2.3 Diesel ranger info

[dieselpowersteve]

looking for anyone that has a 2.3 diesel ranger or had mines a 4x4 and just seein if anyone out there know any thing to get more power out of them with out twistin the aluminum head to shit or just any info on them in general my uncle kindly gave me one and am currently building it put a 6 inch bds and 33's

 

[David85]

If you are refering to the 1985-1987 turbo diesel that came OEM (mitsubishi 4D55T), then we have one.

From what I have been told, the head bolts on the engine are seriously over designed so unless you overheat the engine, that aluminum head should not be a problem. If it ever does become a problem, then you can replace the head with a newer style 4D56 head, it can get pricy, but that way you have a stronger head that flows better and has a roller camshaft.

EGTs are a problem though, and you should put a pyro in there before you start cranking up the power. Put a bigger exhaust, and consider looking for an intercooler. The later 4D56 had intercoolers anyway.

The turbocharger and injection system are over designed for this engine, so a few turns of the fuel screw and a wastegate mod will easily unlock more power, but these engines can build EGTs rather quickly so you need to be careful.

You may also want to invest in a recored/bigger radiator depending on how old yours is. Raising the truck that high will put more strain on the engine and keeping it cool becomes a bigger challenge.

 

[dieselpowersteve]

ya i already got an over sized f150 rad in it i have converted it to 2 inch got rid of the 1 and a half exhaust and then into 5 inch stacks so it should help and ya i puttin the pyro and boost gauge in forsure it is a 1986 mitsu turbo diesel 5 speed and possibly thinkin about transfering rad to back deck so puttin a even bigger rad in wouldn't be a problem

 

[David85]

Be careful with what thermostats you get. I was getting Stant thermostats and they seemed to only have a life span of about 4 weeks before jambing in the closed position. Try to locate a mitsubishi dealer that can supply the original stainless steel factory thermostat. If thats not possible, these guys can ship it to you (they are within driving distance from then and they offer exellent service).

http://ccautos.ca/sales.html

There are also grey market importers cropping up all over canada and the USA that also supply parts for these mitsubishi delica awd vans. They have the same basic engine and many of the parts will interchange.

 

[dieselpowersteve]

sweet right on what you figure these engines will take for boost i don't want it nuts i just want to get a little more jam but safe for the engine to

 

[dieselpowersteve]

thats crazy coombs cause i am from nanaimo orginally now in calgary and my sister works for tony the owner of that place

 

[David85]

LOL, thats too funny. I might have seen her there once. They are a good group of people and the guys there know their stuff.

If you are in alberta (my home province, btw), then there won't be any problem with ordering parts from there. They normally ship all over the place and prices aren't all that bad either. I can't even tell you how many times Doug gave me life saving advice, or a hard to find part for my engine.

I've heard some guys are able to get away with about 20 PSI of boost without modding much else. However there is a blow off valve on the intake manifold that will pop before you reach that level of boost. Funny as hell when it pops I think the factory limit of the pop off valve is set to 14 PSI and they will generally boost a little over 10 PSI by the time they get that old.

I should warn you that these engines can get really pricy if your head ever does get cracked or warped from over heating. The original 4D55 head cannot be found anymore and upgrading to the 4D56 is the only option. The newer head is much better, but when you factor in the cost of the new head, and having to convert to the roller camshaft, it can come close to $800 CAD for the chinese knock off. Mitsubishi wants more than $1000 for just the bare head casting (no valves or camshaft/rockers).

Comes down to how much you can spend I guess. I have seen a 4D55 on Utube in a modified mitsubishi gallant for racing that doubled its horsepower, but it can get expensive. The good news is that the stock head bolts are overdesigned and are reusable. In reality, you are more likely to blow the head gasket because of high coolant temp or EGTs than high boost pressure.

 

[dieselpowersteve]

what about injectors have you looked into or have bought a set of higher horse power injectors cause i was thinking of goin that way to if there is such thing for these little mitsu's

 

[David85]

I have no idea, but I guess you could just get some injectors for the newer mitsubishi 4D56 series engines. They have slightly higher flow nozzles and will bolt on. I did replace the nozzles in the injectors currently installed on the truck, but those were direct replacements. Not cheap either. $45 each all the way from down under! That was before I knew of local importers (DOH!!!)

My guess is you would reach the EGT limit before you ran out of fuel pumping capacity. The bosch VE rotary pump seems to be over designed for such a small engine. Just turning up the fuel screw and blocking off the waste gate actuator line for the turbo will give you an idea of just how detuned the engine really is compared to how much it can produce with the safety net loosened. I've heard of guys that simply punish these engines and are able to get away with it. I lost my nerve after having so many problems on this one and left the settings close to stock.

The problems I had with the engine were not really the falt of the engine, but I still felt like leaving things alone for a while.

The other thing about this engine, is that being an OHC, it likes to rev up and will pull well up through the RPM unlike most diesels. Just don't gear it too tall or you'll lug it into EGT problems at higher speeds. If you didn't rely on it as a daily driver and used it just as a toy, they can be a lot of fun. More than enough power to break the 235 tires loose on dry pavement in my case.

 

[dieselpowersteve]

right on thanks for the info and if you ever hear of anything else new for these things let me know b/c there ain't a hole lot of out there with these little turbo diesel half the people dont believe me it stock till they see the ranger diesel emblem on the front fender many don't even relize they exsited so when my uncle said i could have it i jumped on it