Power Upgrades 2.9l

[PONYTAIL]

I HAVE HAD MY 88 RANGER FOR 2 YEARS. I HAVE DONE TONS OF WORK TO IT. 4" LIFT. NEW BODY MOUNTS. EVERY BEARING, BUSHING, U-JOINT. ALL NEW BREAKS. SWAPPED THE AUTO TRANS, HUBS, AND TRANSFER CASE FOR ALL MANUAL. HAS 4.10 GEARS AND 31 WRANGLER MTR'S. I MADE CUSTOM BUMPERS FRONT AND BACK. AND SO MUCH MORE THAT I CANT REMEMBER. OK....SO YOU GET THE PICTURE.
AFTER ALL THIS IT SEAMS TO ME THAT I GET MORE POWER OUT OF MY 96 S-10 WITH A 4 CYLINDER!!!! WHAT KINDA CRAP IS THAT? HOW DO I GET MORE POWER WITHOUT BIG MONEY? NOT MUCH TO BE FOUND AFTERMAKET. THE TRUCK GOES ANYWHERE BUT HOW DO I GET MORE POWER?.....RYAN

 

[TheStig88]

if you want to keep the 2.9 just take care of it...properly tuned up and maintained it should be more than enough to haul 31's with 4.10s

if you got something else in mind....drop in a different motor
2.3 turbo?
2.3 duratech?
4.0
5.0

anything is possible with some fabrication and (or) a fat wallet

 

[Beef52751]

i think cheap power is an oxymoron when it comes to the 2.9

 

[LearjetMinako]

The 2.9 is not a powerhouse when it comes to horsepower. It does offer plenty of torque at a lower rpm. If more power is desired, than a swap to a 4.0L OHV or 4.0L OHC is probably going to be your best bang for you buck. Or you could take it all the way and drop a built up 5.0 under the hood.

 

[NMB2]

the 2.9 in my DD has a CAI, 58MM throttle body, base timing set to 12*, full cat-back exhaust, and is fully treated with amsoil. It has plenty of power, DEFINITLY more power than my wifes old 2001 S10 had, with the 4cyl and 5spd.

 

[Beanmachine7000]

The 2.9 is not a powerhouse when it comes to horsepower. It does offer plenty of torque at a lower rpm. If more power is desired, than a swap to a 4.0L OHV or 4.0L OHC is probably going to be your best bang for you buck. Or you could take it all the way and drop a built up 5.0 under the hood.

So, you're saying 140hp from 177 cubic inches isn't alot of power? The 2.9L is a remarkable engine, making way more power than it should for it's small size... The 4.0 only makes 10-20 more hp (it makes up for that in the gobs of torque it produces though)... Fact is, the 2.9L is already wrung out pretty well from the factory... Unless you start opening it up and doing major work, you won't be getting anymore power from it...

 

[AllanD]

AND any work you do to a 2.9 that does make more "power" increases
the rpm at which whatever torque you get, thus making it a lot less "user friendly"

People are constantly asking about "more power" when what they really
want is more torque.

the 4.0 delivers that in bulk.
The 4.0 actually produces more torque by 1100rpm than a 2.9 CAN.

The 4.0 is basically designed to go where a 2.9 already is
And while putting a 4.0 into an '88 isn't exactly easy the job
is ENTIRELY electronic/electrical.

on a 5.0 swap you actually get to do ALL the same electrical electronic work
PLUS dealing with custom motor mounts, custom exhaust, different transmission,
transfer case, and driveshafts etc...

This doesn't adress that the V8 you really want for offroad use isn't
a 5.0 but instead a 5.8. it's all about torque.

AD

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Generally it isn't a great idea to reuse a 2.9 tranny with a 4.0, so ideally you would be changing that too. For me, I figured if I am buying a different engine and transmission for my truck, it is going to be a V-8.

A 302 should be plenty for a 4000lb truck, even my '78 weezer 302 is rated at 250 lb-ft at 1600 rpm. Makes my 2.8's rated 143 at 2600 (or a 2.9's 170 @ 2600) look pretty sad.

 

[Shran]

A 2.9 is a turd and the only joy I take from driving one anymore is seeing it hit 6,000 RPM doing hill climbs. Do a 302 or a 4.0 or even a 6.0 GM motor, anything except trying to polish a few more horses out of your old motor.

 

[LearjetMinako]

There is some good points about the 2.9. The 2.9 has been known to the weirdest things and still keep on running.

140HP from a 2.9 isn't much these days. Especially from a V-6. The newer Duratechs produce that much HP out of a smaller displacement (thou not as much torque at a lower rpm). But in my other opinion, a diesel engine would be awasome to have.

 

[Bent Bolt]

Someone on this site said it best about getting more power out of a 2.9 is to pull it out and install a 4.0 . Far easier and far cheaper and much better results than any header/cam/tuner option that has been made for a 2.9 .

 

[Louisville86]

I guess I'm in the minority but I think my '86 2WD longbed 2.9 A4LD (3.73 limited-slip rear end) has an OK amount of power. Granted, I'm not pulling anything or carrying super-heavy loads, but it gets up to speed pretty well and before I know it I'm doing 65 or 70. It cruises at 80 pretty easily with no superfluous downshifting. But I do have stock 14 inch wheels and the standard size (P195 75-series) tires.

AND, my everyday driver is a 2002 Honda Civic automatic with 115 horsepower, so my standards are pretty low

 

[adsm08]

My 2.9 does what it wants. some days she'll top the speedo without breaking a sweat. some days she won't get out of her own way. I have no problems with the amount of power I get, although i am peeved that our 2.2 s-10 gets the same performance. I agree with what's said here tho. if you want to add the get-up 'n go get a 4.0 with a M5OD-R1. If you want a quick easy way to squeeze a bit more acceleration out of her, bump your base timing to 13 degrees.

 

[Beanmachine7000]

There is some good points about the 2.9. The 2.9 has been known to the weirdest things and still keep on running.

140HP from a 2.9 isn't much these days. Especially from a V-6. The newer Duratechs produce that much HP out of a smaller displacement (thou not as much torque at a lower rpm). But in my other opinion, a diesel engine would be awasome to have.

Of course it isn't much when you compare 80's technology to todays technology... Diesel is a great idea... I have some good options for a diesel that will fit in a stock RBV if you care to see...

I guess I'm in the minority but I think my '86 2WD longbed 2.9 A4LD (3.73 limited-slip rear end) has an OK amount of power. Granted, I'm not pulling anything or carrying super-heavy loads, but it gets up to speed pretty well and before I know it I'm doing 65 or 70. It cruises at 80 pretty easily with no superfluous downshifting. But I do have stock 14 inch wheels and the standard size (P195 75-series) tires.

AND, my everyday driver is a 2002 Honda Civic automatic with 115 horsepower, so my standards are pretty low

I never had a problem with my 2.9L UNTIL I got my Explorer and realized what I was missing... The extra torque is soooo nice...

 

[CJREX]

Unbolted my 2.9 and bolted in a 4.0.

Best thing I ever did to my truck.

The 2.9 was OK until I've now had the 4.0.

Now I view the 2.9 very similar to how I view the A4LD. They both look great in the rearview mirror when leaving the dump.