No power

[jonsranger]

Hey guys i got a 97 2wd 2.3 4 cyl. and i got a prob. to actuall get this thing going above dead grandma speed the pedal has to be just about floored. i was wondering if theres any cheaper ways to get a lil more power, because i tried to pull some codes, nothin, its got 109k on the clock, would a tune up help, i have a k&n af and a glasspack, never get on of these 4 this engine sound horrible, like a pissed off bumble bee my work calls my truck the honda ranger or ford civic, also i get like 22 mpg on the high way this seems a lil low for a 4 banger to me. any help would be awesome.

Thanks
jon

 

[HAPPY_RANGER_GUY]

What is the gearing on the rearend? Can make a big difference.

Good tuneup would probably be helpful, especially on the sparkplug and ignition wireset side of things. With almost 110K and ten years gone by, time to look at the timing belt as well. The timing could be little off depending on condition of the belt which could explain the lack of any power.

T.

 

[snake]

If it has always been weak it might be rear-end ratio related, if this is a new problem where you have recently lost power check the fuel and air filters, and the catalytic converter to ensure it isn't plugging up.

 

[HAPPY_RANGER_GUY]

yeah...fuel filter, i noticed a change after replacing. Good idea to change it regularly.

 

[scotts90ranger]

clean your MAF sensor, might have gotten some oil on it from the K&N...

other than that, what rpm's are you running at? if you're thinking it's going to accelerate or maintain speed in the low 2000rpm range, there's part of your problem. mine has a lot more drivetrain loss than yours (4x4, 31's, etc), not to mention nearly 180K on the clock, mine's fairly doggy under 2500rpm, at highway speed I've had to use 3rd to get up certain hills maintaining speed or accelerating (for some reason most people think it's normal to drive slow at the bottom and speed by the top, my truck doesn't work that way) which puts me at 4500rpm at around 55mph.

 

[jonsranger]

yea theres really no go untill 4000 rpm and the only way to take off is floored, im just wondering if theres any way to get a lil more bottom end uumph, and gears are prob stock unless the previous owner did something which i seriously doubt, plus i aint got enought $$ for new gears

 

[exbass94]

Try the throttle cable mod. If you have real engine problems, it won't fix it, but since it's so cheap and easy, you might as well try it anyway.

 

[scotts90ranger]

ok, what tires are you running, and what tire size did it come with (drivers door sticker)

it's probably either 3.08 or 3.45 gears. I drove for about a year with 3.08's and 235 70 15 tires, was doable but not optimal (5th wasn't used, I think it held 65mph at 3000rpm in 4th)

is this an auto or 5 speed? if it's auto that could be part of your problem, they've been known to make this engine seem gutless...