4.0 vs 2.5l in the reliability common issues ?

[Moe0813]

hello everyone, i have a quick question, i am looking to buy another ranger since my 1999 rotted out to the point where it was unsafe it was a 2.5l 5 speed
im looking to replace it with a 1999 4.0l 5 speed 4x4 the frame is spotless on this one. i have searched and cant find a straight up answer... how does the 4.0 OHV compare to the 2.5l in reliability?
my 2.5l went well over 200k and was still very powerful didnt burn a drop of oil.
does the 4.0 OHV have any known quirks?
any help would be greatly appreciated sick of driving my mothers spare 1992 taurus !

 

[black_demon69]

hello everyone, i have a quick question, i am looking to buy another ranger since my 1999 rotted out to the point where it was unsafe it was a 2.5l 5 speed
im looking to replace it with a 1999 4.0l 5 speed 4x4 the frame is spotless on this one. i have searched and cant find a straight up answer... how does the 4.0 OHV compare to the 2.5l in reliability?
my 2.5l went well over 200k and was still very powerful didnt burn a drop of oil.
does the 4.0 OHV have any known quirks?
any help would be greatly appreciated sick of driving my mothers spare 1992 taurus !

at least you are still in a ford lol

4.0l quirks
1 uses more gas
2 intakes tend to loosen up
3 more power then 2.5l
other then that i haven't run into any other quirks and I've had 2 4.0l ohv that have been very reliable...

 

[Moe0813]

at least you are still in a ford lol

4.0l quirks
1 uses more gas
2 intakes tend to loosen up
3 more power then 2.5l
other then that i haven't run into any other quirks and I've had 2 4.0l ohv that have been very reliable...

thanks man ! and yeah im in a ford i love fords all the way !but i hate the automatic in the Taurus much prefer a 5 speed and a bed !

 

[hank857]

I ve got 300000+ on my 94 4.0. Has had some issues but really nothing major. Oil leaks that I just had fixed, the trans has been the biggest issue as it was trashed when we bought it. Ive had it built a couple of times (5sp manual).

As to gas mileage I get around 14-15 in town up to 20-21 on highway at 75-80 mph!

When the front water manifold started to leak I thought it was a head gasket and did an R&R on them. Found the leak afterwards. So took it to a local indy and he did the water manifold gasket, I also at the same time had him install new timing chain assy, new lower crank seal, water pump. Last summer with the oil leaks thought it was a leaky rear main. He pulled the trans to find it was the valley/intake leaking straight down and some valve cover leaks. Had him redo everything than he called that the pan gasket was leaking, another $200 and he would R&R it. Had him install new oil pump while pan was off. No he did not pull engine just raised it enough to get pan off/out. While the trans was out had him also install new clutch, slave, master cyl. Almost all my parts are autozone so they have lifetime warranty so parts were not a cost issue. only new cost was the master as it is separate from the rest of the system and only because the replacement leaked and it had to be replaced again! I also had him install new flywheel and that made a world of difference as the old one had been surfaced a couple of times.

So are the 4.0 good, I think it is

 

[97RangerXLT]

I have seen several 4.0s in the junkyard with over 300k on them. My 97 has 162k on it and the only thing I have had to deal with on it is the intake and valve cover gaskets. So yeah it is worth the change from the 2.5

AJ

sent from a galaxy near me

 

[Moe0813]

I have seen several 4.0s in the junkyard with over 300k on them. My 97 has 162k on it and the only thing I have had to deal with on it is the intake and valve cover gaskets. So yeah it is worth the change from the 2.5

AJ

sent from a galaxy near me

Thanks to everyone who replied I went to go check it out and the frame has been patched (terribly) in multiple spots not so "perfect and solid no rust" as advertised , back to looking for another ! The 4.0 seems great def has the same reliability and is deemed bullet proof like the lima engines

 

[cp2295]

It can crack the heads just don't let the coolant get low if you can.

Still a good reliable engine-I too have seen many at the jy with over 250k-300k

 

[adsm08]

It can crack the heads just don't let the coolant get low if you can.

The heads were a much much bigger issue before 1992. If he is looking in the 99 age range that shouldn't be an issue at all.

And you shouldn't run any engine low on coolant.