Need advice on second hand 2.9L.

[Terbo]

Hello people!
I need some advice, i have a 1990 2.9 Ranger with toast for cylinder heads. Found a fella selling a 2.9 out of a parts bronco, the odometer says 28k but is probably 128k or 228k due to rollover. What things should i look for when picking up a used motor? Any idea what i should pay for it? he said it should run. I'll prolly need to take it out myself.

 

[Shran]

If you can hear it run that would be best

Engine oil being way overfull would point to coolant or water in the oil. Just walk away at that point

If you can't hear it run and he doesn't have a video of it running, then I would pay scrap weight for it because it very well might be junk. $50-100 at most

If it's been sitting for a long time make sure it turns over by hand and makes several complete revolutions. I got a 2.3 a while back that sat for about 10 years and it was stuck. Had another 4.0 that sat for 17 years that fired right up and ran great though. You never know!

 

[Rick W]

My 87 has a 2.9, it was blown when I got it and I put in a rebuilt one I acquired from a friend who wrecked his truck after rebuilding his engine.

Talk to a local machine shop who rebuilds engines. Find out what they’ll charge to pull the heads and check it out before you put it in, that’s usually pretty cheap, and that’s the best time to fix something or improve something.

I had heard that the original factory 2.9’s had weak heads that were prone to cracking if the truck was overheated. The guy who rebuilt mine put on the improved heads.

I’m far from my knowledge base on this, but just use some common sense and research “problems with 2.9 engine engines.” Virtually every engine has a couple of dark spots, do some research and learn how to spot them, or figure out whether they’re expensive to fix.