crank shaft differences????

[RebelRanger97]

I have a 83 rebuilt 2.3 turbo engine that I was going to put in my 97 ranger until I discovered it would be easier to use the 97 block .

However when I was about to switch the new parts, crank , pistons and rods into my 97 engine I noticed the 97 engine has a smaller crank the main bearing are a lot smaller then my 83 crank .:shocked:

The rod bearings are the same ...I checked the part # .

Can I still use the 83 turbo pistons and rods with the 97 crank and and block ?:frown:

[AJ_Fritz]

if your 97 is a 2.3 then yes if its a 2.5 then no. if you need a small journal 2.3 crank they are DIS cranks made from 90-94 and EDIS 2.3 made from 95-00.

if the block doesnt have a distributor (if it is crank triggered) then it is a small journal crank.

going to make this one a sticky!

[Jesshwarren]

Yes you can still use the turbo pistons and rods. Just use a small journal 2.3L crank.

[RebelRanger97]

O.k so I put the 83 turbo rods and pistons into my 97 block along with the 97 crank .At first I was going to change cranks but the 97 main journals are smaller then my 83 , so I just switched the rods and pistons into my 97 .

I am hoping this was the right choice.

What is the difference between the 2.3 and 2.5 ? How can I tell?

thx jason

[salating]

the 2.5 is a stroked 2.3

different crank and pistons

[xr4man]

don't know if you guys have seen this, but this is what happens when you take a 2.5 crank with turbo rods and pistons and add a 16v volvo head, sds, and 40 pounds of boost.

sorry it's not a ranger, but it seemed appropriate to the subject of the thread.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wvZICY3-Dw

fell free to delete if it is verboten.

[Jesshwarren]

Sure is puting out some HP. Seems to have a hard time running at idle.

[xr4man]

yeah it doesn't like to idle. but it's strictly a track car. with less boost, smaller injectors, and a more streetable tune, it can idle quite nicely.

anyway, sorry for derailing. get back to 2.5 blocks and cranks, with 2.3 rods and pistons.

[AJ_Fritz]

the 2.5 is a stroked 2.3

different crank and pistons

different crank, rods and pistons.

what does the sticker say under your hood? 2.5 or 2.3?

do the pistons stick out of the bores. the 2.5 uses shorter rods. so if you put 2.3 pistons and rods on a 2.5 crank the piston top will stick out of the bore.

[RebelRanger97]

I bought my truck from the salvage yard and fixed it so there is no engine i.d under the hood .
The only thing I found was the 2.3 belt diagram on the rad support.

I put the head on last night the motor turn over by hand with know trouble would it still do this if I had the 2.5 crank and 2.3 pistons and rods ?

Is there an engine casting # for the 2.3 or the 2.5?

[salating]

yea rods to, lol

they didnt start the 2.5 till the 98 rangers

chances are its a 2.3 but do what adam said see if the pistons stick out

[AJ_Fritz]

it would lock up if it was a 2.5 crank and the head was on. i dont know what the stroke difference is but it would be significant enough i know that.

[RebelRanger97]

I was thinking the same thing . She turns over beautifully .
Hopefully I can get the motor back in this weekend .

thx for the info on the crank differences

[muddpawz]

what are everyones thoughts on an underdrive pulley on the 2.3? ive seen a few out there and didnt know if they did anything for or aginst the performance....? Thanks

[muddpawz]

mentioned earlier in the post was the dis & edis ignitions. my question, whats needed to convert the '87 turbo block w/distributor to the dis ignition in my '94 ranger? any sensors etc that have to be swapped or added? does the '87tc block have the large crank? im tryin to find bearings for it

[96lowslow]

are the normally aspirated cranks forged from the factory?

[jfive]

I don't think any 2.3 cranks are forged from the factory. I think this is a myth started out of the gates of hell. Find one piece of evidence from ford, not someone, but from ford that says a 2.3 turbo crankshaft is forged. You will not. I would not be afraid of the fact that there cast cranks cause many people have built high horsepower engines with cast crankshafts. Ask your self this. Have you ever heard of a crankshaft breaking. Not likely. I have read quite a few engine building articles where people exceed the max limits of a cast crankshaft made in china, with no failures. I think the biggest thing is proper main bolt and rods. I do wish scat made cranks for our engines though, cause there china made cranks have a bullet proof track record. I have one in my chevy, and know of multiple small block fords that have hit 600 to 700 hp and up to 8500 rpms with there cranks. Oh yeah good bearings and have stuff torqued right and plasti gauge should be good insurance.

[D94R]

mentioned earlier in the post was the dis & edis ignitions. my question, whats needed to convert the '87 turbo block w/distributor to the dis ignition in my '94 ranger? any sensors etc that have to be swapped or added? does the '87tc block have the large crank? im tryin to find bearings for it

You'd need to swap over the DIS crank trigger from the Ranger block. The turbo block won't have the holes in the block to bolt it up so you'll have to devise a way to position it precisely (else you'll risk bad base timing or too much/little gap for the sensor).

