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kishy's 1985 Ranger

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    as long as it hasn't been overheated or run with no air filter its probably OK.
    86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
    5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

    91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

    1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

    Originally posted by phayzer5
    I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

    Comment


      No sir, not on my watch. I bought it with 85k on the clock too. Nothing but good air filters, Valvoline synthetic and Motorcraft or better oil filters every 3k.
      1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
      1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

      Comment


        Updates, updates!

        I'll guesstimate about a month after the swap, I started getting a flickering amp light at idle. The voltage was normal, maybe a bit low, but still well north of 13V in all conditions. This uses a 95A side-mount 3G and I had purchased a new one for the engine swap. I swapped the regulator as a test and found it behaved the same. Wiring checked out OK, kind of miraculous given how much DIY I have into this. It began killing the battery when parked, so I'm thinking a diode popped.

        The exhaust, which I repaired roughly a year ago, decided to crap out. Not surprising. The way I repaired it last time was hammering a 2-1/4"-to-2" reducer into the "not quite any normal pipe size" tail of the gutted catalytic converter and clamping it in, then putting a long flex joint between that and the pipe to the muffler. It worked well. But the flex joint has given up; one or more of its layers of webbing has disintegrated so now the webbing is all black and acts as an exhaust filter of sorts.

        Also, the internal of the muffler rusted apart, so now it's more like an engine noise resonator with rusty metal percussion feature, which is not so great.

        With my new job I started at the beginning of December, I had to put anything else on the back burner. Career advancement and all that. Work provides a car, which was convenient especially with the issues with the truck.

        I had the exhaust parts on hand, just had to do the work. Ordered the alternator (RockAuto, cheapest FedEx option) late Thursday night and had it Monday afternon, astoundingly. Found the time to do the work today.

        Alternator in, amp light is gone, all is good.

        Oil and filter changed, not quite sure what the mileage was, but it was early. Figured I might as well. This was the second change with the new engine, the first one was just a few hundred km to wash out any junk in the new engine. The valve cover gasket has a mild leak so I'll replace that eventually. 5W30 full synthetic with a FL1A.

        Exhaust repaired. New downpipe, new catalytic converter which is not gutted, and used straight pipe in place of the flex joint which was no longer necessary.

        I need to replace the "non serviceable" bushings in the transmission crossmember. The rubber has completely given up and egged out such that the crossmember is now just sitting on the tube around the bolt. I have a plan in mind, just need to find some time and do it. This is really just a NVH concern currently, a lot of drivetrain vibration is being transmitted into the cab and particularly steering (direct link to frame rail which now has a direct link to the trans body, more or less).








        Current driver: Ranger
        Panthers: 83 GM 2dr | 84 TC | 85 CS
        | 88 TC | 91 GM
        Not Panthers: 85 Ranger | Ranger trailer | 91 Acclaim | 05 Focus
        Gone: 97 CV | 83 TC | 04 Focus | 86 GM
        | Junkyards

        Comment


          Are the dead bushings those horizontal ones that kind of look like control arm bushings? If no bushings exist, you might be able to cheat and "make" some with radiator hose, or maybe find some generic poly bushings and modify them to fit.
          86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
          5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

          91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

          1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

          Originally posted by phayzer5
          I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

          Comment


            Originally posted by gadget73 View Post
            Are the dead bushings those horizontal ones that kind of look like control arm bushings? If no bushings exist, you might be able to cheat and "make" some with radiator hose, or maybe find some generic poly bushings and modify them to fit.
            Yeah they're kinda like control arm bushings. I found a recommendation to use a specific GMC leaf spring bushing and it looks like they may work, with some washers to shim it, as the bushing is long enough for the crossmember but not long enough to totally fill the gap into which the crossmember mounts.

            It won't be perfect but as long as I can get the metal-on-metal to stop happening it should improve things.

            Current driver: Ranger
            Panthers: 83 GM 2dr | 84 TC | 85 CS
            | 88 TC | 91 GM
            Not Panthers: 85 Ranger | Ranger trailer | 91 Acclaim | 05 Focus
            Gone: 97 CV | 83 TC | 04 Focus | 86 GM
            | Junkyards

            Comment


              rusty muffler... I have experience with that...

              Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein
              rides: 93 Crown Vic LX (The Red Velvet Cake), 2000 Crown Vic base model (Sandy), 2003 Expedition (the vacation beast)
              Originally posted by gadget73
              ... and it should all work like magic and unicorns and stuff.
              Originally posted by dmccaig
              Overhead, some poor bastards are flying in airplanes.

              Comment


                DId FOrd put dual cats on that '85; or a single cat?

                I had the outlet of the 1st cat rot out on my Ranger. I was going to extend it into the replacement piping and Dynomax muff I had replaced a few months earlier; but the cats sit above the tranny X-member. Which made welding an infeasible option. I was going to cut both cats off and just run the piping to the muffler, but there wasn't much pipe at the inlet of the 1st cat to grab onto. Ended up cutting the exhaust off after the 1st cat and dealing with the noise.

