I have a 1996 Ranger with a v6 3.0 manual transmission and I was told I need a new engine.
I have been contemplating buying a remanufactured engine but I have not heard good things about some of the major suppliers honoring warranties and things of that nature. Im not rich by any means and I am trying to make the best choice possible here. I'd hate to spend 2 to 3 grand on an engine and have it not work, break down in a month etc. Should i just take my chances and get one from a junk yard for a couple hundred dollars? It's risky either way I know but any and all opinions will help. Thanks for your time and God Bless.

Need more info. Why do you need a new engine? What happened to it? Why can't it just be rebuilt? These motors are blocks of iron and have to be completely vaporized practically before they can be refurbished.

Junk yard motors are hit or miss. Yes, you may find one that is low mileage, but you also may find one where the owner didn't replace the cam sync and the engine was oil starved.

Hi and thanks for your response. A buddy of mine told me to run some engine cleaner through my engine before I changed my oil to get " all the sludge out " and so I did. Right after I did that, I started having smoke come out of my tailpipe but I didn't think anything was wrong, just the cleaner working its way through. I drove it to SC from FL about a week later and on the day I was getting ready to drive back to FL, my truck was spewing out smoke and oil from my tailpipe. I took it to a garage in SC and he said it seemed to be fine so I drove it back to Fl. It ran pretty strong and good the whole way back but when I checked my oil the next day, I had none. I went and bought some and as soon as it had oil in it again, it was smoking like crazy. I took it to a mechanic and he said that I blew a piston ring and that I needed a new engine and that it wouldn't even be worth rebuilding it. So, here I am....looking for a new engine. I appreciate your response. Look forward to hearing back from you.

Engine cleaners are usually bad news....not sure what happened there, but they thin the oil. So you were likely seeing blowby from the thinned oil.

What is concerning is that you said you ran your engine with no oil in it. If that's the case, your bearings are likely toasted and you're looking at a complete rebuild. If your rings are toasted, that's not a big deal. Well, it is in the sense that it requires a total engine rebuild, but as long as your block isn't cracked, it's salvageable.

You'll need new pistons, rings, likely headwork while you're in there, and might as well get the crank planed and new bearings. But first things first; do a compression test. That will tell a lot. As for the oil burning issue, it could be as simple as a plugged PCV valve. But if the compression is low on some cylinders, it's rebuild time.

Yea, I'm not real sure what's really wrong with the engine but I'm trying to be as least cost effective about this as I can and I don't know the first thing about rebuilding an engine. How do I go about doing a compression test on it?

Rent a compression tester from Autozone or buy one for cheap at Harbor Freight. You screw out all the spark plugs and screw the pressure gauge in the hole. Crank the engine over about 10-15 seconds. When you crank the engine, it will tell you the pressure in that cylinder. Move to next cylinder.

Absolute values are of limited importance; what's more important is consistency between all 6. Most report 140-160 PSI per cylinder here for a healthy motor. So if you have readings of 135, 140, 133, 30, 145, 138, then you know cylinder 4 has a problem. Of course none of this will tell you if your bearings are bad, but if you hear a knocking, they're probably toasted. Also oil pressure lower than normal will indicate huge gaps in machining likely.

Hey ChadG1016, months have passed......but I have the same question you did except that mine has been confirmed, low compression in #2 and #5. What did you find (if you did the compression test) and what did you do? I was told by a good guy at a major dealer/service center that I would be better off with a 'new' engine. He recommended finding on in a junk yard but I'd rather have mine rebuilt if it is feasible.

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McRuss
Lakehills, TX
2002 Mazda Ranger B3000, extended cab Dual Sport, 3.0, auto trans, AC, RABS, 2wd, custom paint, all else stock

If it's a time sensitive situation, then find a junkyard engine, and keep the original to rebuild.
Rebuild it, then pull the junkyard engine back out n install your fresh engine. Put your junkyard engine for sale, or rebuild it as well and make good deal for another needing an engine.
Low compression, possible cam lobe wear, could be leaking valves at seat, could be bad piston rings, could be head gaskets, but one question on your compression test procedure,
All plugs out, throttle held to the floor while cranking?

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88 ranger xlt ext cab 4x4 2.9l 5 speed
95 ranger reg cab, 4 cyl 5 speed
01 ranger edge, reg cab, 2wd, 3.0 with 5 speed, 4 in suspension lift.