so i have an 03 ranger edge plus with a 3.0 ffv motor 175K and i spun a rod bearing and got the motor out and torn down and other than the normal required parts on a rebuild such as bearing/rings/gaskets ect. and

the parts i already have that are new
-timing chain
-cam synchro
-wires
-plugs
-injectors

the parts damaged parts that need replaced
-1 connecting rod (spun bearing)
-crankshaft (spun bearing^)
-1 cylinder head (recessed #5 ex valve)

the heads are made by cific.. they look pretty crappy like there was not a single look at these by a human eye.. really rough port walls.. valves not centered in guides.. if there was a guide.. looks like the guide is just a hole through casting.. the seats also look like they are just shaped in the casting.. nothing like my air cooled vw heads with brass guides attention to detail... maybe im just not use to the modern American made parts..
anyway not to go off ranting.. but i plan to port match and clean up a bit as well as the intake and the larger throttle body off a 4.0 something.. cant remember exactly what model works..i found

matching cific head $200
crankshaft $130
rebuild kit $300-$400..

$730 should probably put me around $1,000 after fluids and cleaners and misc items.. about the same price as i can find a used Taurus motor with 80k+ for $800 and not even looking at an actual ranger replacement because thats a minimum $1250 with over 100K

just dont like the thought of getting a used motor to tear it down to find a cracked head or recessed valve and have to pay return shipping and take more time money..
by rebuilding mine ill know what i have.. a gas guzzling little hampster motor

and i know people are going to chime in say get a 4.0 and then no get a 5.0 and thats not what im going for.. would be a lot easier and less headache to fix this one and sell it and by a truck with a 4.0 or 5.0..

im leaning towards rebuilding i just want some outside perspective on things i may not being taking into consideration..

 

You should stick with the 3.0l vulcan

Did you find out why bearings spun?

A used engine is a roll of the dice, usually pretty good odds it will be fine, but still a gamble, and warranty doesn't include removal and install time and money, if it has a warranty, and engine is a lemon

Rebuilt is the devil you know, so IMO the best way to go.

And you have a new engine, 0k miles

 

because im a dumba$$ and kept putting off my oil change and ended up running low.. i also have a vw beetle and im use to adjusting the brakes, valves, points all the time plus checking oil almost everyday.. it likes to mark its territory.. but i kinda got the mindset that the truck was maintanance free.. now im paying for it big time

yeah i plan on rebuilding but im not sure if i should rebuild my 1 cific head and buy another one for 200 or get a set of rebuilt ford heads with hardened seats for 280.. i dont know the quality of the two to compare

 

I've never heard of CIFIC, but from your description, they sound like they're out of China.
No guides, bad casting and generally over-all poor quality control.

I was always one for not scrimping when it comes to an engine rebuild, having to go to all that work only kicking myself down the road for not doing it right the first time.

When it comes to the crank, you can either buy new or get the old one reground if it hasn't been bent too bad from the engine being over heated due to the lack of oil.

I just got my engine bits back from the machine shop, the total bill was at 3400.00 Canadian.
Everything was done, new pistons, valves, guides...
Re-bored for the oversized pistons, balanced, flywheel resurfaced, block and heads checked for cracks and resurfaced...

In for a penny in for a pound.

If your heads are cheaply made, I would go with some proper Ford heads.
Who know where the aftermarket castings were made.
It sounds like someone had the engine apart at some time and put those heads on them to save a few bucks.

Yeah...
I realize that money may be tight and maybe the truck is in rough shape and your don't want to spend money on a complete rebuild, but what's a guy to do.

 

Good point Jeff

If truck only has 175k on chassis and is in good shape then worthwhile spending up to $1,500 on engine to put another 250k on it.
If it is an automatic that could be another problem, moneywise, since it WILL need to be rebuilt at some point
If manual stick a new clutch in and you are good to go.

 

a little backstory on the truck..
2003 ranger edge plus stepside i bought it in 2013 with 128k (175k now) from a small lot for way too much money (i had no credit and was the only place i could find financing) at that time they had replaced the heads and 2 cats. (guy said "used new upgraded heads without the valve issue" yeah right these are the cheapest heads on the market) and 1 year later after much frustration trying to diagnose a #5 misfire than progressed to random misfire with lean left bank i found the driver side cat plugged up cat after it the estimated price of repair $1,100.. i bashed the insides out of those 2... smog is due in 2 months but not my main concern at this point

then it ran low on oil and spun #1 rod bearing and during disassembly i found #5 with recessed exhaust valve that was almost through the seat so the motor was going to fail soon even if i didnt run it low on oil. and last night just looked at the 1 head thats still "good" and all the ex valves are loose in their "guides"and have a bit of play to them.. pics below

the truck is pretty clean inside and out and havent had any other real issues.. well the rear springs are shot they actually have a little upward bow to them and i think thats why the rear end hops on the freeeway..

honestly i hate this truck.. it looks good but drives like crap i wish i had still my 97 4.0.. if i couldget all the parts to up grade for $1500 id do it..

ive been making a parts list for rebuild and its quickly adding to more than i thought with set of heads and crank and now taking my chances on a junkyard motor isnt looking so bad.. i have the money and am stuck at what to do i feel like im going to make the wrong choice like when i bought the damn thing...
(just realized my avatar is my old truck.. updating now)

 

In all my years of engine repair, I've never seen a manufacturer produce a head with no guides _ no wonder they're cheap.
Even the castings them selves are not that great, look how rough the combustion chambers are.

If a truck with leaf springs are driven for a long time with weak shocks, the springs are over extended in the wrong direction causing them to arc the wrong way.
That, or where they attach them selves to the shackles, they can become bent there, where they should be straight.

I look at things differently, a new truck is 30 grand and that's a full size pick-up.
You may be able to find another one for the cost of an engine rebuild, but you may be getting into someone else's problems.

If I had your truck I would have no problem doing a good engine rebuild since from your description the body is in good shape.

The Rangers (and Mazda B series) here in Canada are rare in the fact that's there's none for sale.
When they become available, they're snatched up PDQ, even at 8 to 10 grand.
Bargains can be found from private sellers with low miles for around 4 grand and they're gone in a few days.
Even rough examples are sold for parts _ no auto wreckers have any Rangers at all.

Spending 3 grand on an engine rebuild is reasonable IMO.
So I will disagree with Ron here.

On my machine shop bill a big chunk of that cost was balancing the engine.
I imagine it was time consuming, just that alone was 500.00$.

 

If I were u, I would try like LKQ they have yards all across the us & Canada.... I'm sure u can find a low mileage 3.0 for your truck..... I've seen some pretty good deals from them on looking w mileage motors all over such as Canada...I guess they are old stock but who cares??? U pay $200 or so to ship it and I believe they warranty the motor for 6 months....please do not waste your money on any of those cheap auto parts rebuilt engines..... good luck

 

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