Ford’s 2.0/2.3/2.5 litre engine family guide

I started noticing a power loss on my 2.0 ranger engine a few months back and yesterday it hit its worst point basically undriveable. I ran a compression test about a month ago when it was still tolerable to drive and it had 110 on every cylinder except #4 it had 95pounds. I've been noticing a lot of valvetrain noise since worse now than when the power loss started. Today I put a vacuum gauge on it and its fluctuating slightly between 18 and 20 hg timing is at 10 degreesbtdc. I also pulled the plugs and all looked good except #4 was wet I can pull the #4 plug wire and it has no affect on the engine while running also replaced that plug wire with no difference. I would like some advice on what to try next I'm leaning torward the camshaft being wiped on that cylinder due to the valvetrain noise and how wore the followers and cam were when I replaced the valve seals about a year ago.

 

Sounds like you need a new cam, and followers, look for 1988, and later Rangers for the cam, and followers (roller cam, and roller followers) no more wiping out the camshaft/followers.

 

I'm no expert but it also sounds like the cam is the place to start. Lot easier to check lobe and component wear on an overhead than my SBC. Had to make a fixture to dial indicate rocker movement on it to confirm lobes are getting rounder.

As a follow up on my earlier post, I ended up doing a complete head rework on my 73 2.0 Pinto engine after finding all the exhaust valves were tight. I adjusted them but they were starting to close up again after a few hundred miles so figured they were receding into the unhardened seats. I had hardened exhaust seats, valve job, new cam bearings, cam, followers and oil tube installed and put in a new timing belt and tensioner. The old cam and followers were good according ot the machine shop, (owner a former Pinto racer), but since the cam comes out the back of the head on these I decided to replace it. I now have a spare. Got the cam kit from Burton in England shipped to my door for less than people wanted for just a cam over here. Filled the crankcase with Brad Penn oil for a little Zinc.

I just put a stock cam back in so performance isn't much different but idle and driveability are vastly improved. Gets up to freeway speeds much easier as well. Kinda wish I had found the machine shop before I ordered the cam kit. He could probably have speced something out that would give it a little more bottom end with the A/T it has.

 

Thanks for the info guys I'm gonna pop the valve cover and have a look. My local pullapart has a few 88 and later rangers being its a roller would I be pretty safe to pick up a used setup from there with just a visual inspection? So far I've put a late 70s mustang 2 Intake and weber dgv carb and a late 90s ranger header also a 3.73 rear. Its blowed my mind how responsive theese little motors are with just a little tuning and cheap upgrades and this thread is full of info

 

The main thing is to check the rollers on the followers (make sure they are not real loose, or siezed like you would any bearing).

 

You'll need a tool (pry bar of sort) and/or method to compress the valve spring from the top, and a phillips bit in a 1/4"-drive ratchet to take the cam retainer plate off from the back (firewall) side of the head.

To remove the cam you'll need to tilt the engine: http://www.fordpinto.com/general-help/ranger-roller-cam-swap/ or remove the head (head bolts are 12-point).


http://www.stangnet.com/mustang-forums/threads/junkyard-parts-list-for-a-turbo-2-3.715676/

"The Ranger Roller is nothing special. It has exactly the same specs as a standard 2.3L/Turbo cam (for some reason it's been elevated to this amazing performance cam by online rumors). It is a cheap way to go to a roller cam, but otherwise, purely from a swap standpoint it's not much worth doing unless you're building an engine, IMO. Most people install them with an adjustable cam sprocket to dial in a little more top end power.

Also, you don't even need a valve spring compressor. I remove and install the followers with a seal puller, I hook it onto the cam and then push down on the spring retainer to push the spring down and pop out the follower. Reverse for install."

 

With some luck you may just have a broken follower or kicked out a follower.

 

A kicked out follower had crossed my mind when I installed the valve seals I was able to remove and install the followers by hand but compressing the springs to remove the valve locks was a whole nother story without the right compressing tool I'm gonna tear into it tomorrow and see what I find

 

The 2.3, 2.5, and the Ranger 2.0 have a hydraulic lifter under one end of the follower, they can become collapsed, or stuck. To take one out of the head it just pulls out (some may take a little effort to get out).

 

Here's what I found cam looks chewed up I dnt have a dial indicator but I think its safe to say the cam is wiped ill pop the lifters and check them also

 

That one is done!

 

Yep, that one is now officially wall art.

 

If you are looking for stock performance a roller cam from a Ranger or Mustang would work well. You have to be careful sourcing one though, Ford changed the followers in the '95. The cam and followers you want are in the '89-94 Ranger or the '91 to '93 Mustang.

 

Are the lifters the same on the roller setups or do I need to get it all

 

The lifters are the same.

 

Do tell us about your new avatar picture.

 

Found it looking around at pictures of old tractors on the net, kinda a rebuttal to the use of tractor grills on old cars

Anyways, back to our original program.

