anything i can do to get more power?

[Blackdog455]

well my ranger is very slow and sucks at climbing hills even really really small ones. it has the 2.3 in it which has very little power to begin with.

my question is, what can i do to my engine that will make climb hills better, and basically keep up with the speed limit?

i know i should get new exhaust, header or something like that. Even a turbo came to mind but thats to expensive.

so any other ideas?

 

[pillen140]

gears? everything go fast is expensive. still 2.3 arent that that bad. try a 2.0L!

 

[Blackdog455]

i was also thinking gears...but i need just a little more "get up and go" out of my ranger. its pathetic.

 

[Mark_88]

Fuel injected or carbed?

If you're engine is lugging going uphill, and you drive a standard, downshift to fourth is the best thing...outside of that...depends on your setup...have you done a compression test lately?

Your engine may just be getting tired...happens to these 4 bangers...if you're running the 2.0 carbed setup then there are options that might help as long as the compression is good...if you're already fuel injected and the comression test is good then you need to consider opening up the head (as posted in a number of threads on this site)...

 

[pillen140]

in '88 they were fuel injected.

 

[phatcap]

have you tried the throttle cable spacer? i know it sounds simple, but it actually made a world of difference on my truck. after a while, the cable gets stretched out and no longer gives you wide open throttle. do a search for it, you'll find it.
before i did this, i could put the pedal to the floor and not get anything. since done its like having a new gas pedal.

 

[Mark_88]

in '88 they were fuel injected.

You're right...sorry...I've got an 88 2.3 that is carbed...but that was a transplant...

 

[bmxryder]

cold air intake? exhaust? performance chip (if its fuel injected). oil change, spark plugs.... fill up your tires lol

 

[Blackdog455]

hey thanks for the ideas. ya i can put the pedal to the floor and im about 0-60 in about 20-30 sec. The engine is pretty tired with about 160,000 miles on it. My dad found an 89 mustang engine with 70,000 on it so i might see what i can do with that if i buy it.

whats a good performance chip?

 

[Blackdog455]

if i wanted to bore and stroke a 2.3 do any of you know of anywhere on the internet that sells kits for one?

 

[Mark_88]

Try Esslinger...they sell many internal parts for 2.3 engines...but I've noticed some things like carbs are no longer on the site...maybe they are shifting gears...but you can buy a sweet 2.3 engine complete from them...if you have $4,000 or so...

 

[Blackdog455]

mine is fuel injected though. and ya ive checked out esslinger, didnt really appeal to me.

 

[Mark_88]

Racer Walsh is another one that comes to mind...there is another one tossed around here but I can't remember the name of the site...LMC or something like that...it's probably the most popular stateside, but in Canada you can always search on NAPA...

 

[Blackdog455]

oh ya for the exterior of my truck im for sure doing lmc. I like them a lot.

i found a site that does engine rebuild kits for almost every engine im pretty sure. iits www.rpmmachine.com and they have this engine rebuild kit that comes with almost everything i would need. so i might try that one.

 

[Fast Fords]

open up the intake and match it with some exhaust work to get the engine breathing better...see if that helps...or start with the basics, like a simple tune-up