Ranger 2.3?

[newbie]

New here, done a lot of reading and researching lately. I just bought a 1984 ranger with the 2.3, and I’m wanting to turbo it and make 3-400 wheel. I’ve read the FAQ page and know the basics, but could someone maybe help me find the parts? Esslinger no longer makes heads for the 2.3. I’m also probably going to get one of the newer Lima engines from a Ranger, 1994ish with efi. I know rods, pistons, turbo, cam....anything else? Will I need a high volume oil pump with the turbo? I don’t want to race really, just have a super sweet daily driver. Are these 2.3s reliable at that kind of horsepower? Will I see a lot of miles out of it, or do they die quickly? I want to keep this truck for years and daily it, I don’t want to replace engines every other year. Thanks in advance.

[ranger87]

Honestly if your just starting go with an 87 2.3t out of a thunderbird that is probably the best starting point you can add the edis coil on plug that block stock can handle the power you want

[Stinger]

These engines can be reliable if built right. Typically the way to improve reliability is to over-build it and then turn it down some. So if you build it for closer to 400hp but you daily drive it at 300hp and only crank up the boost/tune when actually racing or something then that will help reliability (and a 300hp 2900 lb Ranger is going to be scary anyway).

I agree that starting with a stock turbo engine is often the best plan as you save a ton of money in the long run because you don't have to piece everything together.

With that said, if you want to build the engine instead then you can, though there is no real good reason to start with a newer Ranger engine over an older one as the stock stuff from an EFI ranger is all going to get replaced (injectors and such), or is either incompatible or the more difficult way to do things (dual plug ignition, dual plug head, etc.). So if going the "build an engine" route, I'd use your 84 engine and convert it to turbo/EFI with high quality turbo spec forged pistons (not the cheap stuff that blows ring lands when you start pushing it). We sell CP pistons w/rings to fill this need. An EFI style intake will bolt right on, as will the turbo exhaust manifold and such. We sell ported intake manifolds, fuel rails, injectors, fuel pumps, etc. to fill these needs.

For anywhere near your power goals you'll need a standalone ECU, Our PiMPx is available with an engine harness which is a bonus since you don't have an EFI harness to begin with. With the ECU you'll need a wideband o2 setup, and ACT sensor w/pigtail, and you'll need the license for the ECU. All of these items are optional selections when adding the ECU to the shopping cart.

You'll need a turbo (we can help with turbo selection after you narrow down your power goal a bit more...same for injector sizing). We sell the turbo oil lines you'll need.

You'll need a front mount intercooler.

You'll need 3" exhaust.

You'll need to add a fuel line from the fuel tank to the engine. Typically people doing carb to EFI swaps use the stock carb fuel line as the return line and they run a new feed line for the engine (which is larger than the return line).

You'll need a much better clutch. I'm not sure what transmission the Ranger came with in 84 but it's likely a T5 transmission swap would be a good idea at that power level.

You'll need a trac lok rear end for traction as spinning a single wheel with no weight over the rear tires with 300-400hp won't get you anywhere.

Bo-port.com can supply you with a head/cam/turbo so no issue there either.

We can get more specific with exact parts as you progress in this and gather more info and such.

[newbie]

I’m new to the turbo world and didn’t know about boost controllers until yesterday lol. It makes sense to overbuild it for it to be reliable. The 300 number is what a lot of V8 swapped rangers make, so I figured I could do the same for a turbo but I forgot to account for the added weight of the V8 over the L4. I’m thinking I’d still like 300. I’ve gotta redo the bed floor and I want to use steel tread plate, and a 5x10 sheet weighs somewhere around 500lbs if I remember right, and I’m going to get a larger aftermarket fuel cell also, and 295/50r15s. I’ve been planning the build for a while lol. didn’t know that the efi stuff will bolt up to my current engine. Is there something in particular I should look at on my current block that would cause problems in the future? Any known common issues? I’ve been searching for used 2.3 turbo motors on eBay and havent found any really good ones. The project is going to take a while to build up, I’m working on a super tight budget and for right now I have a lot of rust to fix. The engine will likely be the last thing, I was just wanting to be as informed as I can be and talk to as much people as I can who’ve done the swap or done something similar.

[Stinger]

There isn't really anything to look for other than whether it runs or not.

[newbie]

It didn’t run when I got it. It was sitting for 11 years and so mice had gotten ahold of all the wires so I figured I should try to start it unless I wanted it to catch on fire. I got it home and started disassembling the engine and everything in the engine bay. The motor turns over good and there’s no scoring on the cylinder walls, except there is a ridge at the top of the piston.

[Stinger]

You'd be boring it .020" for a rebuild with new pistons so the ridge would go away at that point.

[newbie]

Okay, cool. Any idea what size turbo/injectors I would need?

[Stinger]

The stock turbo and injectors will support about 250-275hp at the wheels so if you can get a complete engine, I'd suggest just running that stuff initially since you're on a small budget and put that $1000 that a turbo and injectors would cost towards other mods.