Might be buying a truck with a bad engine. Advice?

[LearjetMinako]

I found a 2.5l at one of the local jy with 126k on the clock. What would it take to use it in my possible new truck? Could I just swap out the intakes and use the 2.3 intake on the engine? And plug in all the other sensors? Or would I have to do a harness swap to make it work?

Before you go jumping in a boiling pot, what year is it? I know the 2.5 is from 1998~2001(early). But there were different designs of the 2.3L. If the truck is a 95~97, then it should almost be a direct swap. Older years may need a few electrical adjustments.

And if you do the 2.5L conversion. Make sure to take lots of photos and notes, and then share them with us.

 

[snake]

If the engine was "run out of oil" don't rebuild it replace it.

It's cheaper to built a replica of the titanic than to raise the original.

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Well said.

If that thing was starving for oil it is stressed in all kinds of ways in all kinds of places... Just like when they overheat big time, just scrap the bastard- cheaper in the long run. Replace the engine with a J/Y unit, if you find a low mileage one just poke it in there and drive it. www.car-part.com is a great resource for finding engines. As far as the value, I rarely pay over $500 for anything needing an engine unless it is something worth some big bucks once its fixed- and if the A/C doesn't work that offer goes south from there. This truck isn't worth much with a 4cyl 5 sp reg cab... if it has a good body, good tires, is in good shape A/C works $500.

 

[mp3deviant721]

Before you go jumping in a boiling pot, what year is it? I know the 2.5 is from 1998~2001(early). But there were different designs of the 2.3L. If the truck is a 95~97, then it should almost be a direct swap. Older years may need a few electrical adjustments.

And if you do the 2.5L conversion. Make sure to take lots of photos and notes, and then share them with us.

Its a 97, I figured it should be a bolt in affair. I did find out some news about buying it. The owner is having his insurance take a look at, and if they total it, he is going to try to buy it back and fix it himself. Should I try to intervene and buy it from him if the insurance hasn't totaled it? And opinions on that? I need an answer asap, because I am going back into the shop in the morning to talk to the shop owner about it. I'm lost for ideas now. I really wasn't expecting this.

Thanks guys for all the ideas so far.

 

[adsm08]

I forgot to pull off the cap to check. What would that mean if smoke was coming out cap? Valvetrain damage?

It's blow by that the PCV system can't handle. It over pressures the system and blows out the easiest point to escape, the dipstick tube and oil fill cap.

 

[adsm08]

Aww c'mon man out dated?! I rebuild them all the time for cheap and the machine shops around here are full bore all the time. I have done 100's of rebuilds from 1 hp to 10,000 cubic in. Waukesha big bores. I have a 2.3 lima on the stand right now that spun the bearings and I got it hot tankd, bored .30 over, decked, magna-fluxed,shot-peened, crank turned .10/.10, rods recon and fitted to the new pistons I bought and line bored for $250.00 bucks. Also I got a rebuild kit for about the same.

I'm not saying that it's a totally worthless skill. You, and select others who regularly build engines have use for it. Reman engines have to come from somewhere. I'm pretty sure I said that though.

What I was saying is that IN THE FIELD we don't do it.

 

[mp3deviant721]

I just realized that there are 2 red/maroon trucks on our lot, the service manager may have been talking about the 4x4 super cab stepside and not the 4x2 regular cab. I remembered that the ticket was still open on the computers. I'll still stop in tomorrow morning to see whats going on. Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[LIMA BEAN]

I'm not saying that it's a totally worthless skill. You, and select others who regularly build engines have use for it. Reman engines have to come from somewhere. I'm pretty sure I said that though.

What I was saying is that IN THE FIELD we don't do it.

 

[mp3deviant721]

I got an update:

I found out that the customer has not called back about the truck and still isn't spoken for, so its all mine if the customer calls back and doesn't want to fix it. I sure hope they call soon. I'm getting anxious waiting like this.

 

[Ranger44]

Looking at it from a time/$$ standpoint, get a good used engine and swap them out.

Rebuilding an engine is pointless when it costs much more and is way more time consuming than dropping in a good unit.

 

[kimcrwbr1]

While your waiting look on craigs list for a good cheap fixer upper. Theres always someone who has truck they don`t want to mess with

 

[IRKillroy]

I disagree with almost that entire post. I agree that rebuilding it will be a valuable experience. Building an engine from the ground up really gives you a better understanding of how the parts work together and how the engine as a whole works. But, reman engines are almost always cheaper than a rebuild. I have a stripped down 5.0 at home, I can't buy the parts I need to build it myself for the price of a reman unit.

As for no major damage if it runs, I disagree. I have seen a running engine with the crankshaft snapped in two. I have also driven a truck 75 miles with significant bearing damage, 40 miles with spun mains, and 5 miles with a spun thrust bearing (yes, those were all the same truck with the engine in progressive states of ka-blewy).

