Hello All,

I just bought a B2 with a 2.9 liter in it. It has 74K original miles on it, and still has a little get up and go, granted i'm not going to be doing any real rough off roading with it, so it is fine for me. Anyway, I have read a lot of posts with problems with this engine, especially over heating. Can anyone give any advice/problems they've had with the 2.9, and any tricks to give it a longer life.

Thanks,
Todd

 

i was told electric fan around 14inch or 16 inch to replace the stock on which goes on the water pump also relieves weight gives you more ponies better air flow
i went the other way i got myself a flex-a-lite fan for my b2 which wieghts alot less and gives more rpm i'm also in the works of putting a 16inch electric fan in front of the radiator. i have 2.9 ram air on my truck more air better life you can get a explorer radiator 4.0 it's a direct bolt on better flow if you overheat the engine most probably you have cracked heads etc... since your not going to be really off roading

2.9 heads are expensive so be carefull . transmission cooler would be a must most likely you have an a4ld in your truck. i have some bosch platinum 4 spark plugs also thinking about getter a distributor and rotor from msd or crane with coil better spark
i have free floating rockers on my heads.

 

Now's the time to buy some repair manual, so that when you have a problem you will be ready to go with fixing it. A good start would be a haynes manual from any parts store. Most electrical problems are simple to fix if you have one of these "electrical & vacuum troubleshooting manual" from www.helminc.com And of course you should by a code scanner. I have an Actron CP-9015 scanner that I use on my 87 Ranger 2.9, (about 30 bucks)it's very simple to use & comes with an XLNT instruction manual.
It's amazing how simple it can be to fix some problems by simply taking 2 minutes to pull the trouble codes. Does it have a transmission or is it an automatic? sounds like quite a find with only 74K miles, good luck with it.

 

Most people that I've come across who have put an electric fan on a 2.9 have said it was a dissappointment. Those I've come across say that the electric fans just don't have the capacity to move air that the stock fan has. The stock fan does have a fan clutch on it which, if it's working right, allows the fan to "freewheel" when the it's not needed, so the stock fan doesn't take away much power. An electric fan will take some power away from the motor when it's running via the alternator. Different strokes for different folks, I guess. Just to point out what I've come across.
And, as far as pulling codes, some people like to use one of those code readers becasue they say it makes it easier. I just use a jumper wire and a voltmeter. Any good manual should have instructions, or read the instructions under "getting codes" at www.fordfuelinjection.com and www.dalidesign.com/hbook/eectest.html Learning how to pull codes will be a very useful skill to pick up. I would even suggest starting now, before any problems arise, so you know what "pass" looks like on the three sets of codes.

 

Speaking of Manuals, I know i posted this in another thread (Sorry) but you can get a good deal on manuals through Amazon. I picked one up for $.98
Check it out
If your not in a hurry to get a manual you can probably find one close to the price i got mine. Its in good shape as well. I have used mine twice already and I have only had the truck a month and the book two weeks

 

I put a new radiator for 91 explorer in my 80 2.9 b2 with auto tranny. I
bought the new radiator from advance auto. I is metal and has 2 cores.
It is a direct bolt in. No clearance problems anywhere. My b2 has been
running cool ever since. Before it was constantly running hot. Great fix.