Head Removal - how to

RangerRyan · #1 08-31-2010, 02:02 PM

Hi my name is Ryan, I am 13 years old, my dad gave me his 93 ranger with a 2.3 L to work on , it has 50psi in one cyclinder, and about 100 psi in the other three, I plan to pull the head off to see what is wrong, I do not have a cliton's manual yet, wondered if you could give me some pointers, I replaced the water pump on this truck a couple of months ago, but mostly my experience is with lawn mowers and motorcycles. I would like a basic few steps to get started and what to watch out for. Thanx

FYI - the problem started after the water pump went bad and the motor was over heated. Truck still runs but it is weak.

azgilamonster · #2 08-31-2010, 02:19 PM

If it is anything like an old Nissan I had I would bet blown head gasket between the cylinders, when it runs do you get steam out the exhaust or water in the oil??

Clinton · #3 08-31-2010, 02:51 PM

Wow .....13 years old and working on a Ranger. Good luck little dude and make sure your Dad is with you online to help you out

wvcat · #4 08-31-2010, 04:53 PM

Awesome! Props to you and your dad! Your dad for giving you an incentive to accomplish a goal and the confidence in you to let you try. And you for having interest in something that you will be able to use the rest of your life to your benifit and the ambition to tackle a big project. The main thing is patience, you will have bolts that won't want to come out, and you may not have the correct tools but you can get thru it. Remember that the surfaces have to be super clean and free of old gasket material. Also you may have to buy new head bolts, most head bolts are torque to yield bolts and are not reusable. Sorry I can't be much help specifically with the 2.3 but I recently did a "how to" on a 3.0 v6 head swap, here's a link
#20 ... I had to buy it...lol

STL · #5 08-31-2010, 04:57 PM

Good luck man

Good to see kids your age tinkering with vehicles and not video games.

sgtsandman · #6 09-01-2010, 07:06 AM

If the design of the 2.3 is the same as the 2.5, the head bolts are under the valve cover. Just remove the valve cover and pull the bolts for the head.

If you are in the same situation I was in, the head gasket let go and took out the piston. You could rebuild the engine but work wise it would probably make more sense to just get another engine from a junk yard.

RangerRyan · #7 09-01-2010, 03:44 PM

This is Ryan's Dad, he is an awsome kid with a love for anything mechanical, I figure give him a shot because we may have to replace the engine anyway. If it is just a gasket or a valve we will have saved money. I told him I will buy parts and if he gets it running I will buy him a welder.

Dan

sgtsandman · #8 09-02-2010, 07:37 AM

Working on vehicle has it's rewards. Satisfication on a job well done, you know what has been done to it and if it is right or not, and a better understanding on how a vehicle works.

The last part is great for when you do have to go to a shop so you don't get taken. So many people don't know crap their vehicles anymore and shops with no integrity or scruples will be counting on that and try to rob you.

azgilamonster · #9 09-02-2010, 10:54 AM

That should be a fun father & son winter project, throw it in the garage and get er done
and have fun.