4cyl 2.3l ranger upgrades

Hey I have a 1994 4cyl 2.3l ford ranger it is two wheel drive and i am looking to throw some performance mods into it to get better acceleration. Any suggestions that would be within a decent price range?

for better acceleration lower gear ratio would be most effective but it won't have much top end then. next would be an intake or exhaust.

I re geared mine when I lifted it. Almost half to if you want to get her into 5th gear again. After the re gearing it had a lot more lower end power. Just recently I took the stock air intake (which is pretty good stock) and pulled out the baffle in intake muffler, K&N in the air box. (A lot of people would say not to even do that) Saving up to get a high flow exhaust, electric fan, and 17 lbs injectors. Going to see if I can find the fan and injectors at a wreck yard.

Just pull some 19# injectors from a truck. These things are dirt cheap around here. I am running a set in my 94 right now (I have 36# for my turbo motor when it goes in) and they are great. Regearing is always a good option with a 2.3.

johncos007 said:

Hey I have a 1994 4cyl 2.3l ford ranger it is two wheel drive and i am looking to throw some performance mods into it to get better acceleration. Any suggestions that would be within a decent price range?

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Performance mods on a 16 year old Ranger that might be worth about $2000?

press 1 for english said:

Performance mods on a 16 year old Ranger that might be worth about $2000?

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Why not? We've all spent money on trucks that most people consider to be disposable. If he wants to mod his truck a little, I say go for it. I know I've spent money on a truck that's 9 years older than that and it was completely worth it.

That's why they call them projects..... ;-)

red85 said:

Why not? We've all spent money on trucks that most people consider to be disposable. If he wants to mod his truck a little, I say go for it. I know I've spent money on a truck that's 9 years older than that and it was completely worth it.

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I would be taking it VERY easy on a 16 year old truck with a boatload of miles on it. All the mods only seem to make a performance difference if you rev the heck out of it.......but a 16 year old engine needs TLC.
I think cars are far more disposable than pickups.
If it is a project that is fine, as long as you have a 2nd vehicle to drive if you spin a bearing pretending to be John Force.
I would love to buy a 2nd Ranger as a beater but $150 to keep 2 trucks registered and $1400 a year to properly insure is just too much money.

We have no idea how many miles are on it though... Poster never stated.

the truck may be old but only has 82000 on it.

Its still in its infancy as 2.3L's go.

This guy is probably in the same situation i was, not wanting to die when merging onto the interstate.

Your throttle cable loses tension over time, so by now you might be hitting 3/4 throttle when you floor it. Also, you kickdown cable may not be engaging right either. You can lift up on the pedal, and wrap zipties between the pedal assembly and the little ball on the end of the cable to take up the tension.

Theres a big plastic baffle stuck inside your dildo looking air horn from the air box to the throttle body. This thing is supposed to prevent air noise, but I've not noticed any noise since I pressed mine out with my thumbs. I did however notice alotttt more throttle response.

Also, your air horn is big, hard, smooth, and black, and soaks up alot of stagnant heat under the hood because of this. I scuffed mine with a scotch brite cleaning pad and painted it silver to reflect some heat. I don't know if it really helped any.
Your cat converter is probably clogged up. From my experience, these things can become clogged after as little as 30,000 miles. If your in a smog testing state, replace it with one from cherry bomb or such. If not, delete it.

The stock 2" exhaust and stamped steel muffler on these trucks are really restrictive as well. These trucks don't need alot of backpressure. I hate obnoxious 4-cylinders, so I had my stock exhaust replaced from before the cat with a 2 1/4" pipe, that moved up to a 2 1/2" pipe about 2 feet before a stock Expedition/Trailblazer muffler that turned out the side with a 3" slash cut tip. Better throttle response, its not loud or quiet, and is not ricey at all. The SUV mufflers are pretty compact, and always have a heat shield of some sort attached to them to protect the spare tire, which you can use to keep reflect some heat away from your truck. They are usually paired with a resonator or two, and are not very restrictive when used alone.

http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?p=759628#post759628

Heres my thread on the topic.

Does anyone know what truck to be looking for at a wreck yard to grab 17# injectors for a 2.3L?