3.0 Modifications

[ZMan]

The FTC during the Bush Administration has been relatively lax enforcing anti-fraud laws, but they got the fuel saver one: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2004/11/fuelsaver.shtm

It's a scam. Claims of ANY benefits whatsoever are highly improbable. And a little critical reasoning will expose it without the need to give those scam artists money.

As for the 20 deg difference, with a phenolic spacer, maybe at idle. At WOT, read your IAT on your stock engine, and you'll find it's already quite close to ambient.

"Experience" sometimes lies, especially with unspecified testing and (intentionally?) vague results. Some of his mods probably work very well, especially lots of improvement from a properly done supercharger. But some of the other claims on there don't pass the sniff test.

Which means you have learned nothing from his list except perhaps a list of possible mods.

This is assuming it's all honest. He apparently sells this stuff, so maybe or maybe not.

Are there any actual tests done that prove the fuel saver doesn't work, or is it just complaints? I'm not trying to argue, but I'm interested in facts.

As for the spacer, it definitely makes a difference, can't really put it any other way than that.

 

[dougs3.0L98]

i'v been in the same boat with my 3.0 man, i just tell myself that i don't have a 5th gear and leave it in 4th instead of switching from 4th to 5th and back again, my arms gets sore! i have a 5 speed manual on my 98 3.0. my truck has 194,000 miles so it has no bottom end left. still gets me there and it's still a fun truck though. good luck!

 

[AllanD]

Don't be afraid to downshift. The 3.0 loves 3,000 rpm and over.

The 3.0 doesn't even make peak torque until 3000rpm and it's power peak is at 5000rpm, so revving one to 5500-5800rpm in a first gear upshift is ENTIRELY reasonable.

You should drive an EARLY taurus witha tach sometime
The automatic trans upshifts at over 5500rpm when accelerating from a standing start at WOT.

Well I frequently drive over Mt. Hood and I like to do about 65-70 most of the way, but to maintain those speeds I have to drop to 3rd and run up to 4,000 rpms. My truck sure sounds good going over the pass, but climbing those hills like that seems like it's going to do some damage to the 3.0 over time. There aren't any simple bolt ons that would maybe allow for 4th gear over the pass? Or do you think I'll just have to take it a little slower from now on?

Complaining about running in 3rd at altitude where even a 460 gets a bit wheasy? PLEASE!!!

Your 3.0L can run 4000 RPM continuously for hundreds of thousands of miles (with breaks for oil changes and other scheduled maintenance). It was designed to do this. You aren't even close to the redline.

Let me stress the PLURAL of MAKG's statment HundredS of thousands of miles.

The early auto trans taurus had a final drive ratio of 3.92, less overdrive than a 5sp ranger and MUCH smaller tires (typically 205/65-14's)

So they basically HAD to be spinning 3500-4000 just to do "reasonable"
highway speeds, and I dealt with several family taurus/sables that went
WELL beyond 250k miles on the original engine.
The usual reason the cars would get junked was that the interiors got shabby, the bodies got rusty, and the suspension would be floppy and rattley, AND THEN only when the FOURTH transmission would die
and it would be decided that the car wasn't worth putting another trans
into it....

If you can kill a 3.0 that actually has oil and coolant in it you shouldn't be allowed to operate anything more complex than a referigerator.

edit..and high RPMS? My rev limiter kicks in at 4800rpm

Zman, your tach is "fooked"

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[MAKG]

Are there any actual tests done that prove the fuel saver doesn't work, or is it just complaints? I'm not trying to argue, but I'm interested in facts.

Probably, but considering it's pending litigation, you aren't likely to find it. FTC doesn't waste their time and money prosecuting unfounded complaints. Their prosecution record is very good; the only complaint I have is that they don't do it nearly often enough. For instance, for the Tornado. They DID get Slick 50 at least.

The claim that a magnet does ANYTHING to any automotive fluid aside from yank bits of ground up steel out of it is utter bullshit. Gasoline is not a magnetic material.

Would you require a formal test to ding a company for claiming their additive makes your truck fly? That's the type of claim being made here. Just because they use big words like "atomization" and "polymer" doesn't mean they aren't absolutely FOS.

IMO, it's ABSOLUTELY enough to ding those assholes if they can't back up their claims when asked. It's simply not OK to just make things up.

 

[AgPete139]

To quote another Ranger enthusiast, "Building a 3.0 is like polishing a turd..."

I still think that's funny. Anyways, I am semi-skeptical about many of those mods, but I am not throwing all of them out without trying. I'm sure with all thrown together, they give positive performance. But an the accessories of your vehicle still require the same amount of torque to turn them (regarding the UDP). The same amount of force is required to run the accessories, but the smaller crank pulley just has to spin more. It doesn't with respect to the old ratios, and your accessories are just underpowered.

