Engine Swap
Asked by dsyrjala Jan 28, 2016 at 08:06 PM about the 1998 Ford Ranger XLT Extended Cab Stepside 4WD SB
Question type: General
I just did an engine swap on my 98 ford ranger
with a remanufactured motor from S&J engines. I
have watch the videos and talk to their company
and they do a wonderful job at remanufacturing
motors they also come with a 7 year / 100,000
mile warranty. My question is... I reinstalled the
new motor and connected everything as it was
before, the new engine came as a long block so I
didn't mess with anything internal just
reconnected everything. I started the truck and it
fired up first try. It sounded a little loud as it should
because I think the oil needed to circulate but
within about a minute it started making a
squeaking sound and within 5 to 10 seconds.
Louder than the motor died. Any ideas on what
could cause that?
12 Answers
Sounds like the crank is tight, or pistons are tight...take it out and send it back....
Yea, sounds tight, did you prime the engine first before starting it?
No I did not prime the engine but they do a full "run engine" run through before they ship it. So they say... when I recivied the new one it looked to be pretty lubed up like it had been ran at se point. How would I go about priming it?
You take the distributor out and find something to turn the oil pump shaft with a drill. When the motor started, do you know if it built up oil pressure?
I believe the engine had been primed and ran through before it was shipped to me. It looked like it was pretty oiled up when I received it. I am Not 100% sure if it was building oil pressure or not because my oil gauge does not work at the moment because it flipped all the way around and is stuck under the needle. I have yet to pull the dash out so I can flip it back around. I replace the oil sensor but have not hooked up external oil pressure gauge to the motor itself yet.
Did the engine come with an oil pan on it? and was there oil in it to begin with when you received it? If you had to put a oil pump on then it would have needed to be primed.
No it did not come with an oil pan on it. however the engine was shipped with 5 quarts of breaking oil and I took every precaution they told me to do I even bought a brand new oil pump and cleaned everything extremely well. I did not prime the engine But what would be causing that noise? And if I did prime the engine why would that make everything better?
Starting the engine dry would do major damage which is why you prime the engine/oil pump. If you did everything right then you will have a warranty claim. It does sound like you seized the engine - bummer.
A new oil pump needs to be primed so it pumps oil right away, plus when priming it will circulate the oil threw the bearings. Sound like the bearings ran without oil and the assembly lube they use wore off. Wasn't there anything in installation instructions, or with the oil pump you purchased to do this? Does the motor still turn over? If so I would pull the distributor and prime, rotate the oil pump shaft with a drill for awhile to get oil moving around the engine before starting it again.
Other wise you are going to have to pull it out if it still does not sound right.
I'm going to Prime the pump in hopes that it fixes the problem. Thanks a ton for all your help, I'm pretty new to all this and it has put a huge stress on me considering the money and time I've already spent.
At this point I would seriously consider replacing the crank and rod bearings and inspecting the cylinder bores before starting it again.
