small-list-digest Tuesday, September 29 1998 Volume 02 : Number 274



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Ford Truck Enthusiasts - Ranger, Explorer, Bronco 2 and Aerostar
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In this issue:

Re: FTE Small - 2.9 V6 - Any Good?
Re: FTE Small - 2.9 V6 - Any Good?
Re: FTE Small - 2.9 V6 - Any Good?
FTE Small - Help! Driver Power Window Problem
Re: FTE Small - Help! Driver Power Window Problem
Re: FTE Small - Tailgate Adjustment
FTE Small - Driver Power Window Problem
FTE Small - Keep that 2.9!! It's a great engine!
FTE Small - Tailgate Adjustment
Re: FTE Small - 2.9 V6 - Any Good?
FTE Small - Good Shocks for an 87 Bronco II
FTE Small - Good Shocks for an 87 Bronco II
FTE Small - ADMIN: New advertiser on web site

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Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 07:29:22 -0500
From: mercury
Subject: Re: FTE Small - 2.9 V6 - Any Good?

Mike Harms wrote:
>
> Here's another question. My poor old 1989 Ranger with the 2.9 V6 and
> 5speed is showing it's 114,000 miles. It's about due for a clutch
> replacement and the engine just started to use some anti-freeze. I'm
> thinking of rebuilding the engine but most of what I read about here is
> people putting small v8's in their trucks.
>
> I tried looking on the internet for rebuild kits for the 2.9 but it
> doesn't seem all that popular. What's the general consensus on this
> engine? I've been toying with the idea of rebuilding it with some
> strong components and then adding a centrifugal supercharger to give it
> some extra punch, and make it a little unique. But with the lack of
> discussion of the good ole 2.9 I'm wondering if it's a waste of my time
> and money to mess with it. Would I be better off with a bigger V6? I'd
> really like to be able to keep it as stock as possible (avoid the wiring
> harness issues, computer issues, extra weight issues).
> Any thoughts?
> Thanks.
>
> == FTE: Uns*bscribe and posting info www.ford-trucks.com/faq.html

I have the same problem as you I have an 86 b2 that has the 2.9 and
it's in bad shape.
But I haven't realy been able to find any partsfor it other than stock
rebuild stuff
My plans are to rebuild to stock,and throw everything into my ranger
4x4,to use it as a work truck,then upgrade the b2 to to a small block
v8,or throw in a large V6.(keeping it 4x4 is a priority for me.

I don't know if I would hook up any kind of forced induction on the
2.9,in my opinion,while they are halfway decent engines in stock
form,they are a pretty weak design overall. Everytime that I've beat on
one it has died,So I would advise against it.
The 2.9 is a pretty heavy engine for it's size,on the grunt meter,and
judging by the way it bends the beam in the garage,it weighs pretty
close to a 302,so I don't think you'd run into any weight issues,and if
you were to stick with a v6,you shouldn't realy have any wiring issues
either.
My ranger has been swapped over twice so far,from a turbo diesel,to a
2.3 fi,and now getting it ready for the 2.9 swap (not complete yet) both
swaps involved a complete wiring harness change,and it was realy not a
whole lot of trouble to do.
If you do find any info on performance mods for the 2.9 I'd be
interested in hearing about them.

merc.

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Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 08:04:42 -0400
From: Ray Shaw
Subject: Re: FTE Small - 2.9 V6 - Any Good?

I rebuilt the 2.9 in my 89 BII at 137,000 mi. only because the the oil
pickup clogged and my wife drove it 20 miles that way to get home. I did
not want to mess with boiling the block, checking for cracks, checking
shaft endplay and journals and the rest of the machine work you need to
do when rebuilding. I bought a short block from NAPA with a warranty,
had the heads rebuilt, put in a new oil pump and pickup, head bolts and
gasket set, all for less than 1100. It would have cost three times as
much if I had got it all from the dealership. There are 4 dealerships in
town and the best price for a shortblock was 1900. The engine now has
over 10,000 mi. and no problems. Oh yeah, and because I went the
shortblock route The engine rebuild only took 3 days to complete ( had
to wait on the machine shop to finish the heads).
Ray

> Here's another question. My poor old 1989 Ranger with the 2.9 V6 and
> 5speed is showing it's 114,000 miles. It's about due for a clutch
> replacement and the engine just started to use some anti-freeze. I'm
> thinking of rebuilding the engine but most of what I read about here is
> people putting small v8's in their trucks.
>
> I tried looking on the internet for rebuild kits for the 2.9 but it
> doesn't seem all that popular. What's the general consensus on this
> engine? I've been toying with the idea of rebuilding it with some
> strong components and then adding a centrifugal supercharger to give it
> some extra punch, and make it a little unique. But with the lack of
> discussion of the good ole 2.9 I'm wondering if it's a waste of my time
> and money to mess with it. Would I be better off with a bigger V6? I'd
> really like to be able to keep it as stock as possible (avoid the wiring
> harness issues, computer issues, extra weight issues).
> Any thoughts?
> Thanks.
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Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 08:29:42 -0700
From: "Douglas Crann"
Subject: Re: FTE Small - 2.9 V6 - Any Good?

