My engine finally getting tired. The heads need pulling due to slight overheat for a mile or so a few weeks back. Tried to give it more of a break, but businesses not especially helpful with allowing a vehicle to sit for a few minutes. Anyway, anybody know what would be more cost effective between simply repairing it, perhaps with some port-matching or hoist in a 4.0 from a junk yard? One within range of a sickly 2.9 of course. We just got a spring rebuilt on it. One thing wierd about this truck is not much of anything matches the book specs beyond the engine & body. Amusingly, the front clip says Ford 4.0 after a car wash blast last year.

 

I got some surprising readings off a new pressure gauge today. Cylinders 1-2-3-4-5-6 in order something like 150, 120, 155, 150, 155, 160. I figure on re-taking the 120 tomorrow with my Dad's assistance to crank the starter. I'm betting that's the bugger though. The right bank puzzles me a little bit too. Probably not that important, but I wonder if it's decked square to block. The left looks as though it was off sometime before I got the truck. Next is why are the pressures so freaky HIGH? Esp with the oil really watery. Ran great on 87 octane too. The coolant reeks. I pulled the alt, batt, belts, air box, etc. Next is the major stuff. Well, yet again the truck seems to be cheating death in surprising us. I'm kinda looking at this thing as though it grew something ****-eyed from a Roush shop. Anyway, again not matching expectations.

 

If it's really sweet, I'm hoping to manage a couple of Pruett tweaks, but can't afford to mess with the valve bowls any more than necessary. Just pull a few more horses & try to cool the exhaust a bit.

 

I'm guessing the 120 psi cylinder is the major offender. My 2.9 has about 160-165 all on cylinders.

If you wanna up performance a little bit, you can drop one of these in
Ford 2.9 Cosworth ENGINE (1991) on eBay, also, Ford, Car Parts, Cars, Parts Vehicles (end time 11-Aug-08 22:27:19 BST)
It is the same 2.9 you know and love, except it has 4 valve DOHC heads

Throw in about $650 for a turbo setup, and you can get over 550 rwhp That engine should pretty much drop right in ,and most if not all of the existing electrical harness should work

Hey, you can always dream :-P

 

Actually I think those WOULD be sweet when we pull that crud of my brother's across, I-696, I-275 then I-94... Anyway, I'll do my best to get it blasting the neighborhood again ASAP. I was just comparing notes on the intake porting write-ups. I should easily manage the intake and headers in a few months I think. After power-sanding large jet engine chambers for hours on end at times, this should be easy & much lower precision, just as long as I use a light touch on the cheap aluminum. Other than that, I can't justify an excuse to pass up the opportunity. O yeah, I no longer machine those jet parts. Moved on & moved on again. Michigan is in big-time manufacturing pit. Need to study new stuff. Maybe I should have studied autos more. Thanks a bunch Lead Head!

 

Ford 2.9 Cosworth ENGINE (1991) on eBay, also, Ford, Car Parts, Cars, Parts Vehicles (end time 11-Aug-08 22:27:19 BST)
More thinking after more reading... Think this would be best for a '92-94 2wd std cab, short bed with race-prepped slush-box & custom long-tube tuned headers feeding 3.5" Laker pipes. Full locker 9" axle and suspension lowered ~1.5 inches with Duff traction bars. Just kinda popped into my head after browsing current crop of available headers for an early 4x4. I'd bet with the right turbo and some z-rated 265 r16's it'd be mighty impressive. Like a unique very stout Duratec. I'd love to see what this sort of package would do around the little ricers, my uncle's silly '04 Mustang (A/T), etc.
OTOH, how do tuned headers work with turbo?

 

Well I doubt regular 2.9 headers would fit the cosworth, they might though.

Just google search, or go on youtube and look up Cosworth 24 , Cosworth , Cosworth 2.9 Turbo, Cosworth 24 Turbo, Ford 2.9, Ford 2.9 turbo or any combination, and you should be able to see just what a built up 2.9 can do, espeically if you have the DOHC heads.

I saw a guy that took the 4.0 OHV engine, and stuck the DOHC cosworth heads onto it.

