Is this a rare find?

[DaNgErOus1998RaNgErOuS]

I found locally a 1988 Ford Ranger 4x4, 5 speed with a 2.3 liter. This motor is a single spark plug, instead of the two of them. The truck hit a ditch and bent the front passengers side a arm and fender. I offered him a hundred bucks for the truck and he said he would do it. The motor runs great and the tranny shifts fine ( i have ridden in the truck). Is this setup rare? Should i buy it? How hard is it to find the a arm?

 

[Birdman09]

buy it now. if you dont rebuild it its still worth well over $100. engine trans, 4x4, and running motor. could be parted out for a lot more than $100. but still shouldnt be hard to fix........ or tell me where the truck is and ill go buy it

 

[feellnfroggy]

Not a rare find, I hada 89 mustang with 2.3 single plug. I think the ranger 2.3 durasparks began sooner than the mustang, but I dont think '88.

 

[Beanmachine7000]

It's not that rare... If it runs though, it is well worth $100...

 

[pacodiablo]

Having 4x4 with the I4 isn't the most common configuration, but there are plenty of them out there. For $100 you can't go wrong.

 

[Hahnsb2]

The fact that it's 4x4 makes it pretty rare, the less desirable 2.3 though.

 

[Blackdog455]

ya not that rare. My ranger is the original 2.3 single spark plug, 5 speed tranny 4x4. the engine im going to be sinking into it is a 2.3 single spark plug from an '89 mustang. so ya not that rare...at least to me.

 

[swamprat]

dual plug started in 89

 

[Original_Ranger84]

Get it, swap in a 2.3T, Good to Go.

 

[JoshT]

I found locally a 1988 Ford Ranger 4x4, 5 speed with a 2.3 liter. This motor is a single spark plug, instead of the two of them. The truck hit a ditch and bent the front passengers side a arm and fender. I offered him a hundred bucks for the truck and he said he would do it. The motor runs great and the tranny shifts fine ( i have ridden in the truck). Is this setup rare? Should i buy it? How hard is it to find the a arm?

Correct me if I'm wrong but an 88 doesn't have an A-Arm. Do you mean radius arm? I thought that 88 still ran beams, and A-Arms (upper & lower control arms) didn't come in until 98.

 

[OilPatch197]

The fact that it's 4x4 makes it pretty rare, the less desirable 2.3 though.

Sounds like a very economical truck. Is it carburated?

 

[Hahnsb2]

No, they're EFI. They dont get as good as mileage as you'd think, my dad is pulling off 23MPG with his 91 4x4 2.3, my explorer can do that... In contrast is 2wd gets 28MPG.

 

[Beanmachine7000]

Correct me if I'm wrong but an 88 doesn't have an A-Arm. Do you mean radius arm? I thought that 88 still ran beams, and A-Arms (upper & lower control arms) didn't come in until 98.

Yeah, it will not have control arms... Could be a bent radius arm, or I-beam... Not a control arm though... SLA started in '98

 

[ranger_mclaren]

They are not rare i have one. it sucks gas like you wouldn't belive trucks too havy so such a small engine if you plan on beating on it, get a bigger engine a 2.9 would do wounders. i had to rebuild head last year and bottom end went out last week. and even with timing advanced i had trouble keeping it at speed driving into the wind going down the interstate. the 2.3 suck as a 4x4 motor.

 

[fastpakr]

Those are symptoms of a broken 2.3. They are perfectly capable of pulling a 4x4 Ranger down the highway.