Sluggish Ranger

[88RedRanger]

I have a 88 ranger 2.3 5 speed. I have timed this truck a billion times read over timing on it too. i timed it to the old marks that someone time on it before and it runs but it runs rough very sluggish in first gear. does not want to pull itself up a hill. and the only way of picking speed up is down hill more or less and dont stop on a hill by gosh cause it will bog down before it goes.

so why is this truck so sluggish? brand new plugs, wire, cap, rotor, ignition coil. Brand new fuel filter, inline fuel pump, intake fuel pump, sending unit, and gas tank. can it still be the timing? this truck is driving me nuts.

 

[88RedRanger]

the truck is fuel injection i do not know the fuel pressure yet but i think.

 

[Mark_88]

Hills and 2.3s are not compatible...I always have to down shift to 3rd to make it up certain hills...and my engine is in fairly good shape (just rebuilt the head)...

How is your compression? That would make it sluggish...if the compression is low on one or more cylinders...they should all be within 10-15% of each other...and you should be getting readings between 130 to 150 generally...

 

[88RedRanger]

idk what the compression is yet i just took the compression tester to the house yesterday so i will find out this weekend. i guess if it is low ill just rebuild the motor then? it also smells like its not burning all the fuel cause it smells like gas out of the exhaust.

 

[Mark_88]

idk what the compression is yet i just took the compression tester to the house yesterday so i will find out this weekend. i guess if it is low ill just rebuild the motor then? it also smells like its not burning all the fuel cause it smells like gas out of the exhaust.

If you're not burning all the fuel then that indicates spark and/or timing issues...

Check the compression when you can and see where it goes from there...the compression helps in burning the fuel...lack of compression means the gas isn't pressurized enough to fully burn...or you may simply have weak spark...either of those will contribute to sluggishness...as would a clogged air filter...

When was the last time you did a tune-up...as in new air filter, spark plugs and wires?

 

[88RedRanger]

when i bought the truck two weeks ago. it has a great spark i checked that over the weekend i ended up shocking the crap out of myself too. i think it might have something to do with the compression also. because when i was timing it did not put out any noticible amount of air. That might be the cause of the sluggish and idling rough too huh? ok. im changing the idle air control valve and tps also cause i do not know how long the truck has been sitting.

 

[Mark_88]

when i bought the truck two weeks ago. it has a great spark i checked that over the weekend i ended up shocking the crap out of myself too.

Welcome to the club...lol

i think it might have something to do with the compression also. because when i was timing it did not put out any noticible amount of air. That might be the cause of the sluggish and idling rough too huh? ok. im changing the idle air control valve and tps also cause i do not know how long the truck has been sitting.

Did you actually change the timing or setting it? If you changed the timing, was the truck running OK before you adjusted it?

I've had timing go out on me when I didn't release the adjustment tension pulley properly...when it sproinged back to where it normally sits the belt skipped a tooth and the engine started running rough...

 

[Rogue_Wulff]

Has the timing belt been replaced recently? My 95 was very sluggish, idled rough, and had almost no power. I checked the timing belt, and someone had it way out of time, cam was 5-6 teeth advanced, and the aux gear was off by around 120*. I reset the timing belt to the *correct* settings, and it made a HUGE difference in the power and MPG. No wonder I got the truck for $700........ The fact that it even ran at all is what baffles me the most. It does run much better now, more like a $3000 truck.

Note: 95+ is a bit different than earlier models. The aux gear drives the oil pump directly, and the cam position sensor was added to this gear as well. Timing marks were also relocated from the gears to the rear belt guide on the back of the gears.

 

[88RedRanger]

the truck would hardly move when i got it. it would not stay running. you had to give it half throttle the whole time for it to move. i timed it to where the v notches on the cam and the aux gear where dead nuts and it would not crank at all then i timed it to the markings that someone else put on it and it cranks right up but its sluggish in getting up into rpms when just sitting there. i have not replace the belt yet it is another job i plan on doing this weekend also. the timing marks on the cam that was mark is one tooth over from the v notch and 2 i think on the aux gear.

What is the best way in timing this truck?

 

[Rogue_Wulff]

Its been a few years since I messed with one that had the old markings (carbed 2.0), but if memory serves me right, the cam/aux gear pointers should be pointing at each other, and a straight edge run between the centers of the bolts should line up with the 2 marks. The crank gear has it's own mark that lines up with another mark on the front of the engine, or the crank pully can be aligned with the "TC" notch on the cover if the pully is still in place.
Like I said, it has been more than 10 years since I have done this on the older style, and I had to dig hard to find out how the 95+ was supposed to be done.
My brother sold his 86 ranger 7 years ago, just 3 years after I put in a new engine, and I just bought my 95 a couple months back. In the meantime, I've stuck to working on simple stuff, like my 300 or rotary engines.......

 

[flaminranger]

what is the fuel pressure?

 

[88RedRanger]

idk yet. all i know is that when i line the marks up cam/aux it will not crank at all. u can hear the exhaust through the intake so somewhere down the line someone messed something up on this truck.

 

[Rogue_Wulff]

Ok, I went and looked it up, to refresh my memory. According to what I found, the cam mark should line up with a pointer at about the 5 o'clock position, and the crank gear lines it's mark with a pointer that is about the 1 o'clock position (pully removed) or the pully mark lined up with the TC notch on the cover about the 2 o'clock position (pully still installed). The book does not show any specific alignment for the aux gear, since this year model only uses that shaft as a means to operate the oil pump.
If that is how you have been setting the timing belt, and it's pushing air out thru the intake, then there must be a missing or sheared keyway in either the cam or crank, allowing the gear(s) to be out of position. The only other possible explanation for this, would be one or more valves that are bent or not closing for some reason. I can't imagine valves getting bent in a 2.3L, unless it has been highly modified. I've always been told valve to piston contact in a 2.3L (2.0 and 2.5 as well) is next to impossible without some serious mods to bump compression ratio. However, I've seen some pretty odd things happen over the years.......

 

[88RedRanger]

Ok so the aux gear don't do nothing really cause the oil pump don't have nothing to do with the timing. Cause it has great oil pressure running. I'm going to put a new belt on today and put a fuel pressure gauge on the rail and see what that might do. if the pressure is low ill put a fuel regulator on and replace the tps cause u have to have Ur foot on the floor to go anywhere.
fuel pressure should be between 30 and 40 lbs right?
Does that sound like a smart thing to do? Oh and idle air control valve is been replaced too.

 

[88RedRanger]

ok i found out my timing is dead on and i checked the compression on the truck
#1 was at 115
#2 was at 25
#3 was at 25
#4 was at 100
now does that mean i need a head job on the truck or rebuild the bottom end?
How do i figure that out?