2010 2.3l ranger looking for more power

[sd]

trying to find a way to get some more power out of my 2.3l please...i have looked for a cold air intake like k&n ( a complete system ) but no luck...I have a decent budget, just looking for some tips and help please....thank you

 

[RonD]

You already have a cold air intake, been stock on Rangers since mid-1980's and fuel injection.

If you are looking for bolt on stuff then there isn't any.
Exhaust is tuned for mid-range power stock.

Your 2010 2.3l DOHC should be 143 HP @ 5250 RPM 154 lb-ft @ 3750 RPM, so not to bad for a 4cyl, only a few HP shy of the 3.0l Vulcan V6 used in Rangers until 2008
You can look at what you rear axle ratio is now, higher ratio gives you better off the line power.

Point of the 4cyl in a small pickup is light hauling with good MPG, power was available with the 4.0l SOHC V6 engine option, and with it much lower MPG .

With a 4cyl you want to add a turbocharger, so save your money for that.

You have the 2.3l Duratec DOHC engine, a Mazda L engine.
Rangers got these in mid 2001 until end of production.
1998 and older Rangers had the 2.3l Lima SOHC engine, no relation to the Duratec 2.3l
So any searches you do make sure the info applies to the 2.3l Duratec engine

 

[sd]

appreciate the reply.... I have owned about 5 different rangers and this 2.3l may on paper be similar to the vulcan but in freeway or passing conditions its definitely lacking. so your saying my only option is adding a turbo?> can you link to me a bolt on setup for it please?... if their even is such a thing....thanks

 

[JAMMAN]

You wouldn't be able to bolt on a turbo without changing a lot of other things. Many places make kits, I wouldn't suggest trying more than 3 or 4 LBS boost without serious mods to the motor. Without the right injectors and tune you will burn things up real fast.

Absolute safest thing to do like Ron suggested is a lower gear rear end. You will suffer at the gas pump but not by much and your motor will love you for not forcing air it doesn't want into it. You will notice a big difference and only spend a few hundred dollars.

 

[adsm08]

You could put a second 2.3 in there and double the power.

Ford even made a kit for that.

 

[sd]

You wouldn't be able to bolt on a turbo without changing a lot of other things. Many places make kits, I wouldn't suggest trying more than 3 or 4 LBS boost without serious mods to the motor. Without the right injectors and tune you will burn things up real fast.

Absolute safest thing to do like Ron suggested is a lower gear rear end. You will suffer at the gas pump but not by much and your motor will love you for not forcing air it doesn't want into it. You will notice a big difference and only spend a few hundred dollars.

appreciate the input thanks, this 2.3l is so flat on the top end of the power that changing the gearing will just make that problem possibly worse. well I dont have a lot of turbo experience so its probably best I steer clear of that it sounds like a huge can of worms. guess the best I can do now is try a k&n filter in the stock air can since they dont make a full bolt on setup for this truck and some type of magnaflow free flow exhaust which i'm sure will destroy any low end I have....either that or try and find a ranger with a 4.0 liter and sell mine. unless you can think of anything else that might help?...thanks again

 

[sd]

You could put a second 2.3 in there and double the power.

Ford even made a kit for that.

ROFLOL....sure why not!

 

[pjtoledo]

what tires do you have?
my 2005 when it had stock 225-70-15 with 3.73 gears would easily hit 90 in third. it happily revs past 6000.
you should have the 8.8 rear axle, they are heavier and soak up a bit more power than the 7.5 in mine.
bought it new, I'm now over 304,xxx miles. very few problems with the engine.

 

[pjtoledo]

before you spend money on any air filter, take yours out and do a couple test runs. clean the box first!

 

[adsm08]

ROFLOL....sure why not!

They sure did. It was a factory option in the Explorers.

2.3L 4-cyl.

4.6L 8-cyl.

Double the engine, triple the fun.

 

[sd]

what tires do you have?
my 2005 when it had stock 225-70-15 with 3.73 gears would easily hit 90 in third. it happily revs past 6000.
you should have the 8.8 rear axle, they are heavier and soak up a bit more power than the 7.5 in mine.
bought it new, I'm now over 304,xxx miles. very few problems with the engine.

i have the same size but auto tranny and not a manual like you.....this engine doesnt like high revs much and with the auto tranny the passing gear is just gutless and sometimes it can get pretty hairy on the freeway

 

[sd]

before you spend money on any air filter, take yours out and do a couple test runs. clean the box first!

will do...sure wish someone made a nice aftermarket cold air intake system for it

 

[ford4thot]

will do...sure wish someone made a nice aftermarket cold air intake system for it

That would literally do nothing for more power

 

[stmitch]

i have the same size but auto tranny and not a manual like you.....this engine doesnt like high revs much and with the auto tranny the passing gear is just gutless and sometimes it can get pretty hairy on the freeway

The auto trans is your biggest problem. The automatics that Ford used in Rangers are generally garbage by today's standards. They didn't change much from the mid 80s through the last Ranger built so they leave a lot to be desired. They rob fuel economy and power vs their manual counterparts. The V6 trucks have enough torque to offset the suckiness a bit, but the Duratec is no torque monster. It wants to rev and it's not a good match at all for the autos.

A few Duratec owners have reported nice improvements from using a custom OBD tuner. It would be especially beneficial for you since the auto trans functions can be improved at the same time.

You could also look for a lighter wheel/tire combo. Since the Duratec likes to rev, reducing the rotational unsprung weight and making it easier to rev will have noticeable advantages.

Along the same lines, if your truck has air conditioning then you have a clutch fan as well as an electric cooling fan. The clutch fan is heavy and robbing power from the engine. Removing the clutch fan and reducing the parasitic drag on the engine will free up a small amount of power and improve fuel economy at the same time. In stock form, the Efan is only triggered when the ac is running, or in overheat conditions though so You'll need to alter the trigger temp of the Efan using a custom tuner. This turns a free mod into a $400-500 double mod, which is great as long as you're planning on getting the tuner anyway.

 

[sd]

The auto trans is your biggest problem. The automatics that Ford used in Rangers are generally garbage by today's standards. They didn't change much from the mid 80s through the last Ranger built so they leave a lot to be desired. They rob fuel economy and power vs their manual counterparts. The V6 trucks have enough torque to offset the suckiness a bit, but the Duratec is no torque monster. It wants to rev and it's not a good match at all for the autos.

A few Duratec owners have reported nice improvements from using a custom OBD tuner. It would be especially beneficial for you since the auto trans functions can be improved at the same time.

You could also look for a lighter wheel/tire combo. Since the Duratec likes to rev, reducing the rotational unsprung weight and making it easier to rev will have noticeable advantages.

Along the same lines, if your truck has air conditioning then you have a clutch fan as well as an electric cooling fan. The clutch fan is heavy and robbing power from the engine. Removing the clutch fan and reducing the parasitic drag on the engine will free up a small amount of power and improve fuel economy at the same time. In stock form, the Efan is only triggered when the ac is running, or in overheat conditions though so You'll need to alter the trigger temp of the Efan using a custom tuner. This turns a free mod into a $400-500 double mod, which is great as long as you're planning on getting the tuner anyway.

some great info there thank you....can you recommend a good tuner setup to use please...and I will definitely do the electric fan mod, have been thinking about that, I know it wont do much but every little bit helps