                Comment


                  Originally posted by sly View Post
                  rusty muffler... I have experience with that...
                  This muffler looks fine externally, but has internally decided to give up on life, it seems.

                  Originally posted by packman View Post
                  DId FOrd put dual cats on that '85; or a single cat?

                  I had the outlet of the 1st cat rot out on my Ranger. I was going to extend it into the replacement piping and Dynomax muff I had replaced a few months earlier; but the cats sit above the tranny X-member. Which made welding an infeasible option. I was going to cut both cats off and just run the piping to the muffler, but there wasn't much pipe at the inlet of the 1st cat to grab onto. Ended up cutting the exhaust off after the 1st cat and dealing with the noise.
                  Single cat. The one I took off (gutted by previous owner surely due to the oil consumption plugging it severely) had the Ford logo on its heat shield. The single cat in this case lived beside the trans, above the crossmember, as yours was.




                  Some more updates.
                  I went to a junkyard on 1/05 and found a single cab Ranger with the speaker boxes behind the seats. Collected those, the dash speakers, and its stock radio.

                  I then put everything in my truck, fixing a long-time hackjob where a couple Panther door speakers were sitting basically on top of the dash. Interesting note, the Ranger/Bronco II dash speakers are the same oddball size as the Panther dash speakers.

                  The radio has no right channel, which is annoying, but I suspect repairable. I'll likely rip it apart and see if I can figure out how it all works. The rear speakers are trash, foam is toast, and unlike I assumed it won't be viable to open the boxes and put new speakers in them, so I'm going to get a set of NOS ones with intact foam off a buddy who has them...$20 is a very fair ask for those, on his part.










                  We had a couple good snow days.



                  The extreme cold that happened in the last week really showcased how bad the heat is. Decided to try a new thermostat of a different brand than I've used previously, as the issue is the engine itself does not get above about 150 degrees. Motorad 195 came out, Motorcraft 195 went in. Fel-Pro is making a PermaDryPlus gasket for the thermostat housing, which I wish they'd do for the SBF t-stat and water pump...jumped at the opportunity to buy that. Coolant looks pretty gross considering it's about 3 months old so it's getting flushed again at the end of this season.







                  Note the gasket says "ROL" on it...as in, ROL Gaskets.

                  Removed the weird buttplug thing from the intake tube. No idea what I've gained or lost by doing that. Doesn't feel faster and doesn't sound louder, so I dunno.



                  Fixed the trans crossmember and replaced the trans mount. Bushings are "non-serviceable" and the x-member is meant to be replaced as a unit...no thanks. Bought leaf spring bushings for a 98 Chevy 1500 pickup following a tip from YouTube, found indeed they fit, not super tight though, so I RTV'd them in. They weren't loose, but could be removed by hand, so the RTV should be all it takes to lock them in enough. Shimmed the remaining gap with washers. Drivetrain vibration is no longer assaulting me while I drive, so it must have worked.























                  In the wake of previous exhaust work, I found the tailpipe would not stay located properly and kept wanting to point up into the rear quarter. I also picked up a new metal-on-metal sound as well as an exhaust leak. Inspection today found the metal-on-metal was the pipe ends inside a butt joint clamp rubbing together, so I readjusted everything to make more of a gap inside the clamp. Exhaust leak and position issues were from a rust/fatigue failure at one of the hangers. I've supplemented it with a universal hanger and that seems to have made it all good again.








                  Current driver: Ranger
                  Panthers: 83 GM 2dr | 84 TC | 85 CS
                  | 88 TC | 91 GM
                  Not Panthers: 85 Ranger | Ranger trailer | 91 Acclaim | 05 Focus
                  Gone: 97 CV | 83 TC | 04 Focus | 86 GM
                  | Junkyards

                  Comment


                    Yeah... my muffler looked fine externally too. Then that one morning when the extra fuel in the exhaust got pressurized by the rust blocking the rear port on the muffler and BOOM! blew it clean open.

                    Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein
                    rides: 93 Crown Vic LX (The Red Velvet Cake), 2000 Crown Vic base model (Sandy), 2003 Expedition (the vacation beast)
                    Originally posted by gadget73
                    ... and it should all work like magic and unicorns and stuff.
                    Originally posted by dmccaig
                    Overhead, some poor bastards are flying in airplanes.

                    Comment


                      Originally posted by sly View Post
                      Yeah... my muffler looked fine externally too. Then that one morning when the extra fuel in the exhaust got pressurized by the rust blocking the rear port on the muffler and BOOM! blew it clean open.
                      Ah, yes...that's what happened to the original exhaust downstream flange on the cat on this. It was still carbureted at the time, and the cat was hollow, and the smog pump diverter was constantly injecting air. I had a long wide open throttle acceleration followed by a sudden complete throttle closure, followed by a loud bang blowing out the pipe right behind the cat.

