rod knock ? help please

[Wicked_Sludge]

good to hear.

keep us posted

 

[WNY964x4]

well i hit a little snag , the senior shop at my school , said it will cost me between 600 and 900 to get the engine rebuilt

but there is some hope , a friend of mine recently bought a ranger that had been rolled over , he is using it for parts , it has a 3.0 with 97000 miles , he offered me the engine for 450 , the truck is a 98 , correct me if i am wrong , but it should be plug and play right ? what do you think

the only differences are the 98 is a manual gas only , and the 00 is an auto flex fuel

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

6-900 bucks!? whats he rebulding it with? gold? a master kit for the engine doesnt even cost that much...it shouldnt cause you more than $400 or so to do just the bottom end.

switching between flex fuel and gas 3.0's can be tricky. i would re-use ALL the electronics from your flex fuel motor (injectors, sensors, wiring, etc). the long blocks are essentially the same...but the flex fuel engines have slightly smaller combustion chambers. the difference is only a few CC's and the change was to take better advantage of ethanols high octane rating...so i would think the PCM would be able to compensate, especially if you dont run ethanol in it.

 

[WNY964x4]

when i had new heads put on i wound up putting regular heads on my flex fuel engine , it continued to run fine , i have no intention of running ethanol through it , and the old motor ran fine using the new heads , i really dont thing i would need to change any of the sensors over from engine to engine , it was always my understanding that the only difference between the two was the combustion chambers , but the type of transmission wont make any difference ?

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

the flex fuel engines use larger injectors...so injectors definitely need to be reused. since injectors and MAF sensors are a matched system, the MAF needs to be reused as well. there may also be some differences in the timing sensors (CMP, CPS) since the FFX engine has a different timing curve.

WNY964x4, i think you already told me that your FFX computer functions fine with non-FFX heads...i just spaced it. id wager that you could even run E85 in it just fine...it will just have a little lower mileage and power than a "proper" FFV engine (probably not even a noticeable amount).

manual and automatic PCM's have different timing curves...but since he needs to stay with the original PCM in order for his transmission to function, it wont matter since the engine itself is the same.

 

[WNY964x4]

ok , i figured i would have no problem with the trans thing since i am using the pcm out of my truck , i have nothing better to do so i may just swap the entire intake insted of removing the injectors , but i will switch the cam and crank sensors , i am re using my maf , that is still on the airbox which is off the truck , i was in a rush to pull the engine , i only had one day ( took me and my step dad 7 hours) , but i will have 5 days to put it back in , so i am in no rush , i still have to take the torque converter off my old engine

p.s. the teacher wanted me to donate the engine since i am not rebuilding it , i said hell no , i am gonna tear it down and put the brand new heads and the good block on the shelf for a later stroker project.

and on a side not , in no way related to this stuff , but you are pretty knowledgeable wicked , will a 5.0 bolt up to an M5OD ?

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

will a 5.0 bolt up to an M5OD ?

nope.

your going to try and stroke the 3.0?

 

[WNY964x4]

i have to have something to do my senior year , it prolly wont happen , cause i plan on doin the 72 chevy and i was thinking about doin a 5.0 swap into the exploder , but i want to keep the M5OD in it

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

the only way to bolt an M5OD to a small block would be with a custom adapter plate. you'd also need to sort the clutch, flywheel, and input shaft length issues out.

why do you want to use the M5OD when there are much more worthy transmissions out there? a T5 from a mustang will bolt right onto your small block and it has more desireable gear ratios than the M5OD. id rather run a T5with any engine than an M5OD.

but i think you should go for the stroker project...you'd have the only stroker 3.0 that i know of. tom morana makes a 3.3 stroker kit, but ive never heard of anyone actually buying one (its rediculously overpriced).

 

[WNY964x4]

i was thinking about doing the 3.0 stroker , it would be quite unique , and then i could do a tech library write up on it , and the ony reason i want to keep the M5OD is , how often do you actually see a stock 5 speed exploder , at least where i live it is pretty rare

my only problem with the stroker is trying to find out which cranks will fit a 3.0 , i mean if i do some mods , can i fit a 3.8 or 4.0 crank in it and the bore it out some and rework the heads , what all can i bolt up to the 3.0 block , i mean i could always have the heads shaved and do a valve and cam job

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

with the right equipment and enough time...just about anything can be done. start checking out specs on simlar displacement v-6's from other companies (chevy, dodge, ect). maybe you'll find something close enough. you might also look into making yourself some forged pistons so that forced induction could be a possibility in the future

 

[WNY964x4]

well how does one go about making a set of forged pistons , and i have a couple of buick 3.8 v6's laying around for my cutlass , and i was thinking the crank out of a 3.8 from a mustang , or the 4.0 out of another ranger

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

find a set of forged pistons for another motor and make em fit. could be a matter of changing the con. rod height or milling the piston down...depends on what the piston was originally designed for. when you have an entire machine shop at your disposal...anything can be made to fit.

 

[WNY964x4]

find a set of forged pistons for another motor and make em fit. could be a matter of changing the con. rod height or milling the piston down...depends on what the piston was originally designed for. when you have an entire machine shop at your disposal...anything can be made to fit.

yea , i couldfind a set of forged pistons for a different engine , and bore the 3.0 to make them fit , but i may also wind up having to get some with valve reliefs if i run a large enoug stroke in it , who knows we will see how it pans out , i have way too many projects , between tryin to figure out the 3.0 stroker , doing the engine swap in my truck , workin on the 72 , restoring the cutlass , and trying to find a lift kit for the exploder , since i plan on making it my dedicated mud truck , since i only paid 500 for it

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

you should consider yourself lucky...a guy can never have too many projects.