My son is thinking of getting a 1983 Ranger 2.8L truck that is for sale locally.

He did take a quick look at it and talked to the owner. Asked the usual questions. The truck has had some overhaul and new parts, he was told (and from what my son saw himself.) But the owner did say the valve guides might be a little loose though.

He is will be looking at the truck tomorrow to check it out before making a decision. The guy is asking $800 for it.

From my son:
"What might be the average cost (ballpark figure) to replace valve guides, if indeed they merit replacement? A quick check with Napa and RockAuto sites showed prices of $290-$299 just for replacement heads not counting the core charge, presumably that is on a per-head basis."

That is all we can think of right now to ask....but I know my son will get the truth from all of you.

 

Two thoughts come to mind: The 2.8 is a good engine, but a little on the greedy side when it comes to fuel mileage. Don't count on it getting real good mpg. The heads could be removed and taken to a machine shop where they can do any needed repair. Valve guides can be replaced and reamed to the proper fit. At RockAuto, a sponsor, they are $291 each. Local machine shops may charge less. The labor to remove and replace, plus gaskets, coolant, etc blah would be, in my ballpark guess, about a days labor. If you figure 8 hours you probably would not be far off.
That engine has mechanical lifters, so they will tap if out of adjustment. I think it also has a plastic toothed camshaft gear that gets brittle with age, and breaks just when you don't need that aggravation. Not expensive, just another half days work as you have to remove all the junk on the front of the engine.
So, it may not need valve guides, just a valve adjustment. But it may need a timing set more.
Just my opining.
tom

 

The 2.8 wasn't blessed with a lot of oil to the head. It is common for these engines to develope valve rattle early in thier life, but they run forever even with the rattle. You don't find to many 2.8's or 2.9's that don't rattle.

 

if it is using oil just replace the umbrella valve stem seals. Cheap for parts but labor intense.

I had a 2.8 in my 75 Mustang ran great to 200k then timing gear went.