                      Current driver: Ranger
                      Panthers: 83 GM 2dr | 84 TC | 85 CS
                      | 88 TC | 91 GM
                      Not Panthers: 85 Ranger | Ranger trailer | 91 Acclaim | 05 Focus
                      Gone: 97 CV | 83 TC | 04 Focus | 86 GM
                      | Junkyards

                      Comment


                        so does it have heat now?
                        86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
                        5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

                        91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

                        1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

                        Originally posted by phayzer5
                        I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

                        Comment


                          Originally posted by gadget73 View Post
                          so does it have heat now?
                          Well, we went from -11F to about 50F over the past 4 days, so...I haven't really been able to verify its performance. So far, the heat works exactly like it did before, which is "performing correctly when the outside temperature is mild".

                          It still struggles to get over 175 which makes me think it is indeed just the cold-blooded nature of the Lima screwing me over here. I boil tested both the Motorad t-stat before it went in, as well as the newly installed Motorcraft one, and I don't think there is any leakage past the thermostat happening, so that just leaves an engine that refuses to get hot enough. It's damn near identical to how the old engine was.

                          Infrared thermometer on the cylinder head more or less verified the gauge reading, as well. Coolant mix is a solid 50/50. Heater core had good through-flow when I ran the hose through it, so all the pieces are in place for this to work, but the engine isn't playing its role. Of course, it is possible that I've got broken blend door flaps making it so I can't get as much heat out of the core as is going into it. Controls seem to work correctly but it's a possible trouble spot.

                          Current driver: Ranger
                          Panthers: 83 GM 2dr | 84 TC | 85 CS
                          | 88 TC | 91 GM
                          Not Panthers: 85 Ranger | Ranger trailer | 91 Acclaim | 05 Focus
                          Gone: 97 CV | 83 TC | 04 Focus | 86 GM
                          | Junkyards

                          Comment


                            I am beginning to think Lima fours can run without a radiator as long as the heat is on. FWIW my 95 has hot heat even though the stock mystery gauge says it’s very barely in the normal on the cold side.
                            It does come up about 40% in the normal in the summer with the air on. Clutch fan even kicks in.
                            The hottest it ever got is half the gauge, with three adults in the cab trying to run 75mph in the summer with A/C. Flat out floored. Lopos are power monsters in comparison.
                            1990 Country Squire - weekend cruiser, next project
                            1988 Crown Vic LTD Wagon - waiting in the wings

                            GMN Box Panther History
                            Box Panther Horsepower and Torque Ratings
                            Box Panther Production Numbers

                            Comment


                              I guess there are a few angles to look at.

                              Recirculate is a manual lever in this vehicle. Something about that mechanism is broken or just wholly inadequate, because setting it to recirc (turning off outside air, specifically) basically kills the air flow, which doesn't really seem right. And of course when you've got sub-zero-Fahrenheit temps outside, the heater core can only transfer a certain percentage of its heat to the air in the split second that the air is touching the heater core...because a high fan speed is being used to try to keep the windshield clear. That doesn't even touch the fact that the windshield is itself being continually cooled by outside air rushing against it, so there are multiple forces at work against me. The heat using the panel vents is a lot more acceptable, but I don't want the heat for me, it's a lot more for the purpose of clearing the windshield...

                              This engine lacks the intake heater circuit that a normal vehicle-installed Lima normally has (there is no coolant flowing through the lower intake to warm it). On one hand, it means less metal acting as a heat sink, but on the other, it means less metal retaining heat...so maybe it's nothing. It does present concerns about fuel atomization and intake valve deposits but those are a separate issue.

                              The temperature probe location, intake side at rear of the head, is supposedly a cool spot on the engine, so it's entirely possible that seeing 175 at that back corner represents 190ish at the thermostat. And indeed the upper rad hose will be uncomfortably hot when the gauge reads north of 150-ish, with a thermostat that passed testing.

                              Lots of fun.

                              Current driver: Ranger
                              Panthers: 83 GM 2dr | 84 TC | 85 CS
                              | 88 TC | 91 GM
                              Not Panthers: 85 Ranger | Ranger trailer | 91 Acclaim | 05 Focus
                              Gone: 97 CV | 83 TC | 04 Focus | 86 GM
                              | Junkyards

                              Comment


                                is the core plumbing on this one different than a typical car engine, or no? I'd expect decent heat if the engine gets hot enough to open the thermostat, which it sounds like it does if the rad hose is hot. Unless it just doesn't get good flow through the core for whatever reason.
                                86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
                                5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

                                91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

                                1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

                                Originally posted by phayzer5
                                I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

                                Comment

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