Does anyone know what years they had problems with the heads cracking on the 2.9 V6? Did they come up with a fix for the later models?

It was on all models. However, it was never a problem if you kept an eye on the temperature guage. My 89 I bought new (brothers dailys now) has almost 200,000 on it. A friend of mine drove one 300,000 before it finally just quit (completely worn out). No head cracking problems.

Actually, they say the 89 had better heads, but was still prone to it with owners who didn't pay attention.

Most of that reputation was the owner. Not the engine. They are as solid and reliable as any other engine out there.

EDIT: I should add that the 300,000 mile engine was an 87. Supposedly, the worst cracking heads.

To tell the heads apart, look at the valve covers. The later ones had a lip that sticks up. The earlier ones went down over the head. Unless, that is backwards...Hmm....now I am confused. I think that is correct. confused

Thanks for the info Brian. I thought I had heard that Ford fixed it in a certain year and the problem was resolved. The valve cover tip is good too.

Okay don't burn me on this too bad. Will a cracked head cause an internal leak or external leak?

I guess it could be either depending on where it cracks.confused

To tell you the truth...I don't know where they supposedly cracked. I never actually knew anyone who had one crack. confused

This was something I heard was common when I had purchased the 86 Ranger. I didn't remember much about it so I thought I would ask again. For some reason there were a few people that made a big deal out of it.

You basically answered your own question; It depends on the WHERE.
As far as I can tell, the problem in the 2.9 was a crack that would originate in the valve seats and extend into the ports, sometimes even all the way across the top of the head. This was predominantly in the pre-89 Rangers, and typically ONLY happened after an overheating situation.
The cracks do not seem to get into the waterjackets or oil passages, though, so the biggest problem was the compression loss and power imbalance.
Now, if you wanna know about CRACKHEADS, see:HERE

thanks for the info Tom and good link.

Thanks, I try...
I try your patience, your soul, but I try...

How come I'm getting a "you do not permission to access this page." Boy, do I feel special.

Kid's buddy's Ranger turned 449,000 miles last week on the original powertrain...... and now has serious issues running for more than a few minutes at a time. Cause unknown- thhe question is, with that many miles on a rough truck, how much effort do we want to put into it?

With that many miles? if it is a minor fix...ok, but it souds like it it time to retire it. It has seved him well.

polarbear said:

How come I'm getting a "you do not permission to access this page." Boy, do I feel special.

Kid's buddy's Ranger turned 449,000 miles last week on the original powertrain...... and now has serious issues running for more than a few minutes at a time. Cause unknown- thhe question is, with that many miles on a rough truck, how much effort do we want to put into it?

Click to expand...

ernie, was it something that looked like vbulletin software or something generic from your browser? If it happens again, let me know

Ryan

It does the same for me Ryan. It's the standard v bulliten message.

the 2.9 was a solid germen ford motor .the cracks came from the owners not watching the heat gauge, and yes the cracks started at the seats and worked over.

the most solid replacement part can be had from world auto parts and obtained from summit raceing and others.their replace is super strong and almost impossible to crack.

world also is now casting a lot of old ford motor parts for older motors like the 427 side oiler

O'Rattlecan said:

ernie, was it something that looked like vbulletin software or something generic from your browser? If it happens again, let me know

Ryan

Click to expand...

Tried it on the 'puter at work- same thing.

I'm not sure if I understand. PM with some details. We'll try and keep the thread clean. I don't understand because if you're viewing the thread, what's the problem? Just let me know...

Ryan

polarbear, you do not have permission to access this page. This could be due to one of several reasons:

Your user account may not have sufficient privileges to access this page. Are you trying to edit someone else's post, access administrative features or some other privileged system?
If you are trying to post, the administrator may have disabled your account, or it may be awaiting activation.

Click to expand...

This is what I see when i click the link.

so how are you getting in?

Ryan

Ryan, he might be talking about the Kansas board...

He's refering to the link in post #6 of this thread.

got it... tom is signed in as a moderator and the link reflects that. He was just trying to show my profile.

Ryan