Hey guys, My name is Archie. i just got a 00 ranger xlt ext cab 4x4 over the weekend. it needs head gasket and front end work. Im an automotives instructor at a tech school so i basically got it for my students to use as a long term build/repair job. first things first we will be pulling the engine to do both head gaskets and timing chains, most likely will end up ordering heads for it aswel. will be looking into performance parts and some heavy duty heads to try and prevent future warping.

Does anyone have any experience with the 4.3l stroker kits from tom morana racing? ill be searching the forums over the next week for info on the best route to take for an overall rebuild and hopefully some mild performance gains to keep my students interested and hopefully have a nice little truck when all is said and done.

 

Welcome to the forum

1990 to 2000 4.0l OHV engine was a very reliable high mile engine.
One weak spot was the head casting, if overheated a head would crack between valve seats, expanding metal from the overheating would crack it.

Not sure there is a "heavy duty" version of that head, some may claim it but never would trust that, and if not overheated they never cracked, so not a "chicken and the egg" thing.
An Overheat and crack thing

The stoker kit can get more power but you do sacrifice using Regular gas by increasing the compression ratio.
Same with using the older pistons or shaving the heads.
The newer 4.0l SOHC engine used 9.7:1 compression ratio to get 205HP but Ford had to add a Knock sensor to advance spark timing to run Regular gas
4.0l OHV runs 9.0:1 ratio and has 160HP

Good article here on the changes to the 4.0l over the 10 years: Rebuilding The Ford 4.0L Pushrod V6, Doug Anderson, Automotive Rebuilder, April 2001

The 4.0l Ranger will have the 8.8" rear axle and 4WD usually has Limited Slip in the rear as well.

Drivers door sticker can tell you what you have: Ford 7.5 & 8.8 Inch Axle Tag & Door Codes

2000 Ranger 4WD may or may not have Pulse Vacuum Hubs(PVH) these were used from 1998 to 2000, and never worked well, Ford switched to Live Axles up front starting in 2000 so depends on when and where your Ranger was built.
Live Axle means front axle hubs were always locked, 2WD or 4WD was done in transfer case only.
PVH can be swapped out to AVM Rugged Ridge manual hubs.


As an instructor maybe you can show students some fun tests they can use in the real world.

Glove test, tests for blown head gasket or cracked head and can ID which cylinder or cylinders are effected
Cooling system needs to be intact
Remove rad cap
Remove overflow hose from rad
Make sure coolant level is down at least an inch, no coolant is fine.
Plug the overflow outlet, vacuum cap, chewing gum.......whatever you have handy
Place a latex glove over the rad cap opening and seal it with rubber band, or zap strap or...........
You can also use a balloon or even a condom in place of the glove, lol.

Disconnect coil wires, you want a no start

Cooling system is now sealed so any pressure coming into it has to come from the compression stroke of a piston/cylinder

Crank the engine and Watch the glove
If it starts to bounce then you have a blown head gasket or cracked head
If it doesn't then you don't

If glove bounces then remove 1 spark plug at a time and crank engine
When glove stops bouncing then last spark plug removed was from leaking cylinder, reinstall spark plug to confirm
If gloves still bounces but not as much then you have a second cylinder leaking, continue test

You can also do the above test using a cooling system pressure tester, bouncing needle while cranking shows external pressure coming in.

Radiator Flip test, test for radiator blockage
Remove radiator
Put on rad cap and close drain
Put radiator on end with cooling tubes running up and down, on newer rads with cross flow cooling rad will be on it's side.
Put hand over lower rad hose outlet
Fill rad with water using upper rad hose outlet
When full stop filling
Remove had from lower outlet
Water should rush out instantly
Tilt rad a bit to get all the water out........now the test
Flip rad upside down
NO water should come out............any water that does come out could only come from blocked cooling tubes, water couldn't drain out of those tubes

 

Thanks ron for the huge wright up. ive found a lot of this info before i even joined this forum, but repitition is good.

i will deffinitley be showing the students some tricks and from what i've found thus far, ill be having them test and replace most everything on this truck that has a wear and tear factor. full suspension, brakes, lines fuel pump and lines, steering components and of course a full engine freshen up, possibly a newer or less mileage trans.
like is said previously this will be a long term project and pretty much a full resto over the next school year or two.