 

Thanks for all the info ill be scrounging the pullapart this weekend for a cam. Id really like a performance cam but don't want to over do it. Do you think I would see any benifit of a adjustable cam gear with just my bolt ons and a roller cam

 

You may not see, or feel a noticeable difference from an adjustable cam gear (but every little bit helps). If you really want to wake it up get swap out the Weber dgv carb for a Holley 350 2bbl. With a stock 2.3, 5 speed trans, stock roller cam, intake, and Holley 350 2 bbl carb I get up to 27 mpg in a 2900 lb truck with 3.73 gears, and a 26" tall tire (plus it will move out of it's own way pretty good when I need it to).

 

I would recomend you spin the oil pump up during this process and ensure you are getting adequate oil to the valve train.

 

I too have a home made blower set up for a 2.0. I bought it cheap and it's "interesting" enough for me to work with. Question: What compression ratio has that engine got please?

 

Don't know the CR.

Sorry...

I bought the engine with the Ak Miller turbo setup on it, and I only took the oilpan off to see what it looked like ( condition of the bearings, etc)

It all looked OK so I left the head on, since it has a copper headgasket that is probably glued on and I didn't want to break the seal.

I didn't hear it rattling at 15PSI with the turbo, so the CR must have been chosen with boost in mind.

The boost with the roots blower is much less than that, but I'm thinking of a way to make up for that...

Right now I'm just trying to get the 45 Dellorto carb dialed in.


I posted more Info about this on the Dogfight Forum.

http://www.dogfightmag.com/forum/sh...!-Who-has-the-fastest-cherry-picker..../page2

And that is where I'll post updates about it too.

 

Better put some forged pistons in it for a turbo, or a supercharger, and get the compression ratio around 8.0:1. The stock cast pistons won't live long (been there, done that!). You will probably have to open up the combustion chamber some to lower the compression, and or fly cut the top of the piston some, also look at the compressed head gasket thickness. You will need to crunch some numbers to get the compression ratio right. For forged pistons check with CP-Carrillo Piston Sales/Tech

 

Thanks for the replies gentlemen.
Especially the stock pistons won't last long been there done that bit. Ha!

 

So i finally got around to doing my cam swap but im having some timing issues cannot get it to fire. Ive got all the marks lined up and the firing order right. Am I mis7sing somethig as far as the swap goes i used. the cam followers and ifters fro m the roller motor but reused my old cam gear but remarked it to match the marks off the roller cam gear could this be my problem the reason idid this was the teeth are finer on the roller gear and I didn't know if that would effect the way the belt would match up also is there a firing order difference associated with this swap any help is appreciated im at a loss right now

 

Go back to the original timing mark on your old cam gear, it should go all back together like it would with the old "slider" cam. The firing order is the same.

 

I had a Mustang II fastback with a 2.3 that took me a year to find. It was an MPG model with an auto and 300 gears in the back. What a turd. I swapped in a T5 out of a Turbocoupe and changed the rear gears to 3:55's. I had the head redone and put in an A237 cam, Dellorto 40's, long tube header and Mallory mechanical dual point distributor converted to pertronix pointless module (no vacuum for stock distributor). It ran much better, never jumped the square tooth belt after flogging it for 3 years. Sold it and the current owner is still driving it 2 years later. I like the 2.3's and would build one again. Thanks for the great thread.

 

Could be a mixture of round-tooth and square-tooth pulleys issue?

 

Finally solved my problem. Come to find out i had 1996 followers which were for the smaller valve stems. I made another trip to pullapart and got some roller followers from a 91model and it fired right up its night and day comparison as far as how smooth it idles and how quiet the engine is now and solved my missfire completely. Im still facing one of my older problems of it bogging in a hard pull on a steep hill im thinking mayb the float height is off? Its a weber carb and intake off a 70s mustang ii i didnt have the problem till i done the carb and intake swap the timing is set at 10 degrees

 

I have been searching all day for that exact tensioner.

I have 2.0 that used to be 74 pinto wagon, it lost the front end and got a 78 Suzuki 1000 put on, temporary panels in the wagon windows make look like a trike Hearse....


I am curious about more of the info on 2.0 and 2.3 interchangeability.

I just had to get a new water pump, and was ready to also do the timing belt and tensioner but they gave me the wrong one. I didn't know until I got it all apart.

I believe what they gave me was a tensioner for 2.3 and I see also that 2.3 belt is 3 inches longer, a 10th inch wider, 129 teeth instead of 122. So I wonder if the teeth are the same dimension, I see I have plenty of room for the extra width, but I'm not sure on the length, whether the tensioner will take up that extra slack, or a sprocket change is needed, and or if the belt cover needs to be replaced also.

I know another older guy up north who has a bunch of old pinto parts left, he hasn't found me a 2.0L distrib yet, but he thinks in one of his barns he may have one, mine has about 1/4 play on the top bushing but it runs. I know he has a lot of the other parts I might need if I do have to change things over. I would rather find the new tensioner here in the states somewhere...

OR, If anyone has a better solution????

Im getting older faster, and with a feeding tube it's pretty hard for me to do much....