new to me ranger seems low on power

[subs1000w]

i got this 94 ranger 2.3 5spd 207k for $100 about 1 week ago and it runs ok the bodys very rough but id like to get it running better so far ive searched and tryed a few things but nothing has worked but heres what ive tryed. hollowed out the cat, adjusted the tps to .98v cleaned throttle body (fixed the high idle problem now idles nice at 750, the SPOUT connector was missing so i borrowed one from one of my f150s, replaced/hooked up hoses to the Pressure Feedback EGR (PFE) sensor, checked fuel pressure 35-42psi even under load, tested coils PRIMARY RESISTANCE .3-1 ohm fine but i couldnt get a reading on the SECONDARY RESISTANCE which should be between 6.5k - 11.5k between the sparkplug terminals and the coil connectors i also tryed testing one of the coils on my dads explorer with a 5.0and same thing couldnt get a reading and i tryed 2 different meters set at all different settings and i know how to use a dmm so i have to be doing somthing wrong on the coil so i would like a suggestion on that

i understand this thing only has 98hp but it feels really slugish there are certain areas in the rpms where it almost feels like somthing is holding it back even in 1st and 2nd which it should climb pretty fast almost like the ignition timing is messed up but apparently its not adjustable

i proboly should do plugs and wires but the wires look newer and its not missing or hessitating so i doubt that will fix the problem

one thing i might check is the timing belt to make sure that is timed right any other suggestions would be great

 

[Bryan22]

that cat you hollowed out probably lost most of the honeycomb into the muffler and plugged it up. that was a bad idea. =[

 

[mongo]

man i got the same truck

a tune up will do wonders

mine was the same way

a full tune up plugs,wires,fuel filter,a k&n air cleaner with rock your world
there is a pipe between the mas and the tb

it is soposto mantain air turbulance when down shifting

take it out and eather cut the baffle out or what i did is replaced it with 2.5 exhaust pipe

and have an exhaust shop cheak for the remains of the cat blown out


i really thought the ranger was a decent little truck then i did this and i love the damn thing

and im getting close to 29avg. mpg

and run synthetic oil

fill it up with the high grade chevron

and while you at the part store grab a bottle of chelron fuel system cleaner

thats gold in a can anything else will eat the o rings

trust me man

it will be like driving a whole new truck

and with the k&n the price tag should be about roughly $150

 

[Bryan22]

ya i forgot about that baffle, i actually noticed a difference when i removed mine. You don't need to cut or replace anything, with some will power and a pair of pliers you can just pull the baffle out of the intake tube.

 

[jdm90]

How did you test the sparkplug wire end of coils? You should check 1 and 4 / 2 and 3.

 

[subs1000w]

as far as the muffler goes its gone i took it off to hoolow the cat and didnt put it back on because there wasnt much left so now there is only a hollow cat im going to replace the muffler soon because the truck is LOUD

acually there is already a kn cone filter and metal tube on the truck when i got it so aside from cleaning because it looks alittle dirty thats fine

for testing the coils i used autozone site
Measure, using the ohmmeter, and note the resistance between each corresponding coil terminal and the two spark plug wire towers on the ignition coil. The coil terminals and plug wires towers are grouped as follows:
2.3L, 2.5L engines-right-hand coil pack
Terminal 1 (coil 2)-spark plugs 2 and 3
Terminal 3 (coil 1)-spark plugs 1 and 4
2.3L, 2.5L engines-left-hand coil pack
Terminal 1 (coil 4)-spark plugs 2 and 3
Terminal 3 (coil 3)-spark plugs 1 and 4
If the resistance for all of the readings was between 6,500-11,500 ohms, the ignition coils are OK. If any of the readings was less than 6,500 ohms or more than 11,500 ohms, replace the corresponding coil pack.


one other thing i forgot to mention is i got about 225miles to 15 gallons which is 15mpg out of my 1st tank of gas which is quite a bit lower than i was expecting so im sure thats related to the low power thing

i also tryed to pull codes as ive done on many other obd1 vehicles but that turned out to puzzle me alittle because it was kinda hard to interpret but i seem to get 34 41 and maybe 63 or maybe a 6 and then 34 i dont know what the 6 was but id read the codes twice but i need to clear them and try again

 

[mongo]

ya i forgot about that baffle, i actually noticed a difference when i removed mine. You don't need to cut or replace anything, with some will power and a pair of pliers you can just pull the baffle out of the intake tube.

yeah but with the metal you can prim and paint it and ad a little snazz the the engine bay for about $15

 

[jdm90]

Where is the Air Charge Temperature sensor now with the K&N?

 

[shadetree]

there is a pipe between the mas and the tb

it is soposto mantain air turbulance when down shifting

Man, you gotta explain that one. It's a first for me. Maybe I just don't know what soposto means.shady

 

[fastpakr]

Isn't it some kind of pasta?

 

[Bryan22]

lol... to the OP, try pulling the codes again.... they should be 2 or 3 digit codes, the seperations between codes is pretty obvious. 15 MPG is bad, could be an EGR problem, but it's hard to tell from the info you've given so far. try pulling the codes again. they could be very helpful.

 

[scotts90ranger]

the baffle in the intake is to remove some of the intake noise that inline 4 cylinders inherently have, removing it will make it slightly louder and have less restriction...

your problem is probably a dirty MAF sensor from the oil on the K&N filter... that and it probably has tall gears...

 

[mongo]

the baffle in the intake is to remove some of the intake noise that inline 4 cylinders inherently have, removing it will make it slightly louder and have less restriction...

your problem is probably a dirty MAF sensor from the oil on the K&N filter... that and it probably has tall gears...

the baffles job is to slow down air turbulance when down shifting

it dosnt do its got very well

 

[88gt]

lousy mileage..replace your batery cables. they tend to get overlooked during tuneups. if they are rotten on the inside, ou will never be ale to tell by looking. my 2.9 got about 13mpg till i changed the cables. then it jumped up to 20!

 

[mongo]

what???