As for your statement about a crank grinder and tuition. I fully disagree with that. Unless you are a professional machinist or engine rebuilder, crank grinding is an obsolete, and nearly worthless skill. The equipment is large, bulky, and expensive. Frankly, to spend the money on one, and waste the class time to teach a skill that is unused in the automotive repair industry today would be an irresponsible use of resources. My school didn't have a crank grinder. We didn't learn to cut crankshafts. It's a skill that I have yet to need. If an engine is in that sorry state, it gets replaced and sent to the rebuilder.

I know a lot of guys in the business that have a lot of out-dated skills, I'm pretty sure I don't know anyone who actually knows how to cut a crankshaft properly.



The rings are shot. Or the cylinder walls are gouged out so bad that the rings aren't sealing anymore. Does it come out the oil cap too?

I'm sorry to hear that a Mechanical skill is being considered obsolete. My grand father was a Diesel Mechanic working out of his garage in the house that I ended up growing up in. He fed his family and paid for his house with the tools that he had available to him. He rebuilt engines with them still in the truck and he repaired the parts when he could and replaced only if it wasn't salvageable. To say that grinding a crank is a waste of time and money tells me that you are a parts changer at the core and you don't feel that being a Mechanic is an art/trade but a job.

the machine IS large because of it's requirement to rotate the way it does, but when you are going to an automotive trade school, you should expect them to teach you how to MACHINE the engine when you're going to an engine rebuild class.

I'd assume you wouldn't want to broach a block 'cause the machine to do it is large... I feel your arguments are flawed and you don't get any enjoyment from working on machinery.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I'm sorry to hear that a Mechanical skill is being considered obsolete. My grand father was a Diesel Mechanic working out of his garage in the house that I ended up growing up in. He fed his family and paid for his house with the tools that he had available to him. He rebuilt engines with them still in the truck and he repaired the parts when he could and replaced only if it wasn't salvageable. To say that grinding a crank is a waste of time and money tells me that you are a parts changer at the core and you don't feel that being a Mechanic is an art/trade but a job.

the machine IS large because of it's requirement to rotate the way it does, but when you are going to an automotive trade school, you should expect them to teach you how to MACHINE the engine when you're going to an engine rebuild class.

I'd assume you wouldn't want to broach a block 'cause the machine to do it is large... I feel your arguments are flawed and you don't get any enjoyment from working on machinery.

No, the dealer would rather make somebody else eat the warrenty if something goes wrong than pay for it themselves. They also have quicker turnaround in the shop ordering a engine ready to go compared to taking the time to do it themselves, which makes the customer happier. It is a win-win for them, that is what is obsoleting rebuilding. They still have to have the skills to make the call if is cheaper to fix or replace, if Ford is suspicious they can call things back and check it out for themselves.

We are rebuilding two engines in the shop right now, both cranks are going over a hour away to the closest machine shop that turns them. One block is also going there too to get decked. Even with these pretty crude 1950's-70's engines there is a lot of work cleaning and measuring when rebuilding, a modern tight tolerance engine would take even a lot more time and have much tighter specs to work with. We don't do enough overhauls to come close to justifying the equipment to do it ourselves for the stuff we work on.

One of those engines was going to be replaced with a "good" salvage yard engine, with a cracked head, blown headgasket, burnt valves (dead miss on #2), one stuck valve and lowish oil pressure it was actually in worse shape than the original engine that just had two injector pre-cups break and mangle the pistons with a blown headgasket.

 

[mp3deviant721]

While your waiting look on craigs list for a good cheap fixer upper. Theres always someone who has truck they don`t want to mess with

I am keeping my eyes out, but Rangers aren't very abundant around our area. Unless you guys want me to buy a 1989 Toyota, there isn't much to fix around here.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I am in school right now for automotive technology and engine repair is the exact unit we are headed into.

Engine repair or engine rebuilding? I'd talk to the teacher of the course your taking and get his opinion on what route to take.
Good luck,

Richard

 

[AllanD]

As for your statement about a crank grinder and tuition. I fully disagree with that. Unless you are a professional machinist or engine rebuilder, crank grinding is an obsolete, and nearly worthless skill. The equipment is large, bulky, and expensive. Frankly, to spend the money on one, and waste the class time to teach a skill that is unused in the automotive repair industry today would be an irresponsible use of resources. My school didn't have a crank grinder. We didn't learn to cut crankshafts. It's a skill that I have yet to need. If an engine is in that sorry state, it gets replaced and sent to the rebuilder.

Years ago as I was assembling a customer's engine the customer stopped by to see how things were going, seeing the crank on the bench he commented on the nice bearing journals and said "the guy cutting it did a Good job..."

I replied well, "call Ford and thank them..." he... puzzled... gave me a "huh?"

I said to cut the crank would have been $130, that NEW production crank was $145, which would you rather have? the difference in price of the crank was offset by the fact that the "std" bearings were $10 cheaper than the 0.010 undersize bearings and there was no guarantee that a 010/010 cut on the crank would have cleaned up the damage.
and if It didn't the machinist would have wanted to be paid regardless of the outcome of his attempt.

I wasn't suggesting a rebuilt at all, you can with some savvy shopping buy a used engine for about what just the gaskets and hot tanking would cost on the old engine.

I will rebuild some engines, but none of the engines I will rebuild were ever factory installed in Rangers. and none of them are V6 engines.

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