by going to a carb over EFI.

If you want to swap to a more reliable engine, and have any hope of ever getting the truck through PA emissions ever again, you should be looking at the 4.0.

 

[Sweet-85']

You will not, and cannot gain reliability by going to a carb over EFI.

This is accurate, carbs do NOT like cold weather, but are fairly reliable.

The only thing you would really benefit from is simplicity, no computers, extra wires, complicated emissions systems, etc.

That being said, if your state has tough smog, you'll do much better with an EFI motor.

 

[kimcrwbr1]

The minute my truck was 25years old I sparked it and still getting over 17mpg. Sounds like a commertial sowing machine but has plenty of power with a load of dirt and pulls a pass at 70mph. My biggest power gain was with #42 jets and motorcraft 1.08 venturi.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

This is accurate, carbs do NOT like cold weather, but are fairly reliable.

Properly set up they are not nearly as bad as they are made out to be. Aside from pumping the pedal once to set the choke my carbed Ranger cold starts as easy as anything EFI.

My 2.8 was a coldblooded turd though... it had so much wrong it didn't have much of a chance though.

 

[adsm08]

This is accurate, carbs do NOT like cold weather, but are fairly reliable.

The only thing you would really benefit from is simplicity, no computers, extra wires, complicated emissions systems, etc.

That being said, if your state has tough smog, you'll do much better with an EFI motor.

PA's emissions testing is fairly reasonable for them most part, but he is in Philly. Philly and Pittsburgh are stricter than the rest of the state.

For anything pre-96 in the Philly/Pitt region he is going to be subject to a visual anti-tampering inspection, a gas cap test, and a tail-pipe sniffer.

The gas cap test is easy, it's a gas cap, that isn't changing. A 2.8 could possibly be tuned to pass the sniffer. The visual portion is going to be the killer. EFI is considered part of the emissions system, so replacing it with a carb falls under "tampering". His only hope would be to drive it less than 5000 miles a year so that it would be considered exempt and not even checked.

 

[4x4prepper]

Currently I have a 2.9 in my ranger but in the future I was thinking about swapping in a 2.8 and going to a carbureted setup. How is the 2.8? I know it has a little less power than the 2.9. How reliable is it as I know the 2.9 has some reliability issues.

I converted mine to points with a new carb and I love it. It took a while to figure out dist. theory and all that, to save you the grief, initial advance about 22 degrees and 39 degrees dwell at 1400 RPM, should net you almost 20 Hg.

 

[bobbywalter]

i like my 2.8's on a chain.....





























for times when we dont want to drift fish or troll.

awesome boat anchors!

 

[Mike Tonon]

Or just swap in a 2.8 and do the EFI conversion to it.