 

First off, I managed to get the intake manifolds off and pulling the fender wells when the sky started sprinkling my tools. There are bits of pale mud in the coolant ports. OK, I'd say that's normal for this scenario. Started clearing it by shooting PB own there avoiding air intake ports and just generally cleaning, inspecting, etc. I was right about the driver's side not being original. It looks rebuilt and comparatively pretty. The exhaust is going to be a royal pain in the back-side! Tempting to grab my sawzall & play. Actually I may manage to get in there just on the bolts with a blade. Browsing for parts online & it looks like a used low miles 4.0 could be cheaper assuming I need head repairs on left. $350 to $450 typical with 78k to 110k with claimed A-OK. If that's so, I'll be making calls for delivery options & we could really use the deeper bottom end on those expressway interchanges.

 

I was kicking around on Car-part.com & noticed the radiator is about the same spec between 2.9 & 4.0. I have a small basic unit being stick with no A/C. Not sure of the EXACT measurements but it's about a year old with no leaks apparent & slight corrosion has begun already. At least my fan blades are like new! Would this likely keep a good 4.0 happy? Anything I'm overlooking in cost comparison other than ECU, mount surprises, and harness? Probably need a different y-pipe & cat to hook up my 2.25" Thrush glasspack. No codes, so existing sensors all work. Then again, my y-pipe shaped more like 4.0 on flange by cat then the books show. Of course, I'd prefer an engine ready to bolt in with correct sensors, TPS, etc installed. I'm mostly wondering about airflow sensor on airbox, which is older type.

 

A 4.0 OHV should have the exact same exhaust manifold as the 2.9. At least from all the 4.0 OHV I've seen, they appear identical externally to a 2.9 , save for the intake manifold.

Also, you can get new improved heads for like $140 a piece. Might be cheaper then putting a new 4.0 in

 

I'm just grumbling over the costs. I'd really like a set with bowls hogged out and smoothed, converted to free-floating & such. Anyway, the costs that I stumble over are the gasket set & head bolts. I need at least intake & main head gaskets. Also exhaust manifold gaskets. All that will sum to around $200. Still, if I could get improved heads that cheap, it could still be cheaper than fixing this mess. It kinda bites that a neat-looking head is blown too. The other looks like junk inside & out. Broke an alternator bracket boss slightly too. And that was being gentle with plenty of PB.
In any case, I'm hoping I can manage a much better job than the last bloke did. I think 3/4 of the engine harness is wound in black duck tape. 2 other main sections still have clean red stamped Ford stickers showing April 1990. I'll leave those alone unless I have good reason not to of course. But the duck tape is coming off as I go. At least it isn't leaving a mess on the wires. I've been considered a MacGuyver type, but hate messing with his beloved junk goo.

 

Well, I've done more work on the old beastie & got rained out again. Figures. Had to grind off screws holding wheel well & other odd headaches. I have the intake manifolds off and nearly half the engine in the bed. Cleaning crud as I can reach & looking for cracks. Nothing so far, but the right head is so dirty it's hard to tell. It did pass the compression test like new. Hoping to get the exhaust & heads off ASAP. I did notice the intake ports of cylinders 3 & 4 look like they may have leaked with coolant ports. Well when I get rained out, I come inside to study the truck in my books, online & looking at the parts. I'm thinking if I could polish the exhaust ports & manifolds a bit, it may be good to go ahead & open up the intake ports focusing on about 150 grit result. I also noticed I could trace the varnish crud with marker for grinding guide. Any opinions? It remains curious to me that the coolant mudded up a bit while the oil merely looks watery & black with no noticable particles on my dipstick. Probably just shows a solid bottom end I think. 1 thing I'm pretty sure of is I don't want to shove more air in without improving exhaust.
Next up I stayed out in light rain long enough to pull the front air intake hose assembly from the core support. The flex portion started to rot, but the rest including the preheat flap still mint. 18 years old in SE Michigan with the body trying to fall apart... Go fig. And here I'm itching to replace that with higher flow setup. O boy. The 1 old vehicle it works on & I want it off. Maybe it could adapt to my little Fiero beater.