knocking 2l

[don_diego]

Here's one for the people smarter than me... So pretty much anyone

I have a 85 ranger with a 2.0l. A year or two ago it started knocking so I parked it. Just started working on it again and I cleaned up the engine and inspected the bearing and figured that since the bottom end looked good and the cylinders had an excessive carbon build up it must just be that the pistons were hitting the carbon and making a knocking sound. But now that I have it all back together and it is still knocking I just don't know.

I did notice the cam shaft had some unusual marks on some of the lobs and one of the hydraulic lash adjuster had a broken "trim ring"? I was wondering if anyone has had a knocking sound due to a stuck or broken lash adjuster. It also is not firing on the number 3 cylinder (it does have spark). Im not giving up yet but I dont have the money right now the have the heads rebuilt. Any suggestions? How hard is it to replace the lash ajustors?

Update...
I just checked under the valve cover and wow that intake cam for cylinder mumber 3 is discombobulated! on the raised part of the cam it looks like half of a hexagon. So I will probably need a new cam rocker arms and lifters... does anyone know a cheap way to do this? Would it be likely that this is causing the noise?

 

[YungICY]

I literally just replaced my 85 2.3 today because of that same issue it sounds like. Mine was the cyl 4 intake cam lobe ( very last one in the back.) it had a nice flat spot on it and I'm assuming that was preventing the valve from actually opening.



What I did was just bought another truck (an 88 in my case) and yanked the motor out and put it in mine. I got lucky and found a truck for $500 vs the junkyard wanting $400 for just a motor.



If you just want to replace the cam I've heard good things about Comp Cams and they are very reasonably priced. I would image you would need the cam, followers, lash adjusters and bearings but don't take my word on that cuz I'm no expert. I would think for all of that you're probably looking at $400 give or take.



I'm just keeping that 88 motor in for the mean time while I build some horsepower into the original motor.


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[don_diego]

Ive seen a couple cheap rangers around but I want to do some research on how to swap the 2.3 heads onto a 2.0... the motor in my ranger must have been rebuilt not too long ago. The block was stamped that it was resurfaced and the pistons are stamped .040 and you can still see the cross hatch on the cylinder walls from honing. I didnt replace the motor but someone did not to long before I bought it.

Would it be possible to swap out the heads with a latter model 2.3 with the roller cam followers?

Ideally I would like to use the newer 2.3 heads with a performance cam and a new weber carb.

 

[Mark_88]

you can put a 2.3 head on a 2.0 but the ports will not match 100% unless you get an earlier 2.3 head. The port mismatch causes a slight problem with fuel intake but you may be able to work it out a bit with some grinding.

I had one on my original 2.0 with a roller cam and D ports and it worked out pretty good...especially after the mild racing cam and head work (including P&P). Really woke up the old 2.0.

You might luck out and find one you can plop on but I would urge you to have it tested for cracks and maybe some other work to beef it up a bit.

 

[don_diego]

Like i said in my 1st post, I basicly out of money right now but Im going to keep my eyes out for a roller 2.3 head that I can pick up cheap. Ive been searching here but not finding much but everyone saying yes it will work.

Can someone point me to an old thread that outlines someone doing this and it working?

Im thinking about using the whole assembled head off a later 2.3 with roller followers and still using a carb setup... I hate fuel injection, I dont get along with computers.

I assume I can put on a 2.3l setup weber carb on a 1985 2.0 with 1988 or later 2.3 heads and a 2.3 exhaust header. Do the weber carbs come with a new manifold or would I need to find an older 2.3 manifold to mount the carb on?

 

[Mark_88]

Well, like I said in my first post, I did the exact same thing and it worked fine. There are a couple of ways of going about it though depending on what parts you use.

The carbs do not automatically come with an intake so you will need to find the intake to match the head and then maybe find an adapter to mate the carb to it. You can save yourself plenty of time and money by just finding an older 2.3 or 2.0 intake that was designed for a carb. I would avoid the 2.0 intake since it is round port and if you want to go D port with a roller cam they won't match properly and would require a bit of work to avoid fuel pooling.

The 86 FI intake is, apparently, a good candidate for use with a carb with some minor modifications and an adapter plate.

The search button will allow you to find older posts and there are a few fairly detailed threads about this. This one should get you going, but search on the User Name of people you find interesting and go from there...many hours of reading...

http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=123697&highlight=carb

If you were in Canada I'd offer you my 78 Mustang II intake and carb...and the head from an 87 Mustang that just needs valve seals...when I swap motors...going to the dark side for cost effectiveness since I had a hard time finding the 2.3 of my dreams...

Oh, yeah, you can use the distributor up to a 93 block...and the one from the 2.0 is currently in my 2.3 and works like a charm...if you search on Gungfudan you will see how he ran into problems with his distributor after rebuilding his engine...not fun~

 

[don_diego]

Thanks, Mark_88.
Im definately going to read on that thread... I love the ranger station but I need to figure out how to do better keyword searches with the "google custom search" bar. I can never seem to find the relevant stuff. As far as searching the people I find interesting I might just be searching you... Ive never heard of the 86 intake manifold being used with a carb, interesting. I misread your first post, sorry, sometimes my eyes see the words but my mind puts in a different meaning.

YungICY, I too have often found it cheaper to buy the whole vechicle than to buy a motor at a junk yard. I bet you could probably make your money back parting it out too.

 

[Kenneth S]

You can just swap out the old cam, and followers with a stock roller cam, roller followers, and lifters from an 89-94 2.3 ranger to the 2.0 head (it would be the easiest, and cheapest way since you wouldn't have to swap out any other parts like the intake, and carb) provided the 2.0 head has a stuck valve, or something else wrong with it. You will have to pull the head since the cam comes out the back of the head, besides the cam, followers, and lifters (which you can get used at salvage yards) you would need a new head gasket.

 

[YungICY]

Mark & Kenneth are the experts I was talking about. Both have given me great and accurate advice on several different matters. These are the guys you wanna listen to.


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[Mark_88]

Mark & Kenneth are the experts I was talking about. Both have given me great and accurate advice on several different matters. These are the guys you wanna listen to.


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LOL...thanks for the vote of confidence, but I am not really an expert...I only know what I've done to mine and that is limited to a few head swaps and modifications...Kenneth and others make me feel rather inadequate to give advice especially when it comes to the fine points...

If I recognize the symptoms I try to get things going for new members or those who seem to be waiting for an answer...I've probably been wrong more often than not... but I do try!