> If you do find any info on performance mods for the 2.9 I'd be
>interested in hearing about them.
>

>
might want to take a look here as the guy knows alot about 2.9's
http://www.ford-trucks.com//lc/lc.php?action=do&link=http://www.ford ranger. com/wwwboard3.html

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Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 11:15:36 EDT
From: PseudoKill aol.com
Subject: FTE Small - Help! Driver Power Window Problem

Go to your local junk yard. You can pick up a window motor for relatively
cheap. I picked one up for $13.
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Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 08:33:14 -0700 (PDT)
From: Bill Ciocco
Subject: Re: FTE Small - Help! Driver Power Window Problem

The plastic gear is not to bad to replace. It is available at any
parts house for less than $15.
Push the window all the way up. Remove the door panel. Drill out the
holes with a bit large enough for your socket and remove the motor.
Remove the two screws that hold the cover in place. Remove the gear
and replace it.
It is messy so have some rags handy.
Be sure to lube all of the window regulator tracks with white grease,
other lubes get too thick in cold weather and will put extra strain on
the motor. Also lube the window tracks with silicone lube or Rain-X.




- ---Thomas Moore wrote:
>
> I have a 87 Bronco II that has power windows and recently the
drivers window
> is "slipping" when raising it. I took the panel off to inspect, and
from
> what I can tell the power window motor's gear is stripped (since the
large
> window gear looks fine, but has metal shavings on it).
>
> I went to the Ford Dealer today and they told me they have no parts
at all
> for it. It looks like I'm going to have a hard time with this
repair. I
> wonder if I could replace just the gear or whether I need to replace
the
> entire motor. I wonder if the motor is the same as those used on
other Ford
> cars/trucks, maybe I could use one from an Explorer? Could the gear
in the
> motor be the same one used on the crank of the manual windowed
BII's? The
> other problem is that the motor is a %# & to get out!
>
> I need to do something quick, I can't live without raising the
window for
> long. If anyone has any suggestions I would really appreciate it.
>
>
> == FTE: Uns*bscribe and posting info www.ford-trucks.com/faq.html
>

_________________________________________________________
DO YOU YAHOO!?

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Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 12:52:30 -0500 (CDT)
From: Sandman
Subject: Re: FTE Small - Tailgate Adjustment

On Mon, 28 Sep 1998, Mike Harms wrote:

> I've got a 1989 Ford Ranger with 114,000 miles on it and the tailgate is
> getting pretty hard to open some days. It looks like the cable has
> stretched over time and the latches are not pulling back all of the way.
> How do you go about adjusting these? I can't see an easy way to get at
> the mechanicals in there without cutting a hole in the tailgate. There
> has got to be an easier way, isn't there?
>
> Thanks.
> == FTE: Uns*bscribe and posting info www.ford-trucks.com/faq.html
>

This happened to my 89 Ranger as well. I just doaked the latches in WD40
and it seemed to fix the problem. I didn't try opening the gate since I
got the same feeling you did about being able to open it up.


High Mileage Ranger Homepage
http://www.ford-trucks.com//lc/lc.php?action=do&link=http://www.ghg.net/sandmanx/ranger/

sandmanx ghg.net

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Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 11:44:02 -0700
From: "J.S.H."
Subject: FTE Small - Driver Power Window Problem

Try going to a Wrecking Yard & have them look up your P/W motor
in thier Hollander interchange book.They should be able to find one
that will work.Or else pull the gear & comb the isles of the Wrecking
Yard for something close.
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Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 12:52:03 PDT
From: "Bryan Snyder"
Subject: FTE Small - Keep that 2.9!! It's a great engine!

Keep your 2.9! I have one with 159K and it runs like the day it was
made! Properly maintained they are a super engine If you want more power
from it go with a aset of JBA headers, ported upper and lower intake
(I've done this myself and have an extra kicking around somewhere.), get
a larger throttle body from an 86 or 87 2.9 only, they are MUCH bigger.
Get a K+N for the air box and try to make a ram air set up. Also use a
180 degree thermostat as opposed to the 195 degree unit. I have yet to
get a chip for mine do to all of the disagreement over who has the best
one. The above mods made my truck really wake up!! Stay away from the
blower for now because your engine is a speed density engine instead of
a mass air like the newer ones. These types do not respond well to major
increases to air input like a blower would give but will adapt to minor
tweaking like above. Also, there are cams out there for these engines,
one word of caution, if you go fro a cam, go MILD, over cam it and
you'll regret it. There was a 90 model made for California that was mass
air and would work great for a blower and other mods. It was made only
one year and is difficult to find, some other guys and I are working on
finding out what parts are required as well as their cost to switch to
mass air so we can really play! A word of caution, get a set of heads
from a 90 or newer or get a brand new set from World Products for about
$500, the early stock ones are prone to cracking when overheated to
much. The World Products head address's that with more meat in all the
right places. A great authority on 2.9s is a chap named Pat Kunz, he
has a B-board on fordrangers.com. Just click on the icon in the upper
right corner of the home page. You'll find many guys on the quest for
more power out of the great 2.9! It's a great engine and unique
looking, keep it and have truly unique toy!

