More Power

[arrow]

Accepting any suggestions here:
what can i do that doesn't cost a fortune to boost the power in my ranger? more or less which brands of parts give the most "bang" for you buck? i've already put in a K&N aHigh Flow Air Filter but so far that's it.

 

[michowski]

I would refer to this page http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/3_0performance.html. Not much you can do to a 3.0 motor to give it a big power gain. Barely any after market as far as bolt on stuff.

 

[darkranger]

There isn't much you can do w/out spending some money,and going into the engine.However i've read that the intake manifold from a 02,and up in conjunction w/the throttle body from an escape will boost hp a bit.Look it up in the tech library.

 

[krugford]

It's a commonly posted question on here. Long story short, adding HP costs money, a lot of it. If you're looking for an increase on the "ass dyno", I suggest a gear swap. It'll give you a better feel off the line and the 3.0L likes the higher revs.

Easiest way to do a gear swap is to find a junkyard axle with lower gears and swap in the whole thing. That way, if you want to go back, you can do so easily. Unless you enjoy setting up gears.

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

+1

hp costs money...no way around it.

 

[shadetree]

Accepting any suggestions here:
what can i do that doesn't cost a fortune to boost the power in my ranger? more or less which brands of parts give the most "bang" for you buck? i've already put in a K&N aHigh Flow Air Filter but so far that's it.

There is stuff out there to pep up the little engine, but
the biggest "bang for the buck" for street driving is supercharging, either mechanical units or turbos. Turbos are a dime a dozen in salvage yards, and if you can weld, and make the piping, it's not that hard to do. If the boost levels are kept low, the engine management can handle the changes. At your age it would be a tremendous learning experience. shady

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

If the boost levels are kept low, the engine management can handle the changes.

unfortunatly, not with the 3.0.

the 3.0's 14lb injectors are barely enough to sustain the 150hp it makes n/a. any amount of boost will require at least 19lb injectors.

not a huge deal to accomplish...but dont go thinking you can throw a turbo on this motor without any other mods to support it.

 

[shadetree]

unfortunatly, not with the 3.0.

the 3.0's 14lb injectors are barely enough to sustain the 150hp it makes n/a. any amount of boost will require at least 19lb injectors.

not a huge deal to accomplish...but dont go thinking you can throw a turbo on this motor without any other mods to support it.

How much boost pressure did you have on your engine before needing bigger injectors? shady

 

[arrow]

I don't have much of an income right now so i mean like spark plugs, plug wires, distributor cap/rotor, stuff like that. This truck i got second hand and i believe that there was some gear work done because my trucks has alot of acceleration but really low top speed (about 150 kmph). I would expect a little higher topspeed out of a 145hp because my little 4 inline 1.6L (75hp max) can do 140-150 no problem.

 

[thegoat4]

I'm putting away pennies for roller rockers. I consistently hear they give a noticeable bost and the low end and make the engine run a bit quieter.

One thing that helps a lot is to experiment with your driving style. I have a couple of friends who complain he truck has no power when they drive, but wonder how I "turn it up" when I drive.

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

arrow, your truck most likely has a speed limiter on it that wont allow you to exceed 150kph (thats about 92mph, what the american trucks are governed to). this is a pickup, not a car, its really not made to go any faster than that. if your truck needs a tune-up, i always suggest starting with that. its better to have a reliable rig than a powerful one. if you'd like, i can describe to you how to check your differential gearing without pulling the cover off to check.

thegoat, talk to mutant pony about roller rockers, he is running some on his 3.0. IIRC, he says they arent much of a power booster really, but they do smooth out the top-end revvs.

 

[Will]

Roller rockers?

No.

Don't spend your money there. Seriously--you need the foundation first. You need air first. I'm not talking a little hose clamp filter or a piece of chrome pipe. You need a machine under the hood that will ingest some serious air or you won't make any more power.

You need heads, cam, intake, headers--and that means more rpm and a lower axle gear to make it work...

or you need a bigger motor which can inhale more air and make more power while keeping the revs the same.

or you need a super charger--either exhaust powered or belt driven.

You won't notice roller rockers. It's a serious waste of money. That comes when you are fighting for small increments to compete. You aren't even in the ballpark yet. The cost of those small useless parts are just sucking your resources away from the solution--one of the three choices I stated.

The cheapest is always a bigger motor. It's also the most livable because you can have a lot of fun with a bigger stock motor.

 

[arrow]

thanks sludge and yes i wouldn't mind it if you could describe it to me cuz really, i know nothing about the past history of this truck. Alot of things were added to it (after-market radiator that is definately larger than the original, racing tires, dual exhaust) so any help would be appreciated

 

[Roadkill]

Just don't believe the latest infomercial about the newest spark plug that will boost your power 10-15 HP. It just isn't going to happen from screwing in new plugs.

An underdrive pulley will free up a few HP or so. But like it was said, biggest thing is to get the engine breathing better in and out first. On the 3.0 you can open up the MAF a little by taking out some of the bracing from casting and smoothing some square corners. Open up the air box a bit to help as well.

The 14# injectors are not going to be any good once you start adding air. Upgrade to 19# ones, port and polish the intake and exhaust ports. The headers are already pretty good, better ones could be made for sure. Open up the exhaust from the headers back to 2 1/4" or 2 1/2". The '02+ composite intake and larger throttle body will help air flow as well.

 

[thegoat4]

Sorry, I wasn't very clear. I wasn't under the impression that the rockers would yield lots and lots of power. I supose I'm getting more at everything simply feels better. It feels less anemic at the low end, and runs quieter at the high end. And I am primarily interested in smoothing out the engine rather than increasing power.

However, that said, in my opinion a smoother engine feels more powerful. Remember, this is ass-dyno we're discussing.

I'll hit up mutant pony and see what he says.