Hello from California

[Ranger Murphy]

New here, long time viewer. Recently purchased a 1997 ford ranger with a 3.0 5spd. Don't much about the 3.0. Can you guys let me know what to expect from it? The engine and whole truck is solid. It needs a few things done, for the price and mileage. It seems to be a good truck. Here is a engine picture.

 

[DILLARD000]

Welcome to the Herd! Lots of friendly knowledgable folk in these forums.
Looks to be a clean maintained engine!
Recommend renewing all Fluids+Filters asap,
SparkPlugs+Wires & OxSensors every 100kMiles,
to give the truck a fresh known start.

 

[Eddo Rogue]

Expect it to be slow, unless you rev the piss out of it between shifts.

 

[James Morse]

I have the 3.0 in the '99, it might be not quite the same engine as '97, I'm not sure, but comparing '99 3.0 to '97 4.0, yes the 4.0 is noticeably more gutsy but really unless you are a hot rodder I find the 3.0 perfectly adequate. People said the same thing to me (about '3.slow') but I think you'll find for normal use it's perfectly fine assuming it's running up to snuff.

 

[Blmpkn]

What @Eddo Rogue said..

The 3.0 doesn't make its peak torque until nearly 4k rpm... so feel free to rev it. You won't hurt anything.. in fact.. it'll both thank and reward you for doing so.

 

[James Morse]

That's interesting I might try it.

 

[cbxer55]

What @Eddo Rogue said..

The 3.0 doesn't make its peak torque until nearly 4k rpm... so feel free to rev it. You won't hurt anything.. in fact.. it'll both thank and reward you for doing so.

Exactly. Which is why I changed my rear axle ratio to 4.10. And run shorter tires. Rev the piss out of it. Don't have a tach, so don't know the numbers. But yeah, mine revs like crazy now.

 

[Eddo Rogue]

When I was a kid one of the moms had a ford aerostar minivan w/ the 3.0 and it hauled ass! I think it was the shift points, my few memories of it is hearing that motor screaming.

 

[Ranger Murphy]

Every engine gasket needs replacing. Will work on it peice by peice. Thanks for all your information about this engine.

 

[Lefty]

The 3.0 with a 4/10 rear is fairly pepper especially if yours is a regular cab. There's a couple good tricks to help it. Throw some injector cleaner in the gas tank. Seafoam the engine and the oil before the next change. Maybe even Seafoam the oil a second time to get the gunk out.

If you are looking for more power, you could try running on higher octane, an improved air filter like K&N, an electric fan to cool the radiator, and all synthetic oil and dual exhausts. All of these are only minor improvements.

I would recommend changing the rubber coolant hose that runs across the top of the engine bay. if it cracks it could mess with the ignition nearby

 

[Lefty]

And if I may add one more suggestion. I found that the spark plug wires needed to be replaced. They were probably the originals. They were cracked (the cracks are often not visible) and leaking voltage, even causing misfires.

All of these little improvements increased mileage too. I average 21MPH even with big tires all the way around.

 

[Uncle Gump]

I average 21MPH even with big tires all the way around.

21 MPH sounds about right to me...

 

[Ranger Murphy]

Going to start revealing the engine to make it a reliable truck. Not looking to add any performance add on parts. To me stock is better. My truck is an extracab with a 3.0 5spd.

 

[Eddo Rogue]

Going to start revealing the engine to make it a reliable truck. Not looking to add any performance add on parts. To me stock is better. My truck is an extracab with a 3.0 5spd.

Stock is good, but a few minor improvements do exist.

Not hack into truck modifications, just minor things that the engineers may have done, but the bean counters skimped out on...

Not sure about the 3.0, but have done such minor improvements to my 4.0.

 

[Lefty]

Stock is good, but a few minor improvements do exist.

Not hack into truck modifications, just minor things that the engineers may have done, but the bean counters skimped out on...

Not sure about the 3.0, but have done such minor improvements to my 4.0.

There are two more simple hacks for the 3.0. The first is to look inside the intake snorkle. Ford put a silencer inside a lot of them which did little good but reduced airflow. Take it out if you have one. It will help your engine to breathe.

The other is to tighten up the stretched accelerator cable by encircling it with 2-3 zip ties where it's connected to the gas pedal. It will give you an improved throttle response.