87 has large main journals.



are the normally aspirated cranks forged from the factory? Like jfive says, I don't think they've ever been forged. All cast (2.3T, 2.3N/A, 2.5). Except for the main journal size change the 2.3 cranks are the same. As well, N/A and Turbo rods are the same too. (neither of the last two statements apply to the 2.5 though)


Have you ever heard of a crankshaft breaking. Not likely. Seems I've seen some pics on TF a looooong while back. But I think the circumstances were of an engine spinning way above 6250rpm red line that we are stuck with stock.

[jfive]

The thing is a crankshaft breaking is about as likely as winning the lottery. Really, with the number of cars built, and the number of crankshafts that have broke is got to be 1,000,000 to 1. I wish i had bookmarked some of these magazine articles I have read. They always use scat or eagle cast cranks in these budget builds, and I have read a couple that went to 8300rpm and so, and 580hp when the cranks only good to 6500 and 500 hp max. It just amazing what they can get. The rods and piston are the things that break all the time. I burned up my third gear in my 700R4 and hit 7100 on my tach. Gave me a heart attack, but I bought 700hp rods so it held together just fine. I was probubly floating the valves too, since it has a hydraulic roller cam. I had another article about this engine builder that worked for speed pro for 20 years and he is building extreme 400m and there are no performance cranks for them, and his last engine made 670 hp and tons of torque. Did it with relatively low rpm though considering his power. Thanks for agreeing with me too. Feels good to be understood sometimes.

[D94R]

Yup, I agree, the odds are more likely of you getting hit by lightning, twice, before you break a crank. I was just pointing out that was heard of. :)

[96lowslow]

turbo joe morgan says the turbo cranks are forged as well as the pistons, im sure Esslinger knows as well. Ford tended to over build stuff int he 80's I bet the crank is forged

[jfive]

actually ford doesn't over build stuff. all through the 60's and 70's will other companys built 4 bolt main blocks for added performance, ford built very few. They didn't put forged cranks in many performance cars that chevy would have. I love ford, but i have to be honest about stuff. They did make some amazing stuff and most of it was prototypes, and they never went into production like they should have. I think if you check casting numbers you find that there the same as the ranger cranks, and pinto cranks. I read on here that everything was forged even the block. I almost fell out of my chair. A forged block. What was that guy smoking. As for the pistons they are forged but thats all. I do wonder if they may have used better rod bolts though. They do go overkill on bolts which is nice. If you compare a 302 to a 350 you will find most bolts are bigger and blocks have more metal in them, making them about 50 pound heavier. Only down fall is there are no 4 bolt mains except the A4 block which is very rare. Chevy 4 bolt main high nickle content blocks are still almost a dime a dozen. I haven't come across any certified info that the svo cranks are forged and if they were, you think you could find something. Just google it and see what you find. All I did is that the mazada 2.3 that is turbo in CX7 and mazada speed is forged, but thats only good for 89gt, not us.

[salating]

This article should sum a lot of this up.

http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles/116_0308_crankshafts_how_to/index.html

[D94R]

turbo joe morgan says the turbo cranks are forged as well as the pistons, im sure Esslinger knows as well. Ford tended to over build stuff int he 80's I bet the crank is forged

First I've heard of the cranks being forged. The turbo pistons were forged, yes.

Though in reality, I've never seen proof of a Ford document anywhere ever stating one way or the other. Just going along with what everyone has said over the years on the internet and by comparing the two cranks myself.

I don't think Ford would go through the trouble of a forged crank for a low powered inline 4 cylinder, I truly dont.

[96lowslow]

yeah my bad, the crank is cast lol, but the rods are beefy, they are bigger than Chevy 350 rods! The blocks are tough and so are the pistons

[freelife04239]

So dose the mazda speed 3 and cx7 have the same bolck in it????????? I know ford and mazda swap stuff all the time.

[johnhawk]

Hello friend very nice one post here.....!

[frankenstin2.5 turbo]

I have a stupid question.. I have a 88 turbo 2.3 motor and a 00 2.5 motor... Can I put the complete bottom end in the 2.5 block... Crank rods and pistons .. thanks ...

[AirBender]

is that a duratec 2.5? if so no. different animal... if its a 2.5 lima you can use a dis 2.3 crank and the turbo rods and pistons and go..

[Ryan]

I don't think the duratec started til 02? Maybe? However, Does the 88 have the large journal crank?

[radrangerXLT]

Duratec started mid 01'. 88' has large journal crank.

[frankenstin2.5 turbo]

If its a small journal crank can I use it...?? Is the any other difference on the cranks then journal size ???

[frankenstin2.5 turbo]

What if I take it to a shop and have it machines down to the size of the small crank

[radrangerXLT]

Has to be a small journal 2.3L crank for you to use the 88' rods & pistons in your 00' block.

[Ryan]

I'll trade you my SJ 2.3 for your 2.5

[frankenstin2.5 turbo]

Ok pm me info..

[AirBender]

ryan you suck!!!!!!!lol