Is this Bad?

[88_Eddie]

Also something else to check would be bearings(when you get that far). With my 88 Ranger, it went from a rotted hole in a freeze plug from previous owners neglect, to a head gasket, to a cracked head, to all engine bearings wiped out. Couldn't really complain too much because I got the truck for $300. You might as well start searching craigslist or ebay to find another set of head. Try to find the 89TM heads or someone selling a set of World Products heads, much better design and not as prone to cracking.

+1 coolent loves to eat bearings. good luck on fixing it

gotcha, this stuff is new to me.....never redone an engine, i am mechanically inclined and i'm takin alot of pics as i tear stuff down, so i should be fine. i think i may just go ahead and rebuild this thing while i'm at it.

i got the intake manifold off last night (i've taken it off before) and i bought some ford blue heatproof paint....gonna paint the valve covers too.

thanks for the input, i'll post my findings and most def have some ?????'s

 

[AllanD]

i've never bought a lottery ticket to begin with.....like the commercial says, you have a better chance of being mauled by a polar and a grizzly bear in the same day.

i hope it isnt a cracked head, that's gonna suck......i started taking everything apart tonight and i'm just gonna pull everything out til i find something is broken.

BTW, when are looking for cracks in the 2.9 heads most people look in the combustion chambers... Including professionals who SHOULD know better...

2.9 heads don't crack inside the chamber, they crack at the bases of the
rocker shaft pedestals.

I had one crack around around the curve of the oval for the ford emblem...

many people have had their heads crack checke by a machinist who only checked the combustion chambers....

The engine was reassembled and it still leaked...

Oops...

AD

 

[88_Eddie]

^
i'll keep that in mind....thanks allan

i got the left had valve cover off today but i gotta go finish a job, so the rest will have to wait for later. the heads are a b*tch to get off, i bent a socket extension already and they still aint off.

 

[Shran]

Right now would be the perfect time to start a 4.0 swap. I would do that any day over fixing a 2.9.

 

[88_Eddie]

oh it would be a total rebuild if i do a rebuild. BUT, i wanna swap in a 4.0L at some point, I THINK. my plans are to put 2 inch coils and a an add-a-leaf and then do a 2 inch body lift to run 31's or 32's....i wanna be able to drive this up to asheville in the summer to go fishing/camping, but be able to get around where i want. i dont think i need a 4.0L for that, a rebuilt 2.9 will be fine. but anyways, think i'll just do the gaskets right now, rebuild the 2.9 later and save the 4.0L to put in a ranger....i've always wanted a ranger

^
read this shran....i've been debating a 4.0L over the 2.9L for a while now.....cant decide. it looks like it would cost about the same if i stuck with my original BII tranny and t-case, but i'd like to get an M5OD and manual shift 1356. if i did a 4.o swap, i'd buy an older exploder and use the D35 and it's entire drivetrain....decisions, decisions

 

[88_Eddie]

Update

well, i've got ALOT of the engine torn down, i removed the left hand valve cover and started on the right. i couldnt see it when all the crap was in the engine bay, but there is what looks to be coolant covering the right hand side of the block around the heads.

while i'm doin this, i've decided to just rebuild the entire engine. i know, i know, dont waste my time, but here's the deal:

i got this car when i turned 16, i'll be 27 in may, so i've had it for 11 years almost. i wanna make it nice, lift it a little and use it drive around town and sometimes around the state. i dont need to be able to drive up the side of a cliff or through 6 foot deep mudhole. (i wanna build a ranger eventually to do that).

so that's gonna conclude this thread, thanks for all the help and suggestions, be sure to check out my build thread (link in my sig) as i will be updating it alot more from now on.

 

[zukirider21]

good to hear you're rebuilding the 2.9! way too many people just give up on them!

 

[Shran]

I think you should do the 4.0 swap simply because it is an all around BETTER motor than the 2.9 ever could be, fresh rebuild or not. The ONLY reason I would take a 2.9 out and replace it with another 2.9 is if I had one on hand that was in good condition.

 

[adsm08]

zuki, you can have my 2.9 when I replace it with a 4.0

 

[88_Eddie]

I think you should do the 4.0 swap simply because it is an all around BETTER motor than the 2.9 ever could be, fresh rebuild or not. The ONLY reason I would take a 2.9 out and replace it with another 2.9 is if I had one on hand that was in good condition.

well i dont have either motor on hand first off. secondly, if i get a 4.0L i need to get a new tranny/t-case. then i'll need new axles and gears and all that jazz.

the 2.9 has been a fine motor for me. it took me all the way through high school and most of the way through college. i used to drive it back and forth from auburn, alabama to raleigh, about 900 miles round trip - doing 75-85 the whole way. only major repair it's ever had is a new tranny.

i wanna build a ranger in a couple years that i will use as a hardcore wheeler and trail rig. i'll put a 4.0L in that (if it doesnt have one already) or maybe a 302

 

[Shran]

well i dont have either motor on hand first off. secondly, if i get a 4.0L i need to get a new tranny/t-case. then i'll need new axles and gears and all that jazz.

the 2.9 has been a fine motor for me. it took me all the way through high school and most of the way through college. i used to drive it back and forth from auburn, alabama to raleigh, about 900 miles round trip - doing 75-85 the whole way. only major repair it's ever had is a new tranny.

i wanna build a ranger in a couple years that i will use as a hardcore wheeler and trail rig. i'll put a 4.0L in that (if it doesnt have one already) or maybe a 302

No dude, that's the beauty of a 4.0 swap. It is a very similar block and has the same bellhousing pattern. It is literally bolt in, other than electrical stuff.

 

[88_Eddie]

No dude, that's the beauty of a 4.0 swap. It is a very similar block and has the same bellhousing pattern. It is literally bolt in, other than electrical stuff.

yeah i know that it is a bolt-in, but can my 5 speed handle the increase in power? it's a rebuilt tranny that has maybe 25-30K on it. i wont even mention the t-case cause it's an electronic one and wanna replace it with a manual.
and then, what about my 7.5 and D28? i only wanna run 31's or 32's at the most....most likely will be 31's, but we'll see what kind of deals i can get.

i've been lookin around for a 94 or earlier exploder, but they're arent too many around here. (there's a 94 for $2500 with 105K on it that i'd love to get my hands on, but i dont have $2500 layin around) i do have 2 BII's i'm tryin to aquire right now, one for $300 and one for $400

and then comes electrical. i dont wanna have to go splicing wires and harnesses to get the thing to run.....but i do appreciate any arguments you have for swapping a 4.0L

 

[Shran]

Your axles and tranny will be fine. I wheeled my Ranger on 33's really hard and never broke anything, and I was running the D28/7.5.

 

[TheOne]

i was thinking about keeping mine...converting to maf then hopping it up but when i look at the cost i get bug eyes! cant justify it...4L will be in my truck after my m5od swap

 

[88_Eddie]

ok, you're makin me consider it a little more now.....what about the electrical? i've read that the 90 BII's are much easier to swap in the elec. harnesses but i have an 88.

i think this is what i'm gonna do......rebuild the 2.9 in my BII right now, and keep it lookin good......then buy a donor BII or ranger for $200-$300 with a shot engine and then down the road put a 4.0L in that along with D60's, or 9inch/D44 from a EB (if i can find one) i wanna have a nice bullet proof trail rig one day soon, but i dont wanna tear up my current BII.
lets call this a restoration, not a build. i've talked with napa and they have a rebuild kit for the 2.9 for $600 that you can add and subtract stuff from. plus they'll check your block for warping and your heads.

thanks for the help shran, you know you're shit