Any 2.9 Hop Up's????

[clvanhorn]

Oh, didnt realize that. Sorry, I'm a bit of a newb on Rangers.

no problem... if you look down towards the bottom of your air box you should see a black plastic tube that heads up in front of the radiator iirc.... thats your cold air right there!

 

[4x4junkie]

You running oversized tires?
Best thing you can do for that engine is regear the axles for the tires, if so.

The 2.9L is a 140 HP engine which was pretty good for it's day, but it'll never produce anything near that if your overall gear reduction is too tall.

 

[adsm08]

Cam. Big one.

 

[Will]

Big cam...hmm.

If you can find it, there's a lot involved. What do you mean by big? To me, a big cam means cutting down the valve guides, aftermarket pistons with notches, making sure the lift isn't making the rocker nose run off the edge of the valve stem, 1,500rpm idle with raw gas spurting out the tailpipe and letting the car in front of you get all the way across the intersection so you don't run into him when you let the clutch out. A car with a big cam runs really bad until the juices get flowing, then it comes on HARD. Not good in traffic. You aren't going to find any of the parts you would need to work with--that EFI intake on the 2.9 is tuned to run strong in a narrow, low, rpm range. You're going to have to throw all that away and figure out how to make some serious holes from the chambers to the atmosphere. And to let the engine run, it needs some serious gearing. 4.88 gears with 26" tall tires, for instance. With an auto, a serious converter because when you punch it, you want the engine to skip all the crappy low rpms where it doesn't run well and engage the drivetrain at 3,500+.

I've had two cars like that, then built a 472" sewing machine motor. Much smoother and quicker in real-world driving. Much better mileage. Stays in tune because it simply runs better in the ranges I drive. A 2.9 built to run with a 4.0 wouldn't run as well.

 

[adsm08]

My cam is the biggest one that the speed/density system can handle. Needs special lifters. I have that, the WC heads, and a set of pace setters in my Ranger with 3.45 gears, and the 4.0's version of the M5OD.

The B2 has 3.73 gears and is bone stock. On take off they feel about the same. Once you get into it and get up a few gears, night and day. The Ranger will win anything hands down, and I place most of that squarely on the camshaft. I am gonna get to tow with this engine for the first time this weekend. Pretty excited.

 

[IL RNGR]

The biggest tires mine will have on it will be 33's. But it currently has 235-75-15s. It runs good stock, but Ive always wanted power.

 

[ronclark]

I allways had good luck pushing the time a degree or too on my 2.9s

 

[4.0B2]

i did a custom built comp cam, know a guy...
polished out the heads and intake and junk, an electric fan, good tune up using aftermarket stuff--and then went back to full OEM stuff, and several other things to the 2.9.. and that $300+ i spent being young and dumb would have payed for my 4.0 swap.... but no... i was young and thought i could make something of the 2.9.. but i was NEVER happy with.

best thing you can do if you're dead set on the 2.9 is a good tune up, factory ford OEM stuff.. fuel filter, air filter, plugs, wires, distributor cap and rotor, and so on... everything!
and make sure your gears in the axle are what they need to be, 4.10's preferably!

other than that.. its not worth it. just 4.0 swap it and be done. i couldn't be happier w/ my 4.0 swap!

 

[IL RNGR]

How hard is the 4.0 swap?

 

[Ryannn]

How hard is the 4.0 swap?

http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/4L_Conversion.html
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/4L_Conversion2.htm

 

[4.0B2]

look around. there's all kind of write ups on here..

for an 88 its easier if you have a first gen explorer donor rig... w/ dash. i did the 4.0 and kept my first gen b2 dash. but there is more wiring involved that way. i did most of my 4.0 swap by myself when i was like 16... its not hard.

the 4.0 sits on the same motor mounts(well mine did, most write ups say use the 4.0 ones, i didn't....) and has the same boltpattern of the bellhousing. can even use the trans and t/case you are already running.

look around. find some project write ups on it. do your research... and go for it!

 

[Die.Fledermaus]

Why not change to a programmable EFI? My year 2.9 EFI is pretty crude and bench racing in my head it seems like a good idea. Poking around www.diyautotune.com/ lists a few Ford breakout looms most interesting is http://www.diyautotune.com/catalog/megasquirt-v22-to-8693-ford-mustang-50-adapter-cable-p-405.html and I think that is near'ish to what mine uses.
At worst I would think running MS in speed density mode would be the same power/fuel consumption. But one would be free to tweak around everything including a change to an air flow system, crank fire/EDIS, more ruthless control over AFRs, and wideband tuning.

 

[IL RNGR]

Well, my sister has a 94 Explorer Limited 4x4 that is about to fall apart. When it does, maybe I could use it as a donor. Also, I have a lead on a 2nd gen ranger that may have a 4.0 in it from the factory(not sure, cant get the hood open yet).

Here's my Ranger that I'm playing with.