A few months ago I got my first car('88 BroncoII 2.9L)and I've heard a lot of bad stuff about this engine(oil pump,cracked heads) is there anything else I need to know about?

 

Lifters. They tend to plug up and start ticking. This is bad for performance and the valvetrain.

Use a diesel rated oil for the extra detergency. This should prevent lifter problems.

World Products makes an aftermarket set of heads for the 2.9. These are a good fix for the crack prone stock heads.

 

thanx! I've recently been hearing ticking sounds at startup

 

if you have auto hubs and you go offroading with them replace with manual hubs
cv-type driveshaft is trouble when you lift the truck past 3in can't handle the angle the problem. d28 when fitted with tires bigger than 32's you'll be breaking outer shafts
max the 7.5 rear can take is 33's if you have your fuel guage acting up usually it's the fueltank low pressure pump and sending unit that's bad. a4ld's are strong transmissions (auto ) but when used like race cars you'll be rebuilding your soon.
2.9L heads are prone to crack since the cooling system is usually not taken care of.
lifters get worn in time cuasing loud ticking or tapping. a free floating rocker assembly usually fixes this problem. cooling system the radiator is not enough for these engines so a 4.0 radiator swap is better for 2.9L also change your thermostat when ever you change your anti-freeze or 50/50 . saggin rear ends intime looks like it's dragging your butt behind . an easy explorer leaf springs swap fixes that same forthe front to if you see your coils sagging. rear main oil seal and front a4ld seal. fan clutch is ok but once you start to modify think either efan or flex-a-lite fan i prefer flex. did i miss anything anyone.

 

Wow.....so there's a few more things I might need to worry about in the future. But thanx anyway. How much would all these cost to replace? (except for the trans and hubs which are both manual)

 

depends on what you want to do with your b2? what do you want to do ?

 

I want to get at least a 4" suspension lift on it, get some 33's, maybe get a cheap power booster. I'm making a grill gaurd in metal shop. I think that's all for the moment(no job yet). It's also going to be a daily comuter to school and stuff.

 

oops... typo. I meant 'get some 32's'. and also, what's d28?

 

dana 28 is your front axle 7.5 is your back axle
all bronco2 have a d28 up front with a 7.5 in the back.
if you want better find a explorer with a d35 in the front and a 8.8 rear. it's bolt-on

 

alright,cool,thanx!

 

OH come on guys. Jeez, you guys are alarmists.

Heads won't crack unless YOU overheat it. Take care of you cooling systems.

I regularly climb small waterfalls with both of my B2s and have never broken an auto hub. Do a big burnout in mud and hit dry pavement and you might break one.

A4LD seems to work fine (on a 88 B2 with 178,000 miles.

I haven't torn up any driveshafts or axles eith but the largest tire I run is a 235/75-15.

If you are going to wheel, wheel like you have some smarts. If your going to lift it and run large tires, then plan on the axle, driveline and gear upgrades that go with it. This can get expensive.

Never, ever try to convince yourself that the B2 is weak. I'll personally prove you wrong.

I have climbed waterfalls, nearly verticle hills, mud up to my hubs. countless ATV trails and done some 30 mile high speed runs across lakes in the borderland. With a mostly stock 84 and very stock 88 B2s.

 

I'm not an 'alarmist', I just wanted to know if there are any problems that I should look out for so that I could identify and fix them accordingly especially scince it's a few months older than I am and I don't have much money to keep replacing parts all the time

 

Keep on the maintence, don't over heat it. It will last, you just have to take care of it. Be glad you have the 88 heads. Even though they still crack, I hear they don't crack as bad. If you notice your oil turning a shade of green, then you should be worried.

 

I have a 1990 ranger with 2.9 which i bought new. 6 years ago i replaced the engine with a new rebuilt engine due to cracked head and oil pump failure. the truck at that time had approximately 98000 miles. the motor was never run hot. now the replacement engine with about 50000 miles has a cracked head or bad head gasket. not sure as of this time. this motor was never run hot either. why are the heads so prone to crack on this engine and is there an aftermarket head that i can replace the oem head with? the truck is auto trans, extended cab with 4wd. never had tranny problem or any other problem except the engine and normal maintenance stuff. any advice or help appreciated.

 

World Products makes a replacement head. It is "beefed" up. 5000 miles you should still have a warranty on your rebuild.