Suggestion was for cheaper he could get a much much lower mile taurus motor, would just take stripping it down to the long block, pan changed, intake changed, maybe front (water pump, etc). Sound feasible? Seems like I would need to strip most motors at least down to intake to deal with differences in sensors, hookups etc. Think he was saying a 97-98ish.....

 

Hard to say as the Taurus motor sits sideways.

 

They are the same, with the exception of the intake manifold and possibly some front cover stuff, such as the water pump and crank sensors. Might be the front cover is totally different, with the coolant flow being changed. I think the coolant flow through the intake must be different as the thermostat housing is at the opposite end of the engine. May be different intake manifold gaskets to account for that. Dunno about the pan, but it is relatively easy to change. I would swap one in without hesitation.
Same deal for the Escape/Mariner/Tribute 3.0 DOHC engines. They are the same as the Sable/Taurus Duratec, with the same sort of swapping to be done. The cam pickup on one is at ~10:00 and the other is at ~4:00, and the internal index wheel has to be re-mounted on a different set of alignment holes. Water pump vintage is different once you get to the newer models as it is driven by the front intake cam and is at the PTO end on the Escapes. Seemingly a lot less bucks for the Taurus...

tom

Rockledge has it ... the head gaskets are different, not the intake manifold gaskets. Sorry.

 

If you don't mind changing out the headgaskets, then it's certainly feasible.

Some people are wary of using a Taurus engine in a Ranger on account of differences in the cooling system, necessitating the HG swap. See: http://rogueperformance.com/vulcanFAQ.html

Do a google search of "ranger taurus swap" or similar you will come up with several threads from various Ranger forums containing information and tips. For example:

My 3.0 Taurus swap experience. - The Ranger Station Forums

Taurus 3.0 to Ranger swap - Ranger-Forums - The Ultimate Ford Ranger Resource

 

ug, see the head gasket set is going to run me $100 at least...so im making a lot more work for myself and not really saving any money in the long run. Thanks for the replies and info!!!! Will do some more reading. Gotta come up with a feasible solution for this truck.

 

Why not rebuild your old motor? For the amount of work involved you are better off either getting a direct drop in replacement (should not be that hard to find) or rebuilding the old one (unless there is a catastrophic reason the old one is not build able).

 

Im not sure about the rebuild as its possible that I have a cracked head (or just a blown head gasket) its a 280k motor. Was kinda throwing it around in my head that if I am going to spend $100 on the "chance" its a gasket, that I might as well look at going all in and see if I can come up with a $500 80k motor. So thats where I am at with it. Have not made a final "this is the plan" movement yet. Still may go back to the head gasket and see what I come up with.

 

Good luck with that idea. Motors are expensive these days if you find a $500 motor I guarantee you it has a lot of miles on it.

if your heads are cracked or you have a head gasket issue deal with that. Why don't you actually price out what an engine rebuild kit costs and then plan on purchasing a set of new heads. Sure it'll cost you more than $500 but rebuilt engines are often better than new if done properly. If I were you I would plan on spending $750 - $1000 on a motor one way or the other.

 

Pull the head. Waste a couple of hours and BANG you know what your problem really is, no more guessing. If it is really cracked or otherwise junk, then no reason to reassemble.

 

Problem is that then goes my ability to get parts, etc. I live a bit outside of town. I do have a motorbike, but getting "bigger" parts is very difficult at that point. So I really need a plan that will allow me to complete the project when started.

I will figure what im going to do soon.....will be sure to keep yall updated and post pics when i do.

 

Why not get a set of head gaskets & bolts, a couple used heads from a boneyard, and go home for a weekend. You can inspect the heads from the yard before purchase, and also take a look at the valve condition. A set of gaskets & bolts you have already priced. If your head(s) is/are cracked or have a blown head gasket, you have what you need on hand to fix.
This is band-aid surgery. Some will say it's a waste of time, but when funds are limited, you do what you can to get by until better times. You would be able to do the repair and be functional in about a day. I would definitely check the valves & seats as there is a 'recession' problem on some model years where the valve wears into the head and leaks.
Again, this is band-aid work, but you don't need to rent or borrow a cherry picker to R&R the engine, nor do you need to disconnect the transmission, motor mounts, etc. You can check the replacement heads at your leisure, and make sure they are in good shape, and then swap them in relatively quickly.
If you want to have it last for another 100k or so, then you'll have to do more work. The Vulcan is a good engine, and will run a long time with proper maintenance. If all else is good, this would be a quick fix.
tom

 

You know tom, you might be right, getting a used set of heads that I can look over before hand and verify good might just be the way to go. I can do that with head gasket set for right at $300.

Does anyone have a pic of what a recessed valve in these heads looks like?

 

Almost had a 3.0 from a 99 ranger today with 130k miles for $600. Heard it start up and run, but radiator was low on coolant, temp gauge didnt work, and the 2 coolant leads from the top of the intake to the heater lines were broken off/blocked off. So i got scared there may be more going on there. Sounded good though.

While at the yard I got to talking to the counter guy about Taurus motor again. Said he just got one (full car) thats an 06 (past the head issue) and offered it for $400. He didnt know the mileage on it yet. Will find out monday. He keeps telling me he has done this swap a few times and never did the head gaskets. Just the intake and pulleys/accessories/etc.

Looks like gaskets for heads, intake, bolts, pan gaskets is going to run me $130 if I go that way....


here are the gaskets, discuss among yourselves, the only difference I see is the ranger gasket blocks off one end of the head, while the taurus, allows flow to both ends of the head.

ranger head gasket


taurus head gasket

 

If you do the swap to a Taurus, you will ignore the time and money spent by the FoMoCo engineers who designed it. Those holes are there for a reason. Take a look at the 390 or 292 steel head gaskets. You should notice, IIRC, the diameter of the holes varies from front to rear. Designing a cooling system that keeps the engine at its peak operating temperature ALL AROUND is not done by me, nor by the guy that found a job in a boneyard, nothing against them, but they don't design for the most part.
I expect that Ford put the engine on a test stand, at a cost of $X,000 per hour when you figure wages, overhead, etc, and ran it to configure the gasket to work correctly.
So, in short, I would suggest if you use a Taurus engine, replace the head gaskets. You will be much more pleased, and not have to worry all the time about the engine overheating because the coolant flow was marginal.
You are 'down South' so you KNOW about hot weather... Enuff said.
tom