New member 2.0 help

[1coastie]

I am a new member, and a new 1986 2.0 liter Ranger owner.
I am looking to do some simple bolt on modifications that will inprove performance and gas milage.
First question: will intake manifolds and exhaust headers for a 2.3 fit on a 2.0?
I have been seeing performance upgrades for the 2.3 but not the 2.0 .
Second question: is there a 2bbl intake availible for my 1bbl 2.0? I have been thinking about the possibility of installing a Holley 2bbl pro-jection system if there is a manifold that will work.
Are there any ignition upgrades availible?
I am open to sugestions, please provide names or links for parts suppliers, I would also like to install a header, does anybody make one?

 

[Mutant Pony]

Just about anything that will work for a 2.3 will also work for the Ranger 2.0. The only thing different is the pistons and rods.
The best upgrade for your 2.0 is to pull it out and replace it with a 2.3. It is a direct bolt in.
If you insist on running the 2.0... There is a 2bbl 2.0 intake but, it is really restrictive. You could pull the head and install a d-port head and the F.I. lower plenum with an adapter for a Holley 2300. Or you could find a newer 2300 F.I. ranger and use the whole fuel system, and wiring in your Ranger.
I've thought about the Holley projection system on my pinto for years but, it is designed for a v-8. The ecm (computer) would need a custom program which would be very difficult to obtain.
Oh, Welcome to TRS.

 

[1coastie]

2.0 upgrades

Thanks for your comments,
Replacing the entire fuel system is not an option, neither is replacing the 2.0 with a 2.3 (at least not until this one blows) this truck only has 65000 origional miles, and I am simply useing it as a back and forth to work truck for now, so major hacking is out of the question...at least for a while.
You did answer some of my questions though, at least now I know I can find a header and exhaust to fit.
What about an easy, and cheap, maybe junkyard carb upgrade?
Are there any good ignition upgrades?
I am not looking to turn this truck into a high performance vehicle, just a little more performance, and better gas milage.
I will probably drop the front about 2" and install an air dam, cowl induction hood, along with some cool wheels and tires and maybe bed cover just to get it looking cool.
I like the old school hot rod stance more than the slammed look.

 

[Mark_88]

The problem with upgrading the carb is the intake mostly, and the emmission controls. You may need to install a 2 bbl intake and the problem with that is they don't match the round ports on the 2.0 head exactly...but you may be able to find an older O port intake...unless the current intake can take the carb directly (not familiar with those intakes but IIRC they have a single hole to bolt the carb over and the 2bbls have a wider space that requires an adaptor)...

The emmissions on the 2.0 are a real handful and not easy to make them work with other carbs...I removed everything including the air pump and used a 78 mustang intake and 2 bbl carb that worked well (the motorcraft 5200 similar to the holley or weber carbs)...at least it did...

With 65000 original miles you should get plenty of use out of yours...I drove the 2.0 for about 100,000 km and it had about 250,000 when I got it...had to replace the whole engine at around 370,000 Km...

There may be a Fuel Injected intake with round ports that you can use with a carb adaptor, but I'm not sure what would work...using a D port intake with the O port head doesn't usually work well due to fuel pooling so it's best to match them properly...

I'm sure there are others on the board who can elaborate on combos that you can use...stay tuned...

 

[1coastie]

Thanks,
I'm not concerned about emissions, I intend to remove all that junk, the belt is already off the smog pump. You said you used a 78 mustang intake and 2 bbl carb that worked well, motorcraft 5200? is this stuff easy to find? and cheap? junkyard maybe, and a carb rebuild kit at home? What do you think? will this make noticeable gains if included with a header exhaust and maybe an aftermarket HP coil?

 

[Mark_88]

Thanks,
I'm not concerned about emissions, I intend to remove all that junk, the belt is already off the smog pump. You said you used a 78 mustang intake and 2 bbl carb that worked well, motorcraft 5200? is this stuff easy to find? and cheap? junkyard maybe, and a carb rebuild kit at home? What do you think? will this make noticeable gains if included with a header exhaust and maybe an aftermarket HP coil?

It was easy to find and fairly cheap, but that's just an example of what I used with the 2.3 head (D port). My original 2.0 had a 2 bbl carb and I've seen plenty of those in the yards...but the carb is not good on those due to the emmission crap...

I am currently looking for a Holley 350 carb that should fit my intake...or I may go with the lower EFI intake from an 86 Ranger...these are simpler carbs...less hoses and nonsense...

There is another member going by the name of Kenneth who has used a few different carbs and manifolds and he recommended the Holley 350...after reading a bit about it it looks like it would work better than the 5200. The 5200 did work good for quite a while but not I'm having issues and just want to replace it...

