What can my son do to put a turbo on his 2.3 4 banger so it won't blow up?
He has killed 3 engines trying to make it work.
Are there special things he needs to do to the engine before he puts it on?
Thanks!

 

Get the engine from an 86-88 ford t-bird turbo coupe, or get forged rods, and pistons, arp head bolts. Stock internals won't take much boost. Racer Walsh sells 2.3, and 2.5 turbo blocks with the internals upgraded for turbo application, www. racerwalsh.com

 

First things first:

Year of Ranger and for the street (legal to pass smog needed) or racing?

What is he blowing up or breaking?
Non turbo junk yard engines or turbo engines?

Then we can direct you better. If it is an oiling system failure...there are several tricks to be done.....along with dist. drive failures.

Need more input.....

 

how much boost is he trying to run too? a motor can only take so much before saying NO MORE NO MORE! then boom.

 

i recently found an 88 turbo coupe motor that i just put in my 86 ranger...slight modifications to the heater box were needed, and im still trying to figure out how to rig in the wire harness...does anyone know the firing partern for the 88 turbo coupe?

 

Get a Chilton's 8159 and a 8268. The wiring diagrams are correct in these manuals. Wire the Ranger according to the t-bird. You will have to switch a few pins on the computer and run extra wiring for the VAF meter. I assume you are using the Ranger harness which I think is easier. jim d

 

This also will help. I used this page to write the Ranger pins and wire colors out to the side in case I got lost. You won't be able to work straight thru, or if like me, get a lot of interruptions, and will probably forget where you are.

http://rothfam.com/svo/reference/PEtoLA.pdf

jim d

 

www.powerbyace.com in thier technical section has the firing order for the 2.3 S.O.H.C lima engine.
There is only two differences between the turbo and non turbo short blocks. One is the turbo has dished (lower static compression ratio) forged pistons, with the exception of the first year. The turbo block had a boss cast into it for turbo oil drainback, all later blocks turbo and non turbo have this. The crankshafts and rods are all the same!

 

1-3-4-2

No different than most 4 cylinder engines out there.