Most bang-for-the-buck power increase for a '94 3.0L?

[stmitch]

The 1998+ 3.0 upper intake manifold idea sounds good, and I do have a pick n pull parts place close by. Do you know of any threads with other people who've done it? I searched for intake manifold swap but don't see anything related to a truck this old, nor can I find anything about it in the technical section. Not sure what parts I'd need, what I'd have to modify if anything.

I haven't seen any threads here about the intake swap. I haven't searched very far back though. And it was popular on other Ranger forums.
Basically, there were 3 intake manifolds used on the 3.0.
97 and older have aluminum uppers with small throttle bodies.
98-00 Have an aluminum "log style" upper with larger throttle bodies.
01+ engines had composite upper intakes
They made small changes (number and diameter of the holes that mount the upper to the lower intake) to the lower intakes with each redesign of the upper intake. So for a bolt on, you'd want matching upper and lower intakes. You can make any upper intake fit any lower intake, but it may require drilling/tapping either the flange on the upper intake, or the holes on the lower intake.

The composite is the best flowing in stock form, but the 98-00 Aluminum upper is basically the same design, and can be ported/polished to out flow the composite intake.

 

[mephiska]

It's a 2WD. I drove it to work this morning after doing the throttle cable mod & cleaned the MAF, it felt a lot peppier and idles better. I think my perceived weakness might have been that when I had it floored it wasn't actually at WOT because of the slack in the throttle cable.

I've done the transmission service, more than that actually since the front seal blew on me on my last Tahoe trip. Ended up getting a complete reseal and a new torque converter. Shifts like butter now.

Oil, filter, air filter all done recently. The unknown is plugs & wires. Wires didn't appear to be that old but it's probably a good idea to just change them all out and get a good starting point. If I'm tuning it up myself should I also look into the timing?

I'll look into cleaning out the throttle body as well.

edit: found some Bosch Platinum Plus plugs on Amazon for $1.08 after a $3 rebate each. Six plugs for under $7? Done.

 

[stmitch]

If you're planning running some Seafoam through the intake, do it BEFORE changing the plugs and wires. The seafoam can foul the plugs.

 

[mephiska]

I added the seafoam to the fuel tank. Will it foul plugs used that way?

 

[RonD]

I added the seafoam to the fuel tank. Will it foul plugs used that way?

No, that's fine, I do it once a year

stmitch was referring to your comment about cleaning the throttle body/intake.

 

[stmitch]

Adding it to the tank shouldn't affect the plugs. If you add it to a vaccuum line on the intake manifold, the Seafoam will clean the carbon/oil from the intake manifolds, valves, and combustion chambers. It works wonders for reducing pinging, and the occasional studder. Would make the engine run much smoother. I'd highly recommend it if you're planning on new plugs and wires anyway.

 

[mephiska]

Will do, thanks for the tip!

 

[mephiska]

Update: Found a 8.8 rear with 4.10 off a 2004 ranger at a local junkyard. It isn't exactly cheap but it's complete and should bolt right in. They've even got the bigger u-bolts. I just need them to tell me if it has a locker or not.

 

[kryptonitecb]

You can put the axle in the air and turn a shaft. If both sides turn it has a "locker". I'm not sure how to check for a limited slip.

Sent from the road while ignoring traffic

 

[mephiska]

You can put the axle in the air and turn a shaft. If both sides turn it has a "locker". I'm not sure how to check for a limited slip.

Good to know. I called them this morning and they confirmed it for me. It has the torsen limited slip in it. They said the code on it is V313L, which apparently means it came of an FX4. Should be a pretty beefy upgrade.