Hopping Up the 2.3

[The_Ghost]

Does that throttlecable mod do anything for MT equipped trucks like myself?

I eliminated my clutch fan a while ago and noticed a slight increase, but the other day I finally eliminated the entire factory intake tract and simply brought the MAF up to the first connector to the TB, then got some cheapo spectre coupler to throw an old giant K&N conical filter on the end of it. Night and day difference- if you actually look at the factory intake setup, it's still breathing the same hot air either way and I am aware of this; however throttle response is much improved and the truck idles lower, saving me fuel.

 

[clevemech]

I just removed the baffle from the intake(dildo) hose and man what a difference. I actually had some power on the freeway. Seeing how my tags are up for renewal next month I think I'm gonna plate it as a truck and pull the cat off and see what happens.

 

[88_ranger]

Throttle Cable

I am so glad I ran across this post. I also had nearly an inch of play in my throttle cable. I was able to put about 6 good size zip ties on it before all the slack was gone. What a world of difference it made! It feels like a whole new truck! I strongly recommend everybody check this on their truck!

 

[Desert Rat 23]

I just removed the baffle from the intake(dildo) hose and man what a difference. I actually had some power on the freeway. Seeing how my tags are up for renewal next month I think I'm gonna plate it as a truck and pull the cat off and see what happens.

I'm going to do the same thing. Planning on just welding in a straight pipe where the cat is. Does anyone know what to do with the o2 sensor that is after the cat? My understanding is that if I do this the ecu will get the wrong readings and throw a code and maybe mess up my fuel trims.

 

[flaminranger]

what size is your exhaust? I don't think you will gain much by eliminating the cat.
I just redid my exhaust and used a cat off a stock 5.0 h pipe my friend had lying around. it is 2 1/4" so I made the exhaust the same diam. all the way out witha turbo muffler. the cat flows better than the stock cat and the bigger pipe gives it a deeper tone it also helped power out a little bit (it makes like a thousand now.lol)
the larger pipe helped out more than the cat.
the stock cat had nothing inside it you could see straight through it cause it was empty.
so putting a new cat on it using the theory of taking it off will make more power doesn't work.
you need more flow! if taking the cat off helps power the cat is junk or of poor quality. buy a high flow cat. they work I have them on my mustang and it makes the same power as no cats.
plus the smog nazis will leave you alone and not flame you on here!!
Duane
PS. I am trying to be informative not flame you please don't be offended

 

[Desert Rat 23]

LOL No worries man. I'm just looking to separate the bs from the good info. A high flow cat sounds like the better option. Mine is rattling and needs to be replaced (162000 on it now). Was thinking of deleting it but didn't know what to do with the down stream o2 sensor. As far as getting more power without pouring a crap ton of $$ into it, I'm thinking of waiving a dead chicken in the air and and spouting off some voodoo chants. It's looking more and more like Im just stuck with what I got. My light foot has been the best upgrade so far. That and good maintenance.

 

[The Bandit]

I finnaly put in my Chinese Advance Auto filter today after not doing a single thing to the truck for a month or so. Holy shit, what a difference. I don't think it had a filter since new. The damn thing was dirty, moldy, and completly clogged. It seems to have a wider power band now. The top speed is the same, hopefully gas mileage will improve somewhat.

I'm going to pull the rubber seal at the cowl panel off to let out a little heat from under the hood, and try to insulate the scorching hot heater core lines from the air box assembly.

I've got a extra factory airbox, so I'm considering cutting the outward facing sides of the box and seeing if it improves power any.

My truck has a 3.23 open diff as well. Probably explains the shitty throttle response.

 

[Desert Rat 23]

I cut an opening in mine thinking it would help my k&n with airflow but I didn't notice anything other than it making my truck sound cool when I put my foot in it. Honestly it just heated the air. Save yourself the trouble. I patched it closed again then routed a 3" line from the little snorkel down to the rubber flair under the front bumper where I cut a hole and mounted the tube. I made it so I could easily pull it off and stick it up and out of the way when it rains. It brought my air flow up to 7.5 lbs./min at full throttle and keeps the intake temp down to a couple degrees over ambient temp. Still sounds cool too.
Got 29's and 4.56 gears. Best thing I ever did to this pig. Highly recommend it.

 

[The Bandit]

The air box on these trucks does seem oversized, the inlet though is pretty akward. Lots of bends and junctions that appear to do nothing. There probably isn't anything to be gained by modifying it though.

I think one of the biggest issues with these trucks is heat soak under the hood. My truck gets roasting hot under there and the temperature hand never gets above the low mark. I considered header wrap, but everyone says it promotes corrosion.

 

[The Bandit]

Cut the fenderwell and forward side of a spare airbox out this evening and gave it a quick (well, slow) road test. More noise, and worse low-rpm power. Probably from the heat soak. Not worth the time in my opinion, as the factory box and snorkel set-up is more than enough for the little motor.

Test and Tune night is Friday, so at last I'll be able to get some numbers out removing/reinstalling the intake silencer to see if its actually effective or not.

 

[Sunk]

LOL No worries man. I'm just looking to separate the bs from the good info. A high flow cat sounds like the better option. Mine is rattling and needs to be replaced (162000 on it now). Was thinking of deleting it but didn't know what to do with the down stream o2 sensor. As far as getting more power without pouring a crap ton of $$ into it, I'm thinking of waiving a dead chicken in the air and and spouting off some voodoo chants. It's looking more and more like Im just stuck with what I got. My light foot has been the best upgrade so far. That and good maintenance.

If the cat is rattling, there's a good chance it's the heat shield on it. I've seen more than one wiggle a couple corners loose and start making noise.

 

[Ranger SVO]

Also try an electric fan, it really improved throttle response for me. Now something might have been wrong with my fan and/or clutch because the first thing I noticed is how much smoother the engine was running. It was a huge difference.

My Ranger has a K&N filter, 2-1/2-inch exhaust, 3.73 rear gears and electric fan. It really runs good on the highway. I also have a Stewart-Warner Vacuum switch, that shuts off the AC compressor any time the vacuum drops below 9Hg. I don't have to floor it any time I wanna pass someone.

 

[The Bandit]

I've been considering an electric fan for some time now. As weak as these trucks are, any small improvement is something. Especially considering just my daily driving consists of so many steep hills.

Test and Tune tomorrow night.

 

[JPM]

More power

I've got a 94 splash with 2.3 and 3:73 gears with 70K. The truck was bone stock and no mods. I did the throttle cable mod and the intake tube baffle removal. I averaged 23 mpg. I pulled the cat off and ran it for 4 weeks. The cat was clean with no plugs. I did a complete tune up and all the other good stuff. There was no noticable power increase and my mpgs dropped dramatically. I could not wait to put the cat back on. When I did, the mpgs came back up and it operated more smoothly. I haven't had any luck extrcting more power out of it and don't want to ruin a good running truck so I guess I'll leave it alone. It's a five speed and have done a timing belt recently as well. I know it's right. Just my two cents.