BlueBeardo
New Member
- Joined
- Dec 2, 2015
- Messages
- 5
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 1
- Vehicle Year
- 1989
- Make / Model
- Ford
- Transmission
- Manual
I have a 1989 2.9l 4wd Manual Ranger that overheated last week. I let it cool down and drove it home to diagnose. I tried filling the radiator back up with coolant and instead watched coolant flow out of the water pump weep hole (or whatever it's called). I replaced the water pump and filled it back up with coolant. It seemed to be running much better, but I noticed I was burning coolant and going through it rather quickly. I checked the oil and it seemed to have coolant in it so I'm pretty sure either the head is cracked or the gasket is blown.
I've read through forums on here and the tech articles (all which are awesome) until my eyes bled and it seems the general consensus is that the head is cracked and it is almost never the gasket. Bummer.
I was planning on rebuilding the engine, but looking at the cost of a rebuild kit of about $500 for a full kit or $250 for just the re-ring kit plus the $400 dollar heads, things were really starting to add up. So I noticed almost every post about the 2.9 says just go ahead and swap out a 4.0L engine.
So I'm left with at a crossroads. This truck is my daily driver and I would like to keep it moving for the most days possible. I am okay with a couple weeks downtime if I need to though. Just not ideal. I've got two options:
1. Rebuild the 2.9l spending roughly $800 if the heads are cracked
2. Find a 4.0L and swap the motor with a mostly unknown cost. I'm guessing about the same, but I see a lot of "oh I guess I need that too".
I have some concerns about the 2.9l rebuild:
- Are the aftermarket/ebay heads worth it? Am I going to see this problem again shortly.
- I just replaced the water pump, alternator, starter, plugs, wires, and valve cover gaskets. I'd rather not just throw that time and money away.
- After reading about the 4.0l it sounds like I might be missing an opportunity.
And concerns about the 4.0l swap:
- I did some craigslist searching, and while I found some junkyard vehicles, I'm concerned about the life of the engine. Am I just swapping one set of problems for another? I don't really know how those engines ran.
- My best bet is to also rebuild that engine first since it is out. Just adds to the cost.
- Do I need to replace the manual transmission also? I've seen some yes's and some no's in this area.
- This seems much more complicated and work intensive than just fixing the decent motor I have (minus the coolant guzzling feature)
I guess I'm looking for a little help talking through this and to find my ideal path. Maybe also some input on the head leaking and some things to look for.
I've read through forums on here and the tech articles (all which are awesome) until my eyes bled and it seems the general consensus is that the head is cracked and it is almost never the gasket. Bummer.
I was planning on rebuilding the engine, but looking at the cost of a rebuild kit of about $500 for a full kit or $250 for just the re-ring kit plus the $400 dollar heads, things were really starting to add up. So I noticed almost every post about the 2.9 says just go ahead and swap out a 4.0L engine.
So I'm left with at a crossroads. This truck is my daily driver and I would like to keep it moving for the most days possible. I am okay with a couple weeks downtime if I need to though. Just not ideal. I've got two options:
1. Rebuild the 2.9l spending roughly $800 if the heads are cracked
2. Find a 4.0L and swap the motor with a mostly unknown cost. I'm guessing about the same, but I see a lot of "oh I guess I need that too".
I have some concerns about the 2.9l rebuild:
- Are the aftermarket/ebay heads worth it? Am I going to see this problem again shortly.
- I just replaced the water pump, alternator, starter, plugs, wires, and valve cover gaskets. I'd rather not just throw that time and money away.
- After reading about the 4.0l it sounds like I might be missing an opportunity.
And concerns about the 4.0l swap:
- I did some craigslist searching, and while I found some junkyard vehicles, I'm concerned about the life of the engine. Am I just swapping one set of problems for another? I don't really know how those engines ran.
- My best bet is to also rebuild that engine first since it is out. Just adds to the cost.
- Do I need to replace the manual transmission also? I've seen some yes's and some no's in this area.
- This seems much more complicated and work intensive than just fixing the decent motor I have (minus the coolant guzzling feature)
I guess I'm looking for a little help talking through this and to find my ideal path. Maybe also some input on the head leaking and some things to look for.