Construction work is really slow and I sometimes go looking for scrap metal to sell. A friend offered me his 90 Ranger. He said it is a V-6, he said he thought a 2.7 but I have no idea. He said the trans (stick) was rebuilt and the rear too. The engine has a lot of miles and is running on 5 cylinders. He said the valve seal is bad and the spark plug goes bad all the time. So it needs a head or valve job. So the question is: should I just scrap the truck or is it worth fixing? It also has new tires on it and a cap. thanks for any advice.

 

They only make 3.0 and 4.0 for the v6s, But id take the tires, sell them and then just scrap the truck. Because unless you can do a valve job your self its not worth it if your short with money because thats a big project to have a shop do. I know im the same way, im a welder and work is veeerryy slow , Or you can part out the truck for parts and then scrap the truck.

 

Thanks for the reply. I was first thinking the same thing. Then I thought maybe I could fix it myself. I have a lot of time on my hands. But I guess this truck is not in high demand even if I fixed it. You are right that paying somebody to fix it is out of the question.

My other thought was just to fix the one cylinder without pulling everything apart. I found a way to fix motorcycles without pulling the heads if it was just a seal. I took off the rocker then either the exhaust or intake and stuck something in there to hold the valve up. Then took the spring off and replaced the seal and put it back together. I know that is much easier on a motorcycle that a truck. But I thought a running truck would be worth more than scrap metal. Scrap yards are paying about $.10 a pound for vehicles.

I have been in business for 42 years and I never thought it would get this bad.

 

in the 1990 Ford Ranger they offered the 2.9 V6 Ford Ranger/Bronco II 2.9 liter Engines

 

Trike,

Even if you can fix the seal, the tranny issue may make a sale improbable. I think Dutter has the right idea about making money off of the truck by parting it out. Given the age of the truck, there may be key parts to strip off the vehicle provided they aren't worn out. Compare what you might be able to get for the vehicle after you put in the elbow grease and small investment against what you could get for parting out the vehicle and the scrap value.

Good luck...and I hope things pick up for you and Dutter!

Kevin

 

Most likely the engine in your truck is a 2.9. I wouldn't even fix the engine as it isn't worth it. They had a lot of overheating problems and would crack the heads. I would go the parting it out route. It will pay more than scrap price in the long run.

 

If the head is still good, that could be one of those key parts to salvage.

 

For the price of a piece of rope to put into the cylinder to hold the valves closed, a rocker arm gasket and a valve seal, plus a little time, you can find out real quick if that will fix it and make it work for a while longer.
If the transmission and rear end have been overhauled, the only thing left in the drivetrain that might give problems it just what you are looking at.
To successfully part out a vehicle you have to have time for it to sit and be dissected. Someone will want the drivers door, and that means the interior will get weather treatment if you sell it. Someone wants the differential, so you have to take the wheels off, and it rests on the ground. That means you have to pay someone $100 or so to haul the carcass off to be recycled. A very iffy proposition that leaves you with a lawn or back yard decoration no one wants to look at...
If you can make it 'runnable', it is a lot easier to sell a complete vehicle in one piece. If you can find someone who has a similar vehicle that needs major pieces, they might buy the whole thing to get what they want, and junk the remainder.
If you have the time, fiddle with it. The last thing you can try is a 'fouler preventer' that screws into the spark plug hole with a smaller diameter hole leading to the combustion chamber. The spark plug then screws into the fouler preventer. This keeps the oil off the tip of the spark plug and lets it work. If you need to run the truck for a while with all six cylinders working, one of them might get you by.
tom

 

I never heard of fouler preventer. Where can I get one. It might do the trick.

I have done the parting out thing once before and I was left with a pile of junk in the yard. Engine was gone as were the front doors and wheels. I didn't have to pay to have it taken away but I didn't get anything for it either.

I have 2- 18' trailers now. One open and one enclosed so I can haul a lot of stuff around.

 

At your local parts store there is sometimes a section labeled "Help" where they have gadgets, gizmos, thing-a-ma-bobs, doohickeys, and all the other special stuff to hold an automobile together or make the windows work.
One is the 'anti-fouler'. It will be silverish in color and look like the business end of a sparkplug minus the ceramic tip and without the place to attach a wire. In place of that there are threads which you use to insert a spark plug and hold it in place. The combination is then threaded into the cylinder head.
ask at the counter...
tom

 

are you talking about the valve stem seals? these are not that difficult or expensive to replace, or you can go with the anti-fouler like tomw suggested.. it sounds like the truck is in decent condition..why throwaway a good truck when you can fix it and sell it?

and the 2.9L does crack the heads if you overheat it, but if the cooling system is in good condition and working properly, than overheating shouldn't be a problem..my '88 runs just fine, and I live in Phoenix, AZ.. with 100F+ summer days.. 2.9L runs just fine even with the A/C on...
The 2.9L is a very stout motor. many of them have made it over 200K miles and are still going.