new to rangers looking for diesel info

[ilikevwdiesel]

hello all. love my ford diesel trucks but never owned a ranger. have a chance to purchase a mitsubishi 2.3 TD engine from an 85 ranger. it has the clutch, the accessories, pulleys and belts, the air filter box, wiring harness and possibly the instrument cluster included with it. what I am hoping to find out is what would be the easiest and best 4x4 rig to drop this engine into. want to use the mitsu 5spd trans. anyone have any input? don't want to get into this over my head money wise. hoping the thing will fall in in place of a 2.9 v6.

thanks!

 

[gwaii]

great motor,it's a bolt-up,but you'll need the bellhousing from the engine to get everything to work.

btw,that should be a '86-87 motor,before that they used the 2.2 non-turbo diesel.

 

[ilikevwdiesel]

the guy selling the motor sez the 2.9 ford and 2.3 bellhousings are the same, but if they're not that's going to be a hard piece to find for sure.

 

[gwaii]

the guy selling the motor sez the 2.9 ford and 2.3 bellhousings are the same, but if they're not that's going to be a hard piece to find for sure.

the 2.3 diesel bell is quite different from the gas motors.....and yes,it will be a hard piece to find.

 

[AllanD]

the guy selling the motor sez the 2.9 ford and 2.3 bellhousings are the same, but if they're not that's going to be a hard piece to find for sure.

The guy who is telling you that a 2.3 (WHICH 2.3?) and a 2.9 V6 bellhousings are the same is wacked.

And yes, a Diesel bellhousing for a Mitsubishi 2.3TD is going to be as much of a bastard to locate as the 2.3TD engine is.

AD

 

[doorgunner]

make an adapter plate.......(ooops--not everyone is a machinist!)

 

[ilikevwdiesel]

thanks for all the replies people I appreciate it. I'd really like to have a good running ranger TD 4x4 but I don't want a money pit either.

 

[gwaii]

the same basic engine was used in many mitsubishi vehicles(and dodge d50 pickups)so a trans from one of these may be easier to find.
i'm afraid i don't know how these will work with the ranger,so some research may be in order.

 

[ilikevwdiesel]

It would probably be best not to attempt a conversion without a complete factory TD donor. In the US they were sold with the TD engine from 85 to 87. Going to keep my eyes out for a junk one and go from there. I really like the looks of the 84 year. Anyone know how much interchange there is between an 84 and the 85 to 87 years? The tech guide says different transmissions but I wonder if an 84 roller would blend well with the later diesels. the 84 looks just like a mini F series lol that's cool.

 

[ilikevwdiesel]

picked up two mitsubishi 2.3 TD ranger engines, one is a good motor but missing turbo, other is a longblock core with bad head? or gasket, guy that sold them to me wasn't sure. all the manifolds and stuff are with it. got a bunch of other parts with it too, a bellhousing (has a crack in it ), a good 5spd ,two transfer cases drives shafts, rear axle and front axle, diesel engine mounts, etc.