Looking for answers

[Jmize0603]

My son has an 86 ranger with a 2.9l v6
It has a cracked head & some other issues as well
The question is...will a. 2.9l from an 03....will the heads work on the 86 & or will the whole motor bolts right up? Or will there be a lot of converting?
Thank you for those reading this & I thank you for the help!

 

[rusty ol ranger]

2.9 went out of production in 92.

No a 3.0 wont work.

However an OHV 4.0 will

 

[Jmize0603]

Ok thank you
Guess the engine from the 03 is a 4.0l
Next question will I need to change the ecm out or will it plug in & run?

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Thats an SOHC 4.0.

Im not sure what all is entailed in that swap, i believe it will physically bolt in, but the wireing is a PITA.

Im a big fan of the 2.9 so ive never looked into swapping a 4.0 really. Im sure someone will be along who knows more then I

 

[Jmize0603]

Thank you for your help!!

 

[fastpakr]

A SOHC is a bear of a swap because you'll have the usual wiring to sort out (EEC-IV to EEC-V) plus PATS (anti theft), returnless fuel system, and lots of interference with the HVAC housing. You'd also have to sort out which transmission to use. The 2.9 transmission will bolt up, but it was never as strong as the Mazda trans that came later. If you use the Mazda transmission you'll have to swap driveshafts as well because it's longer. No idea on speed sensing - you're definitely going from a speedo cable to VSS, but I'm not sure where it was measured on the '03. Good luck sorting that out and dealing with the gauges and 4wd equipment if that's relevant here.

All the problems are solvable, but IMO definitely not worth it. Consider a straight repair to what you've got, or a very early OHV 4.0 swap, or even a 5.0 conversion. All would be dramatically easier and less expensive than the SOHC swap.

 

[saskbill]

There are some threads out there about swapping OHV (older) 4.0L heads onto 2.9 blocks. Mostly Can I _Well no it's not a good idea threads. Have not seen anyone who's actually done it. Swapping an overhead cam (03) head is probably going to be even more complicated.

Some Highlights:
- coolant passages in head and block don't line up properly (need to do extensive porting and consider the effect of that on head structural integrity)
- coolant passage flow directions don't match with intake (need to bring over the newer intake)
- combustion chamber size is different, might be fixed by 4.0 pistons swap but that's going to require a 7mm overbore to the block and probably other stuff...

http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18078

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/580100-will-2-9l-and-4-0l-ohv-heads-interchange.html

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/457678-2-9-4-0-head-swap.html

Some people who have had bad 2.9s HAVE swapped in 4.0 L OHV engines but that's some work including transmission, computer etc. Swapping in a 03 OHV would be a LARGE project, I imagine, but someone with more experience may well chime in.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Personally id find a good 2.9 thats been junked because of a bad A4LD and put it in. Be alot less headache all the way around.

 

[adsm08]

I'm with Rusty. The 4.0 swap is fun, but unless you set out to do that because you want that specifically, rather than to just fix the truck, you are going to end up getting in much deeper than you want to.

Just try to find a good used engine, or a set of heads, and fix the truck as is.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Www.car-part.com.

Gurantee youll find something.