I kinda wanna see one of those Tornados myself. Camodown uses one, and says it makes a 1 mpg diff. with his ranger...

 

[TMarsh04]

I'm gonna have to hold on to that quote, cause that's exactly how I'm starting to feel. It's a nice engine and all, but I don't feel that it makes much of a truck engine. And AllanD, I will blow it up! Heh, J/K. But hey, thanks again guys, this was real helpful in a making me feel like there's no hope kinda way!

 

[michowski]

You just gotta learn to gear it and drive the stick right. Your not gonna get 10 second times on the drag strip with it but it definatly is capable of going anywere your truck can make it and can definatly haul a heavy load no problem. Im happy with mine. For what it is I think it does a good job.

 

[ZMan]

Probably, but considering it's pending litigation, you aren't likely to find it. FTC doesn't waste their time and money prosecuting unfounded complaints. Their prosecution record is very good; the only complaint I have is that they don't do it nearly often enough. For instance, for the Tornado. They DID get Slick 50 at least.

The claim that a magnet does ANYTHING to any automotive fluid aside from yank bits of ground up steel out of it is utter bullshit. Gasoline is not a magnetic material.

Would you require a formal test to ding a company for claiming their additive makes your truck fly? That's the type of claim being made here. Just because they use big words like "atomization" and "polymer" doesn't mean they aren't absolutely FOS.

IMO, it's ABSOLUTELY enough to ding those assholes if they can't back up their claims when asked. It's simply not OK to just make things up.

Well, sure I would like them to at least TRY it, because like you said, its simply not OK to just make things up.

To quote another Ranger enthusiast, "Building a 3.0 is like polishing a turd..."

I still think that's funny. Anyways, I am semi-skeptical about many of those mods, but I am not throwing all of them out without trying. I'm sure with all thrown together, they give positive performance. But an the accessories of your vehicle still require the same amount of torque to turn them (regarding the UDP). The same amount of force is required to run the accessories, but the smaller crank pulley just has to spin more. It doesn't with respect to the old ratios, and your accessories are just underpowered.

I kinda wanna see one of those Tornados myself. Camodown uses one, and says it makes a 1 mpg diff. with his ranger...

2002 3.0 Automatic.
87 Octane fuel, w/o Ethanol
Run 1 - Stock
Run 2 - Underdog Crank Pulley (UDP) - no other pullies.

IMO the 3.0 has the most potential of any RBV engine. It has the biggest aftermarket right now. With a couple bolt ons they are much faster than a stock 4.0l in the same scenerio.

Mine is the one facing the camera, both of those other trucks are 3.0l, and both of them are nearly a full second quicker in the quarter than my stock 4.0, the parts they have on there are much cheaper than whats available for a 4.0l. Like an UDP, $75 for a 3.0l, and $230 for a 4.0l, because of the harmonic balancer.

 

[MAKG]

Well, sure I would like them to at least TRY it, because like you said, its simply not OK to just make things up.

If XYZ says its additive will make your truck fly, you want the FTC to try it out to make sure it's BS? It's absolutely sufficient to prove their claims are impossible by other means. No need to drop trucks off cliffs for it. Having said that, it's a good bet the FTC did try the case at hand.

2002 3.0 Automatic.
87 Octane fuel, w/o Ethanol
Run 1 - Stock
Run 2 - Underdog Crank Pulley (UDP) - no other pullies.

Is this your test? I don't think anyone would disagree that there can be some benefit to disabling all the accessories. Until you overheat, at least.

VERY misleading.

 

[ZMan]

Is this your test? I don't think anyone would disagree that there can be some benefit to disabling all the accessories. Until you overheat, at least.

VERY misleading.

http://www.rangerpowersports.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=10
just do a little lurking, you won't find one complaint..you obviously have the spare time.

And please, untill you have E-X-P-E-R-I-E-N-C-E with actually M-O-D-I-F-Y-I-N-G a Ranger, or at least see the results first hand, just stop..

BTW, the owner of Underdog Performance owns a drives a Ranger, and is a regular member on RPS and a couple other Ranger forums.

 

[Jspafford]

Thats right the 3.0 can turn high rpm's like no other. That's where it's power lies. It's a high rpm engine by design.

Yeah too bad the thing wont throttle past 5K with the automatic.

I miss my old 4.0 SOHC. It would run up to almost 6K while tossing me back in the seat.

 

[TMarsh04]

Yeah too bad the thing wont throttle past 5K with the automatic.

And yours is a 99? That's interesting. I've got a manual and have taken up to just under 5,500 rpms a few times. The auto's redline is set at 5,000? You can probably change that with a programmer. I've never used one, but I think they allow you to set the redline.