Changing out motors
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From: raleigh
Changing out motors
Hi all,
I'm thinking about changing out my tiered old 2.9l motor in my '86 B II for a '90-95 4.0l and manual trans. Has anyone ever done this. The motor I have right now has about 300,000 miles on it, leaks coolant from the under the intake manifold, and leaks oil from the front and rear main seals. Plus off-roading the other day I wrecked the sincro on 2nd gear. Ford wants about $120 bucks for just the part. I want to upgrade and update the engine and I don't want the same old 5.0l swap. Any advise you guys could lend would be great.
Thanks,
Jeremy
I'm thinking about changing out my tiered old 2.9l motor in my '86 B II for a '90-95 4.0l and manual trans. Has anyone ever done this. The motor I have right now has about 300,000 miles on it, leaks coolant from the under the intake manifold, and leaks oil from the front and rear main seals. Plus off-roading the other day I wrecked the sincro on 2nd gear. Ford wants about $120 bucks for just the part. I want to upgrade and update the engine and I don't want the same old 5.0l swap. Any advise you guys could lend would be great.
Thanks,
Jeremy
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From: Yes
I would personally advise against a 4.0l OHV swap. Not that the engine isn't worth it, although for the trouble you could have a SOHC, but the wiring nightmare would be similar to a 5.0/5.8l, and you would end up with only a slight gain in power over the 2.9l. My advice is (take this with a grain of salt, it's just a suggestion), either send your trans to a shop and have it rebuilt (or do it yourself but buy the parts elsewhere), or buy a used one, and rebuild the 2.9l. The injection systems are completely different between these two engines, as is the wiring harness, so you will be doing and engine swap anyway, and although the 4.0l is a physical bolt-in unlike a 5.0, the wiring complexity is similar, certainly no easier. All that being said, I can deffinitly see why you want to stay away from what everyone else is doing, if it really sounds like something you want to do, don't let me discourage you, these are after all just my opinions!
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Nov 2004
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From: Templeton, Massachussetts
Originally Posted by Jerrybose442
Hi all,
I'm thinking about changing out my tiered old 2.9l motor in my '86 B II for a '90-95 4.0l and manual trans. Has anyone ever done this. The motor I have right now has about 300,000 miles on it, leaks coolant from the under the intake manifold, and leaks oil from the front and rear main seals. Plus off-roading the other day I wrecked the sincro on 2nd gear. Ford wants about $120 bucks for just the part. I want to upgrade and update the engine and I don't want the same old 5.0l swap. Any advise you guys could lend would be great.
Thanks,
Jeremy
I'm thinking about changing out my tiered old 2.9l motor in my '86 B II for a '90-95 4.0l and manual trans. Has anyone ever done this. The motor I have right now has about 300,000 miles on it, leaks coolant from the under the intake manifold, and leaks oil from the front and rear main seals. Plus off-roading the other day I wrecked the sincro on 2nd gear. Ford wants about $120 bucks for just the part. I want to upgrade and update the engine and I don't want the same old 5.0l swap. Any advise you guys could lend would be great.
Thanks,
Jeremy
i had a 1990 and swapped in a new short block that came out of my mark VII originally, but i wanted to leave it fuel injected.. not a job for the average joe..i did it but am also a master mechanic.. never did a 4.0L, not much power gain either.. but if you got one for cheap do it up.. the tourque will be better. but i would rahter the 5.0L HO like i had before.. she ripped really nice down the road.
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From: raleigh
Thanks for the help. I have done some engine swaps be for but most were '70s muscle cars and I newer motors into them. I do have a question about the 4.0l OHV motor, does it have more houre power and torque? I was planning on rebuilding the 4.0l with some parts I have found over seas in Europe, and a cranes cam. But I guess I'm going to do some more research on the 4.0l frist. Thanks again.
Jeremy
Jeremy
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From: Yes
The 4.0l OHV will be an improvement, just a lot of work for a minimal return by comparison to a V-8 swap. Your 2.9l is rated at 140hp and 170ft/lbs torque. An OHV 4.0l is in the neighborhood of 160hp ('90-'92 155hp) and 220ft/lbs torque. A definite improvement, but not a huge one. Buildup parts for a 2.9l are few and far between, but you might look into them before ditching it. If you decide to go the 4.0l route, keep us posted, and have fun with whatever you do!!!
Posting Guru
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From: Alvin, Texas.
I think 20 hp and 50 ft/lbs of TQ is quite an improvement for that swap and not having to really change out all that much.
What can you do for similar price to a 2.9L to get that and over a liter of displacement at the same time? Hey, even a 5.0L swap isn't cheap.
A 90-94 4.0L is needed with as early a 4.0L bunch of electronics as you can get. There is repinning involved, as I remember from other Ranger-related websites, but it's worth it.
What can you do for similar price to a 2.9L to get that and over a liter of displacement at the same time? Hey, even a 5.0L swap isn't cheap.
A 90-94 4.0L is needed with as early a 4.0L bunch of electronics as you can get. There is repinning involved, as I remember from other Ranger-related websites, but it's worth it.
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From: Alvin, Texas.
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Fleet Mechanic
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From: Templeton, Massachussetts
Originally Posted by Jerrybose442
Thanks for the help. I have done some engine swaps be for but most were '70s muscle cars and I newer motors into them. I do have a question about the 4.0l OHV motor, does it have more houre power and torque? I was planning on rebuilding the 4.0l with some parts I have found over seas in Europe, and a cranes cam. But I guess I'm going to do some more research on the 4.0l frist. Thanks again.
Jeremy
Jeremy
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I would personally repair the 2.9 and transmission combo myself. In the end with all the time you will spend plus the money to buy all the parts for the swap the gain is not worth it. The swap will take several hours more to complete then just rebuilding the current motor. Now for other opinion and do not take it the wrong way because I by no way mean the 2.9 is a powerhouse but with the current state of your motor I don't think you actually see how these motors perform when in good shape. This is just my 2 cents though.
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From: raleigh
Okay so I did some more searching on-line and a round town, I think I'm still going to do the swap. I found a set of heads with a small combustion camber off a 96 4.0l, this will give the engine a little most power, plus I got the carquest to do the enginework for me. I guess I just really want to try it. Plus from what I find I would have to find a tran to mate up to a h.o. 5.0l and I haven't seen to many for cheap. the 4.0l seem to be the cheap way to go. I also put up a pic of my truck on line. Well I'll let you all know when I start. And I'm sure I'll have some questions for all of you. THanks again for the input,
Jeremy
Jeremy