What did you do to your Ranger today? (Part Deux!)

[airbourneranger]

Ordered my 4/5 lowering kit from DJM

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I got the sway bar links off my new-to-me rear sway bar.

 

[Saddle Tramp]

Rubbed mink oil leather conditioner into the dash.

 

[sgtsandman]

Gave the 2011 a bath and a wax. Ran out of day light. So the rest will have have wait until tomorrow.

 

[mtnrgr]

Drove my Ranger to the local mtns for the day, and did some trails to a favorite spot to look into the valley...think of what my purpose is...

BTW, this thread is at 25 pages now...Rusty needs a 3.0 for his Ranger, as somebody mentioned a few pages back.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Rubbed mink oil leather conditioner into the dash.

My wife actually saw a mink on her way home from work today.

 

[1990RangerinSK]

Drove my Ranger to the local mtns for the day, and did some trails to a favorite spot to look into the valley...think of what my purpose is...

BTW, this thread is at 25 pages now...Rusty needs a 3.0 for his Ranger, as somebody mentioned a few pages back.

That was me who said that @rusty ol ranger and @PetroleumJunkie412 had to swap their 2.9's for a 3.0. So somewhere we've got to find two of them in good running order (but not the one currently in my Taurus - they can't have that one).

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

That was me who said that @rusty ol ranger and @PetroleumJunkie412 had to swap their 2.9's for a 3.0. So somewhere we've got to find two of them in good running order (but not the one currently in my Taurus - they can't have that one).

So you really think there is more than one of them left in circulation that runs well?

 

[1990RangerinSK]

So you really think there is more than one of them left in circulation that runs well?

Of course! There are hundreds of thousands of them. Considering that they were made for 20 years, and installed in five different model lines, finding two of them (other than mine!) will be easy.

 

[racsan]

The 3.0 I gave away was in good condition and ran well. I just didnt have a use for it. To put it in my ‘94 I’d of needed a transmission and if I were to do a engine change on that truck I would go with a 302. Its not in the best shape for a power upgrade. The 2.3 should keep it from braking in half anytime soon. Drove mine to work today, was really hot out for late part of may. 88 out. Made for a miserable night at work.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

That was me who said that @rusty ol ranger and @PetroleumJunkie412 had to swap their 2.9's for a 3.0. So somewhere we've got to find two of them in good running order (but not the one currently in my Taurus - they can't have that one).

The point of an engine swap is to gain power, not lose it.

If i got to go through the hassles of changing everything from trans to wireing i sure as hell aint useing a 3.0.

Maybe a 351, but not a 3.0.

 

[4.0blue98]

Yesterday... Filled it up with gas and did the 80 mile round trip to work and home. About 5 times more traffic that past weeks.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

Of course! There are hundreds of thousands of them. Considering that they were made for 20 years, and installed in five different model lines, finding two of them (other than mine!) will be easy.

That was me who said that @rusty ol ranger and @PetroleumJunkie412 had to swap their 2.9's for a 3.0. So somewhere we've got to find two of them in good running order (but not the one currently in my Taurus - they can't have that one).

Ok. I'm going to break it down why the 3.No is a miserable engine on a good day.

From Ford:

3.0L V6 1986-07

Bore: 3.504
Stroke: 3.150
Bore spacing: 4.330
Main journal diameter: 2.519
Rod journal diameter: 2.126
Connecting rod length: 5.532
Deck height: 8.661
Compression height: 1.535


Bore:stroke ratio of 1.11:1
Rod ratio of 1.76

So the thing basically sits at "ideal" ratios out of the gate. And with a compression of 9.3-9.7:1, supercharging is a viable option once you switch to forged pistons.

However.

Ford set the engines up from the factory to run as an economy engine. Meaning that while SHO versions do exist, they've been pushed to their hard limits already.

Rogue performance (only 3.No performance info I could find) even discusses the limitations, in detail

https://rogueperformance.com/potential.html

Between crank angles, block and head architecture, sh*tty intake and head design, and a miserably small cylinder bore that doesn't allow for shared pistons (read: you cannot find an off the shelf forged option like I did with the 5.8 Trinity) you're going to be hard pressed to find sh*t that works (other than SHO stuff (and good luck with that....), but at that point the ranger and taurus blocks are a terrible option when compared to aerostars four bolt main blocks).

Futlrthermore, due to the heavyweight design of the engine, they are known to warp and distort when overheated. Sure, 2.9 and 4.0 would pop heads from casting sand left in them by poor quality control, but block warp was something rarely encountered.

Cam profiles and valvetrain are miserable as well. Yes, they can be cammed, but the benefits are few.

I did look into the 3.0 heavily two years ago or so.
I've been reading up on it still to help Eric in his build.


But in my specific case, the 3.no was the inferior choice to the 2.9 in every conceivable way.

Besides. I can't get on Facebook and buy DOHC heads for the 3.0 that were developed by Brian Hart and Cosworth like I can (and did) with the 2.9:

Oh, and Cosworth did have the opportunity to choose between the 2.9 and 3.0 when developing a v6 for Formula 2 use.

They picked the 2.9. Enough said.

 

[Dirtman]

Got the engine back together and running, woooo! I think total time (actually working) was about 8 hours but that includes the fact that I spit shined every peice, did the injectors, pcv system, and a bunch of other gaskets besides just the valve cover and manifold. If I was motivated and didnt do a bunch of unnecessary stuff I think i could have knocked it out in 3 hours. Still insane amount of work for a effin valve cover.

Oh, bonus points if anyone can explain why my brake booster vacuum line runs from the intake manifold (normal...) but also has a T to a hose running off the air intake tube which is NOT a vacuum source? Never even noticed that before.

 

[Snoranger]

Got the engine back together and running, woooo! I think total time (actually working) was about 8 hours but that includes the fact that I spit shined every peice, did the injectors, pcv system, and a bunch of other gaskets besides just the valve cover and manifold. If I was motivated and didnt do a bunch of unnecessary stuff I think i could have knocked it out in 3 hours. Still insane amount of work for a effin valve cover.

Oh, bonus points if anyone can explain why my brake booster vacuum line runs from the intake manifold (normal...) but also has a T to a hose running off the air intake tube which is NOT a vacuum source? Never even noticed that before.

You remembered to loosen the cam sprocket bolts and check the diamond washers... right?