cheap and easy power upgrade for 92 2.9

[92rangnick]

wondering whats out there thats quick easy and cheap to do to a 2.9 thatll give a little more power and throttle response

 

[RyanL]

Cheap and easy! I like that. You could pump a shit ton of $ into a 2.9 and it still wouldn't have much more power unless of course you went with forced induction. Sorry man, but the 2.9 is more of an economy engine and there isn't much aftermarket support for it. One of the cheapest and easiest things to do is throw a throttle body on it off of a '86 or '87 2.9 (has about a 1/2" larger bore). You could also advance the timing a few degrees but then you would have to put 93 into the tank. There's stuff like headers, exhaust, a cam, 2.8 pistons for higher compression, etc., etc but they all cost a bit and don't really yield much (maybe somewhere around 20 extra ponies all together). Most will argue that the best bang for your buck would be to swap in a 4.0.

 

[RustedRanger]

I put on a high flow air filter and have used synthetic oil but because of cost last time I used a quart of Lucas Synthetic oil additive and 4 of 15W40 cause my engine has nearly 165,000 on it. I used a 31" long glasspack and a turn down...also cause it was cheap and the exhaust from the cat back was gone when I got it. It is not "loud" and sounds good...not "blatty". Last time I checked mpg it was averaging 21 with about 1/4 city driving,1/2 country driving and 1/4 highway driving. other than that just make sure it is tuned up good and things are working right. The things I did don't help a huge amount but I can tell a difference and throttle response is very good and the mpg's are good for the miles on it.

 

[92rangnick]

ya i was just gunna throw a huge filter on it myself

 

[4.0B2]

filters aint gonna change a lot...

4.0 is the answer IMO unless you have suckish gears. get 3.73's or 4.10's or lower-- depends on tire size

 

[RustedRanger]

When I got my Ranger the airbox was broken and the filter was shot so for the same price as replacing them I got a Spectre 3" cone filter at autozone for $20 and clamped it over the end of the rubber air tube. It fits plenty tight. With the lid off the air box the filter sits inside the bottom of the airbox and still gets cold air when the truck is moving.