Want to clear up space in engine bay

[J_giles51]

I've been putting in a lot of work on my 96 Ranger XLT (3.0) recently and I've noticed how cluttered the engine bay is. My buddy has an S10 and the engine bay is virtually empty, that's how I'd like mine to be. What kind of parts/wires can I remove that aren't necessary for the truck to run reliably?

 

[JOLENE_THE_RANGER]

rerouting wires and hoses will do wonders for clutter. as for removing stuff? well, theres nothing under there that doesnt do anything.... so any wiring you remove will essentially remove some function or another.

 

[J_giles51]

Any suggestions on where to start?

 

[JOLENE_THE_RANGER]

id start with whatever youre unhappy with.....

 

[J_giles51]

Makes sense... I just don't have any experience with modifying my truck. Only repair work.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

You can get a great start on it by removing the 3.0 ?

Seriously though. Rerouting a few things can do wonders. The other thing is decide what you can live without. I got rid of my a/c to free up space. I installed electric over hydraulic power steering in order to delete the belt drive power steering pump. I relocated the charcoal canister, changed alternator styles, went with a different upper intake, tossed the factory air box, deleted the mechanical fan for an electric one, and relocated a bunch of other crap to free up room. All of that allowed me to fit headers and a supercharger.

A good start would be ditching your factory air box for an aftermarket one, but remember, there will be trade offs with all of this.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Your truck was built by penny pinchers, there isn't much under your hood that doesn't have to be there.

 

[Shran]

Makes sense... I just don't have any experience with modifying my truck. Only repair work.

I don't intend to sound condescending here so please don't take it that way but it sounds to me like things are best left alone.

Half the vehicles that roll through my shop have been fixed to death... somebody gets the urge to tweak out on a cold air intake and blue wire loom and rearranging/deleting things and pretty soon the dash is lit up like a Christmas tree and it doesn't run right. I have never understood the desire to change things like that.

If I'm out looking at old cars to buy, I'd be far more interested in something that has a nice, clean, untouched engine bay and dash. Once things are moved and changed and wires are clipped off it's just sure to be a disaster and my experience has proven that 100% of the time.

Best to just leave it alone.

 

[Uncle Gump]

Ya know... just detailing under the hood does wonders. Give it some degreaser and a good power washing. They sell all kinds of engine compartment detailing juice... get some and try just cleaning it up.

 

[mtnrgr]

My 94 3.0 Ranger came from Ford as a non ac truck. It has alot of space under the hood. If your truck has ac, start with removing all that if your not using it. The ac box will be in the way still only due to it's size. You can always get the non ac box from the junkyard. Other than the ac delete, there is nothing else to remove from the engine bay that won't cause any issues. Everything that is there it is needed.

 

[Dirtman]

I find fire very cleansing...

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

My 94 3.0 Ranger came from Ford as a non ac truck. It has alot of space under the hood. If your truck has ac, start with removing all that if your not using it. The ac box will be in the way still only due to it's size. You can always get the non ac box from the junkyard. Other than the ac delete, there is nothing else to remove from the engine bay that won't cause any issues. Everything that is there it is needed.

Keep in mind the A/C is helps the defrost work better too.

 

[adsm08]

The difference here isn't that the S10 has fewer parts, it was built with a different design philosophy.

See Chevy knew and acknowledged from day one that their stuff is junk and will need to be worked on, so they left room to do it.

Ford believes that their designs are perfect and will never need service of any kind, and that anyone who dares question that by attempting to work on it should suffer, so they don't leave any room.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

See Chevy knew and acknowledged from day one that their stuff is junk and will need to be worked on, so they left room to do it.

This is me right now:

 

[bobbywalter]

This is one of those......


















If you have to ask what lever "a"does....

You should just use "leave er bee."


Details are prudent. S10 could have a carb setup....v8 swap ECT...