 

[1coastie]

How about an intake / carb off an early model pinto or capri?

 

[Mutant Pony]

My Pinto has a 2.0 head. I searched the archives for an intake that would work. I've tried every intake ever made. The only intake that will work on the 2.0 head is a 2.0 intake. I ended up fabbing my own intake. It is made from mandrel bends and a piece of 3/8" plate. This head and intake combo out performs anything I've tried. I'll make an educated guesstimate at 150 hp with a stock (non roller) cam.
The older 2.3 intakes will bolt on but, the ports are nowhere close and WILL leak vacuum.

 

[Mark_88]

Wow, 150 hp~! That would be nice...

1coastie: Something else you might consider if emissions are not a problem is swap out the exhaust manifold for the 2.3 shorty header...they are much lighter than the stock and directly bolt on...they actually match up with your current cat exactly too so you don't need to change anything else initially...although a wider exhaust can help if there are other mods done like upgrading the carb or head...

 

[1coastie]

Will a 2.0 intake off an early Pinto or Mercury Capri bolt on to my 1986 2.0 without any drama?
The reason I ask, is they had very little smog junk on those old motors, and I had a 72 Capri when I was a kid with a pretty good 2bbl carb on it (compared to the 1bbl I have now). I am also planning on installing a header, 2 1/2" exhaust (no cat) with a single inlet dual outlet muffler, a high performance multiple spark discharge coil / ignition. and I am open to any other tricks people can think of. I have thought about building a sheet metal / tube intake, but I will have to have the truck down for a while to do that, and I'm trying to avoid much down time.

 

[Mutant Pony]

The Pinto or EAO 2.0 is a completly different engine than the Ranger 2.0. No parts interchange.
I still say your best bet would be to go to the 2.3 d-port head and intake. The heads require a bit of porting to flow good but, The combo is an easy to find upgrade to the intake you have now. The d-port, EFI lower out performs ANY other manifold that you can buy.
Have you discovered the Tech section yet? There are number of web sites and companies there that handle 2300 parts. Start with esslingerracing.com. They have a really good tech section.

 

[Mutant Pony]

Yes the 2300 holley is far better than the 5200. Also easier to tune. That is the '85 Ranger, d-port, Efi intake it is just really hard to see. The 5200 could be much better on fuel but, considerably less HP. If you are interested in building a 5200, I have some tricks that NOBODY else has.

 

[1coastie]

More advice please?

What about the canon intake from Racer Walsh for the 2.0 head? Is it any good? Would it be better with the Weber 38mm DGAS carb, or a Holley? (It says both will fit).
I understand that the D-port head and intake is ultimately the best way to go, but I dont want to run that course until I am ready for a rebuild, then I will be looking more seriously at performance, with a HP cam, pistons, balancing, ported and polished head, etc.
Right now I am looking at some simple exterior bolt ons that will inprove performance and gas milage, and clean up the engine by removing all the unnecessary smog junk and the countless vaccume lines, as well as make it easier to work on.
What do you think?

 

[Mutant Pony]

I would say that the Cannon intake would be better than any other intake that you could get for the 2.0 head.
With the Weber 38 or a Holley 5200 you will gain a small amount of HP/TQ. Very little difference between the 2. Weber was the original designer and Holley built them under licence. The 2300 Holley will give you a bunch more power.
A lot of people don't like Holleys because they don't realize that a carb has to be jetted/adjusted properly in order to function properly. They blame there own laziness on the manufacturer. If a carburator doesn't work right, it is most likely the installers fault.
Get a Holley book and do a little reading.
The cannon/weber will give you a performance boost and a mileage boost over the 1bbl.

 

[1coastie]

Got the little truck running a little better, replaced plugs (old ones actually looked like they were burning perfect) dist cap (looked really bad), rotor, plug wires (stock from 1986, fell apart as I was taking them off) and an accel super stock coil. Cleaned the carb with some gumout, and ran a couple of cans of Berryman B-12 through a tank of gas. The truck now idles perfectly and runs smooth.
Side note: got underneath to cut out the cat, and someone had already beat me to it, no cat.
Side note #2: The A/C was not working so just as an experiment I dumped 2 1/2 cans of Freeze 12 in the system, A/C now blows ice cold, we'll see how long it holds a charge, but it did have a little pressure in the system when I started.
Side note #3: Installed a nice stereo........this is turning out to be a nice little truck.
Next repair....new shocks (their shot)
This little thing still needs to be pepped up a little bit, Header, exhaust, intake and carb comming soon. I hope this inproves the milage a little too. (Only looks like I'm getting around 20mpg) my wifes full size Silverado will do that.