Major Power Loss in 5th gear????

[DangerinMaine]

I have a 1990 ranger XLT. 2.3l, 4cyl. when I change gears from 4th to 5th at around 55-60, I have a major power loss, almost like there is not enough fuel running through it. It pcks right back up when i downshift into 4th, but reoccurs when put into 5th. anyone else ever have this issue?

Thinking about an engine swap to a V6.....is this possible with the tranny I have in it?

 

[fastpakr]

At 55-60, with the typical 3.45 gears, you really shouldn't be using 5th for anything but a flat cruise. 4th is your acceleration gear and will be power limited long before engine speed becomes a problem. At 55-60, I usually cruise in 4th, then shift up to 5th if I'm on the highway cruising flat ground at 65+.

You can certainly swap to a V6, but you really may not need to (and you'd need to change the transmission as well). With proper shifting, I've found the 2.3 to be completely adequate for daily use, and my worst fuel tank yet was 22mpg (average of 24, best of 27).

 

[DangerinMaine]

Okay, so I can use 4th....under daily and normal driving conditions....without causing any damage? I didn't know if things would get too hot to operate like this.....

As far as gaining power....what should I get....i.e. ram air/cold air intake....exhaust...not really familiar with this sort of thing....I have only owned dakotas, and they are pretty peepy stock...
Any ideas???

 

[fastpakr]

I wouldn't touch a cold air intake with a 10 foot pole. The factory system is very effective. Later 2.3's did have a factory header - not sure if your '90 model did. If you can find one cheap, that would be an option. Look at gearing as well. 4.10's would be perfect, especially on a 4wd. However, I wouldn't spend a lot of money on them. Look for a used 8.8" axle that already has 4.10's and swap it in when you find one for a reasonable price. Same for the front - keep an eye out for a D28 or D35 with 4.10 gears and swap that in. No reason to drop a thousand dollars buying and installing gears on a truck when there are stronger axles available used for less money that are direct swaps.

You can also swap in an instrument cluster from an Explorer that has a factory tach. Helps you keep an eye on engine speed. I find the 2.3 happiest cruising around 2500-3000rpm, but it won't hurt it a bit to shift at 4500+rpm when you're trying to accelerate hard.

 

[DRanger024]

I have a 1990 ranger XLT. 2.3l, 4cyl. when I change gears from 4th to 5th at around 55-60, I have a major power loss, almost like there is not enough fuel running through it. It pcks right back up when i downshift into 4th, but reoccurs when put into 5th. anyone else ever have this issue?

Thinking about an engine swap to a V6.....is this possible with the tranny I have in it?

welcome to the world of the most useless overdrive ever! My '94 couldnt even get out of its own way at 75 mph on the highway in 5th(overdrive)

 

[fastpakr]

It's perfectly functional, you just have to know when to use it. Flat ground cruising, it's ideal. If you need to accelerate, just drop back into 4th (or even 3rd, depending on your needs and current speed).

 

[DangerinMaine]

Yeah, I find just simple cruising, the 4th does do the job. I am just looking for a liitle more oomph.
I am not too familiar with the Rangers...this is my first.
I know on my S-10, a 350 with a 9" rear end, and 4.10 gearing, the truck rocked.....that was with a 350 though.

Just looking to pack a little punch into this Ranger though. The smart way.
So it's a nay on the intake? What about exhaust? can I install a throttle body spacer in there too?

 

[Mark_88]

You may find some improvement on the 93-97 shorty header...but just because it is much less weight than the stock...I found a big improvement in it when I put mine on, but make sure you check what sensors you have, and try to match them with the shorty header setup...otherwise you may need to do some mods to make it work...but that's half the fun...I think...

 

[scotts90ranger]

yeah, 5th is pretty useless with the 4x4 2.3's, you most likely have 4.10 gears already (most 4x4 2.3 trucks got them), the best thing is to just use 4th and hammer on the thing, I beat my original engine and it just took it... I was running 31's with it and 4.10's, 4th on the highway was 3000rpm and worked fine, had to be going 65 or more to hold speed or get any use out of 5th, even though the rpm's were up already.

the stock manifold is pretty much a cast version of a header, more durable too. you're not going to gain much by screwing with the exhaust, I'm running a turbo engine in mine and running through the stock exhaust and it works fine, although my tail pipe fell off a while ago...

throttle body spacers don't do anything on fuel injected engines, unless they are throttle body injected