I think she is dead.....

[Ldoherty0603]

So you when when your driving to work and think "I should change my oil"..... and then when you hop in your truck after work and start to drive down the freeway and then a stutter with a lack of power with a poof of smoke comes out the tail pipe..... Sure enough when you pull over on the side of the road and check your oil (The only thing you are capable to do atm) you find that you have no oil.... I feel like that girl you always hear about that blows her engine bc she never checked it. So I put oil in the engine and it does not start and it turns over real slowly. Im guessing its shot but Im hoping some guru on here can mention some stupid sensor that goes out and poof its fixed super easy and cheap. But knowing I did this to myself with a lack of maintenance Im sure I will have to do some kind of a rebuild (never done one). What are some of the first steps I should start with (Trouble shooting/diagnostics). Or is it even worth the effort and money for a newby to even try to attempt this. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

 

[wildbill23c]

Its a pretty expensive sensor, but I can guarantee you that if you put a 302 engine in it that it will roar to life once more.

 

[Ldoherty0603]

yeah but living in L.A. thats a whole lot of pony that wont be allowed to gallup due to traffic. Plus it would be one thirsty pony.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

yeah but living in L.A. thats a whole lot of pony that wont be allowed to gallup due to traffic. Plus it would be one thirsty pony.

Actually not that bad if you behave.

Put oil in what you got and see if it will say anything. My 2.8 did that, put oil in and it ran... it was a bigger dog than normal for a week or two until the rings reseated back in. It was never quite what it was before that but it lasted 9 years until I pulled it out (still running) for a 302.

 

[Ldoherty0603]

So I put oil it it and it still turns over but still slow I dont hear any whining like a piston is stuck. What are some symptoms of a bad bottom end?

 

[RonD]

Low oil pressure would first cause the valve train to "tick", you would of heard that when you first started the engine.
If no oil pressure at all a bottom end main bearing would heat up and spin inside it's journal, there would be no puff of smoke out the tail pipe, although PVC Valve could have picked up oil vapor from the hot bearing inside the crankcase and that could come out the tail pipe.

Spun main bearing will usually lock engine up after it cools down, basically it is welded in place, but it could allow slower spinning of crank as you describe.

How much oil did you need to add before it showed on the dipstick?

I would remove all the spark plugs and serpentine belt then try turning the crank manually, it should spin fairly easy with no compression, and in Neutral, one hand on racket wrench, if it's tight then you do have a spun bearing.

 

[scotts90ranger]

Your best bet is probably just to replace the engine with one from a junkyard or craigslist, that one probably has some serious bottom end issues if it won't turn over very well. Which engine is it? In a '92 it could be a 2.3L, 2.9L, 3.0L or 4.0L...

Also, your engine should have a low oil light I believe (the 2.3L I have and 4.0L I had both had them), it should come on when you are about 2 quarts low, which is the method of checking my oil I use

 

[Ldoherty0603]

RonD- I had to put about 3qts of oil in to register on the dipstick.

Scotts90ranger- Its the 2.3l. as far as the low oil light I have posted on here how i was thinking my instrument light (check engine, gas, and now obviously low oil light) doesnt work. The only gage in my cluster that works it my speedo.

Other than pulling the whole engine out how hard could it be to try to just rebuild the bottom end? What parts would be required to do this. Do i have to send my block to a machine shop if I reuse my pistons and rer-ring it? The idea of getting a engine from a JY scares me a bit bc i dont know the condition of the internals. But maybe im just paranoid.

 

[RonD]

You will need to pull the engine IF you have a spun main bearing, I would check first.

3 quarts low is a danger point, capacity is 5 quarts and almost a quart is in the oil filter, leaving just over a quart in the pan, as soon as you start engine that is sucked up and some stays in the head/valve covers until it drains back, so........danger point

Spun main bearing means crank needs to come out and it is hooked to transmission on one end so..............it is basically just easier to rent a hoist for a day to pull it and then again to put it back in.
Engine stands don't cost that much but can be rented as well.
U-haul rents pickups for $20/day, as long as the mileage driven is low it's a good way to move stuff around, unless you have a buddy with a truck.
And just as a been there done that "I was stupid" moment, chain or otherwise secure the engine in the back of a truck bed, you would think it is too heavy to move......you would be wrong, lol, I was, had to brake hard, and saw it coming, bent the bed, cab AND cracked the back window, so heads up

Call a few machine shops, see what the short block rebuild is costing on the 3.0l, some may even have exchanges available, so you bring in your short block, pay and leave with a rebuilt short block.
Short block = block, crank, rods, pistons, cam and timing chain pre-assembled, and usually a new oil pump but check on that.
So just add heads and valve train

 

[Ldoherty0603]

ok so I might have found a used engine to replace mine. Im a little weary of doing this bc im pretty sure the motor is already pulled and I wont be able to hear it run before purchase. Is there any key things that I can check to prevent myself from getting screwed over with a bad engine. The junk yard runner said its from a 1992 2.3l Ranger like mine that had 175k on it (you all know how the odometers roll after 99,000). What are some of the things you guys would investigate before buying?

 

[det107]

What are some of the things you guys would investigate before buying?

See if it can be turned over manually first & make sure you get a "warranty" written on paper to cover a loss, if any-

 

[stranger_5oh]

Take a small tool kit with you and pull the plugs to look at them. Also pull the dipstick and inspect the oil. Pretty much just check out how well maintained the engine was for the 175k and don't forget to check for anywhere there could be oil leaks

 

[kimcrwbr1]

Its allways a crap shoot at the bone yard. Especially if you cant test the compression I believe in getting a engine with wires melted on top. You know the engine was shut down quickly. Just replace all the gaskets before you install it into the truch.

 

[Ldoherty0603]

Ok so I might have to make this truck a project and get some other P.O.S. to be my daily driver. So as far as projects go every one likes the 5.0 swap with these trucks but I live in California and emissions are super strict here. Im hearing rules like if you swap a motor on a vehicle it must be from the same type of vehicle and same year or newer. Does this rule apply if it was a 2.3 turbo swap or rebuild?

 

[scotts90ranger]

On a 2.3L Turbo swap, it could probably be done clean enough to pass as stock on a '92, as long as all the stock emissions equipment was left alone and you keep a cat on it... A 4.0L swap would be easier to find parts for, and stock for stock the 4.0L and 2.3L turbo have the same power... Explorers with bad transmissions are fairly easy to find