Hope this helps all interested in 2.9s,
Bryan Snyder

______________________________________________________
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Date: 29 Sep 1998 15:06:28 EDT
From: Hawk sktc.net
Subject: FTE Small - Tailgate Adjustment

SM>I've got a 1989 Ford Ranger with 114,000 miles on it and the tailgate is
SM>getting pretty hard to open some days. It looks like the cable has
SM>stretched over time and the latches are not pulling back all of the way.
SM>How do you go about adjusting these? I can't see an easy way to get at
SM>the mechanicals in there without cutting a hole in the tailgate. There
SM>has got to be an easier way, isn't there?

I had an 89 that did the same thing. It has been a while, but I think
mine had rods, instead of cables. Anyway, I took the handle in the
middle of the tailgate loose, there was just enough room to get in there
and bend the rods, in effect shortening them. This pulled the latches
more, allowing them to disengage the striker plate, and open correctly.
If yours has cables, maybe you can shorten them by bending the arms
coming off of the handle. Good Luck, Buck Shoff

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Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 17:57:37 +0000
From: Garr&Pam
Subject: Re: FTE Small - 2.9 V6 - Any Good?

Mike Harms wrote:
>
> Here's another question. My poor old 1989 Ranger with the 2.9 V6 and
> 5speed is showing it's 114,000 miles. It's about due for a clutch
> replacement and the engine just started to use some anti-freeze. I'm
> thinking of rebuilding the engine but most of what I read about here is
> people putting small v8's in their trucks.
>
> I tried looking on the internet for rebuild kits for the 2.9 but it
> doesn't seem all that popular. What's the general consensus on this
> engine? I've been toying with the idea of rebuilding it with some
> strong components and then adding a centrifugal supercharger to give it
> some extra punch, and make it a little unique. But with the lack of
> discussion of the good ole 2.9 I'm wondering if it's a waste of my time
> and money to mess with it. Would I be better off with a bigger V6? I'd
> really like to be able to keep it as stock as possible (avoid the wiring
> harness issues, computer issues, extra weight issues).


Try racer walsh for 2.9 performance parts
www.racerwalsh.com
Chris
94 Lightning
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Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 15:09:12 PDT
From: "William Bracey"
Subject: FTE Small - Good Shocks for an 87 Bronco II

I recently purchased a 87 Bronco II. I like it a great deal. I only
have to problems. I would like to replace the shocks on this truck. I
would like a much stiffer ride. Any Suggestions? I would also like to
know how much trouble is it to replace the heater core. I can smell an
anti-freese smell comming from the heater vents.

Thanks,

Nelson
87 Bronco II

______________________________________________________
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------------------------------

Date: 29 Sep 1998 18:27:02 EDT
From: Hawk sktc.net
Subject: FTE Small - Good Shocks for an 87 Bronco II

SM>I recently purchased a 87 Bronco II. I like it a great deal. I only
SM>have to problems. I would like to replace the shocks on this truck. I
SM>would like a much stiffer ride. Any Suggestions? I would also like to
SM>know how much trouble is it to replace the heater core. I can smell an
SM>anti-freese smell comming from the heater vents.

SM>Thanks,

SM>Nelson
SM>87 Bronco II

Changing the heater core is a snap. Take out glove box, take off plate
behind glove box (6 bolts I think), take off hoses in engine
compartment, take out core. Average time, about 30 to 45 minutes. I
can't help you with the shocks. Good luck. Buck Shoff

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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 21:20:41 -0400
From: Ken Payne
Subject: FTE Small - ADMIN: New advertiser on web site

We have a new advertiser on our web site. Since the beginning,
our practice with web site advertisers has been to make a brief
announcement for 2 days (this is day 2 of 2). Please show your
appreciation to them for helping to support the web site and the
lists by checking out their site:

Add more secure, accessible cargo space to your SUV in minutes
with the XTENDER Receiver Hitch Mounted Pivoting Cargo Carrier.
The XTENDER adds a full 11 cubic feet of cargo space and its
patented telescopic/pivoting frame allows for normal rear door
operation and easy access to your vehicle's existing cargo area.
For more information on this exciting new SUV accessory contact
Dotronix Inc. toll free at 1-800-720-7218 or visit our web site
http://www.ford-trucks.com//lc/lc.php?action=do&link=http://discover-net.net/~xtender.

We would like to you to let them know you heard about them via....

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