I have a 91 Ranger V6 4WD with 150K that has been sitting for 7 years. The last time I drove it (7 years ago) to a mechanic, who diagnosed it with a bad head gasket - leaking coolant and coolant in the oil.

What am I looking at as far as a project: besides redoing the head gasket, what else will I most likely need to do given that its been sitting 7 years? Is this just a money pit?

I want to make this a father & son project with my 16 year old son, if its doable.

I appreciate any input.

 

If it has been sitting for 7 years with water or anti-freeze in the cylinders you are going to need a lot more than a head gasket. The block and heads could be toast. You won't really know until you tear it down. Good luck, and keep us posted.

 

Go for a long block replacement if you feel compelled to throw money at it, you'll come out less money spent overall. New tires and hoses new battery ?

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If it sat with gas in the tank, it will need to be cleaned, maybe a new pump too, for sure a filter, brakes will need gone through, possibly new brake lines.

 

If it has 150k on it don't throw money at just a head gasket. You'll be doing a complete rebuild after that. It might last 1 mile or another 10,000 but either way you will be doing the same work all over again. If water has been sitting in the cylinders for 7 years the cylinder is gonna be toast. You might get lucky and have it clean up with a bore but then your looking at a total rebuild. Easy test before you pull it apart take a wrench or ratchet and try to spin the motor by hand real slow and easy. If you feel Any resistance STOP!!!!!

 

I'm doing the same thing as far as restoring my 90 Ranger, my slave cylinder took a crap on me 8 years ago.

If this rain ever stops and things dry out....I MIGHT be able to start working on it again.

 

For instructional purposes, I would take the intake and heads off, and inspect the condition of the bores. You want to learn and teach at the same time, so start turning the wrenches. Be sure to keep valve train parts 'in order' such that they can be reinstalled in the same spot if you put it back together.
If the bores are not rusted, or only have a slight bit that the piston rings or plastic 'steel wool' (3M green stuff) will remove easily, you may not need to jump to a complete replacement. Drain the oil, and inspect for coolant under the oil at the bottom of the drain pan, or visible as you drain. Remove the oil pan and inspect for goo. Oil and antifreeze form a gooey muck that can be cleaned if you want to take the time. Either way, you'll have to clean or replace the oil pan, and rocker covers as they are not furnished. I'd expect all new radiator and heater hoses would be a good idea, especially if you do replace the engine. The brakes likely need to be bled and flushed, possibly having corroded walls from moisture, or sticky calipers from rust and disuse. You may be able to free them up, and they may not leak. You have to do the work to find out, or just replace.
From memory, the cylinder heads were prone to cracking if there was a hint of overheating. Most times it was into the combustion chamber. If so, that may have toasted the catalytic converters. Either way, you'd want to check both heads for cracks, or have a shop use magnaflux or other test to find them. You don't want to depend on the bare eyeball as it can be fooled. It is a lot cheaper to do the job once, and the tests are not that expensive. You could also pull your block and have it cleaned, inspected, and re-bored oversize if necessary. They can also check cam, rod and main bearings for condition, and do necessary replacements. They you need a gasket set and a pile of bolts and some tools to put it back together. THAT is real learning.
tom