Overheating and exhaust problems

[89ranger29L]

I have a 89 ranger 2.9l
I have the famous lifter tick
Truck has been sitting for over a year
i replaced the gaskets for everything above the headers.
And now its over heating i took out the tstat and did timing dosnt seem to be over heating now but now my exhaust goes from one pipe and splits into 2 out the back one tip is shooting smoke and hot air the other tip is shooting no smoke and cold air. I am confused as to why

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Check the oil for coolant.

 

[89ranger29L]

Im at work right now but when i get home i will check and let you know

 

[rangerenthiusiast]

I have a 89 ranger 2.9l
I have the famous lifter tick
Truck has been sitting for over a year
i replaced the gaskets for everything above the headers.
And now its over heating i took out the tstat and did timing dosnt seem to be over heating now but now my exhaust goes from one pipe and splits into 2 out the back one tip is shooting smoke and hot air the other tip is shooting no smoke and cold air. I am confused as to why

Have you had the heads off yet? Pretty sure I remember hearing that the 2.9 is notorious for overheating and cracking heads. Hope it’s not the case for you, but that sounds pretty bad. Might also want to check the catalytic converter while you’re wrenching around...

Good luck, bro.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Have you had the heads off yet? Pretty sure I remember hearing that the 2.9 is notorious for overheating and cracking heads. Hope it’s not the case for you, but that sounds pretty bad. Might also want to check the catalytic converter while you’re wrenching around...

Good luck, bro.

Yes, the 2.9 is famous for it. They dont crack as much as people think, but it happens way more then it should. 89-92 2.9 heads arnt quite as bad as the 86-88s, but it does happen.

Also, not to be the bearer of bad news, but since you overheated it that may have caused a crack when the original issue was unrelated.

If you have coolant in the oil, a head swap is in your future.

 

[89ranger29L]

I just checked the oil i dont belive there is coolent in the oil

 

[rusty ol ranger]

I just checked the oil i dont belive there is coolent in the oil

Good news there.

Alot of times a single into dual split like that will only send the majority of the exhaust out one side. No idea why.

Since the truck has been sitting, i would first replace the t-stat, it could be stuck closed, and its cheap and easy. Then id flush the living hell out of the cooling system, and replace with fresh coolant.

Might also be worth your while to install a real gauge with numbers and not just "C" and "H" to see how hot its really getting, factory ford gauges are notorious garbage, espicially in this era.

If you replaced the head gaskets, you didnt accidently block a passage did you?

 

[89ranger29L]

Thanks for the help. And it already has a after market temp gauge i just did a motor flush now about to change the oil. No i did not replace head gaskets. Have to take of exhaust manifold to do so and exhaust bolts are rusted solid and didnt want to break a bolt.

 

[89ranger29L]

I just got done doing everything and its been running parked at idle for 1 hour and never got above 165° i just took it 1 mile down the road and when i parked it it spiked to 210° without a t-stat. Letting it cool off now

 

[89ranger29L]

Oh forgot to mention in last post it wouldnt go above 35mph

 

[rusty ol ranger]

I just got done doing everything and its been running parked at idle for 1 hour and never got above 165° i just took it 1 mile down the road and when i parked it it spiked to 210° without a t-stat. Letting it cool off now

Temp spikes after shutdown are normal.

Running without a Tstat can actually cause it to spike more. The Tstat creates a baffle of sorts to hold the coolant in the radiator longer allowing it to cool more.

As for not going over 35, does it run smooth? Any hesitation/stumble, is it RPM dependant? Any check engine on? Need more info for that one.

 

[rangerenthiusiast]

I just got done doing everything and its been running parked at idle for 1 hour and never got above 165° i just took it 1 mile down the road and when i parked it it spiked to 210° without a t-stat. Letting it cool off now

Man, it’s a bit beyond my diagnostic abilities, but I really hope someone else here can help out and that it’s not something too disastrous. The fact that it only misbehaves under load has to mean something... When it was overheating, was it running all weird like it wanted to stall? Just wondering if it’s possible that your gauge isn’t accurate. Probably not, since you also can’t get over 35 and presumably, the two issues are related... just spitballing here.

Good luck, bro.

_RE

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Just out of curiosity, were you having these problems before you did all the work on it? Kinda pissin in the dark but a lean condition could cause overheating and no power, you dont have a massive intake leak do ya?

 

[89ranger29L]

No i was not haveing any of these problems before i worked on it. I did a blue devil radiator flush and a blue devil head sealer seems to have fixed the overheating and got some power back i think the radiator was just really dirty there was no coolent in oil but did the head gasket sealer for extra measure. This weekend im going to take it out for a longer drive and see what happens then. And last night i noticed the oil gauge was flicking from high to low like crazy. And i do have a check engine light on since i did the repairs

 

[Craig0320]

I personally do not like the blue devil sealer or any other products of the same nature. It is for the most part a temporary solution(a couple of months or so from what I have seen). It can clog unnecessary ports and cause more problems than it solves.