What engine?

[dannyboy3141]

I am a young fella with little automotive experience, and was wondering if I could get some help from you guys. I have a 92 Ranger XLT Supercab with the stock 3.0L V6 in it. I would like to eventually swap out the motor for a somewhat newer one. I don't want huge or extra powerful. A little more power than what I have now would be nice, but I'm mostly looking at gas mileage, reliability, and affordability. Any crate engines or engines from other vehicles anyone would suggest?

 

[stmitch]

The 3.0 is known for 3 things.
1. limited power
2. pretty average fuel economy for it's size
3. they last forever, whether that's good or bad is up to you

The 3.0 is pretty unique in the Ranger lineup. It doesn't share parts or bellhousing bolt patterns with any other engine ever used in a Ranger. Because of that, there are no really easy, drop right in, "beginner" type swaps.

Wanting more power, and better fuel economy simultaneously would generally require a pretty in depth swap to something pretty new. Swaps like that will require lots of work, wiring and customization and all of those add to up substantial costs.

The best advice I can give for your situation is to maintain it well. That will keep it alive, and keep it running well. Well maintained engines get better fuel economy. That will give you some time to figure out a plan, and gain some knowledge/experience with the mechanicals of your truck.

 

[dannyboy3141]

Okay, I have two sides to this then. Disregarding money, what engine would be good to put in it for fuel efficiency and a little more power. On the other hand, if I were to keep the engine, are there a few things you can suggest to upgrade the engine a little bit?

 

[hoosier1104]

Engine choice: 4BT - get the torque and fuel economy of sorts
Engine Mods:

We are talking about a 3.slow. Let it be what it is. I got about the same fuel economy in my 5.0 in my 05 as I did with the 3.slow. Your truck, your money. Do as you see fit.

 

[adsm08]

If I had to pick a swap to do for power and fuel economy where money was not an issue I would do with a DOHC 3.0.

It's a bit of an untested area, very little info on it, and a lot of custom work would have to be done, bit it should be doable. If you have a 2wd truck then you could probably grab the whole powertrain out of a Lincoln LS6 and throw it in your truck as is. That would make the wiring the biggest problem. If I ever find a manual to mate to that engine I would throw one in my BII.

The 3.0 Duratech (DOHC) has more power than the pushrod 3.0 and I used to get 30 or better out of my AWD Escape. A Ranger shouldn't do much worse.

 

[tcbaklash]

If I were ever to swap in an engine matching that criteria, yeah, 4BT or early Volkswagen TDI for sure. Good luck breaking either of those.

 

[stmitch]

Any engine swap needs to consider what you want out of the truck when it's done. If you have big tires and a lift, and like to take your truck off-road, a torquey engine makes the most sense. A diesel swap or big v8 would do well in this situation, and the diesels can get good fuel economy too.
If you only use your truck on the street, and want it to handle better too, then a heavy diesel might not make as much sense as a light weight, boosted 4 cylinder. You'll have to figure out what you want out of the truck first.

As for things you can do now to improve performance and get better fuel economy with the 3.0, the most important is maintenance. Run some SeaFoam through it, replace the plugs with properly gapped new ones, etc. Make sure the rest of the truck is in good working order too. Make sure your brakes aren't dragging, that everything is properly lubed, tires are properly inflated, and the front end alignment is right. With the age of your truck, you could see significant improvements by doing the throttle cable mod too, and it's pretty much free.

Once that stuff is done, adding an underdrive crank pulley and e-fan will add some pep to the 3.0's step, and both should improve fuel economy as well. Both are fairly budget friendly mods too.

The 2 biggest factors in fuel economy are driver inputs and aerodynamics. Changing your driving style is easy to fix, the other will take some work on your part, but can be done fairly cheaply. Rangers will never be slippery through the air, but improvements can be made depending on what you want to do with the truck.

 

[hoosier1104]

stmitch points out some very good points. I have 2 RBV's, Sport Trac w/ 302 and AWD and a 3.slow as my DD.

The plan for the Trac will eventually be a TT 4BT setup because it is my hunting rig and my DD is just that my DD. I am considering the e-fan conversion and I totally forgot about the under drive pulley's. I am also seriously considering a 2/3 or 3/4 drop on my DD for better aero properties.

Put some thought into it and make a informed/wise decision on your plan.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

With the age of your truck, you could see significant improvements by doing the throttle cable mod too, and it's pretty much free.

Might not help mileage much...

 

[dannyboy3141]

Okay, consider the idea that I'm planning on tweaking the suspension for a bit more travel, lifting it by 2 or 3 inches, and planning on being able to take it "off road." When I say off road, I'm not talking about hardcore offroading. I mean that I grew up on a farm stuck in between a couple of mountains, and there were times you had to go off the beaten path to get places. That's the goal. Now, I'm not so sure I want to convert to diesel, but I think torque is more what I'm looking for.

 

[stmitch]

You want torque. The 2 easiest swaps for your 92 that might get you the torque you want would be the 2.3t, or the 5.0. Either would probably get you more hp/torque than your 3.0 right out of the gate, and have potential for more down the line.

Neither one is an ideal swap for fuel economy though. The boosted 2.3 might get better fuel economy when you're not in the boost, but it will require premium unleaded which will probably negate any savings you might see. The 5.0 will drink some fuel too, and do it pretty much all the time. Lifting the truck is going to hurt fuel economy no matter what because it hurts aerodynamics. Adding larger tires hurts too because it increases rotating mass, and makes the engine work harder.

A big part of this might be the gearing you have now too. A lot of the older rangers had pretty low gear ratios. Some were as low as 3.27. That will get help to keep your rpms low while highway driving, but will burn more fuel in low speed situations because the engine has to work harder to get up to speed. Switching to a more appropriate gear ratio, especially once you get larger tires, will make the truck accelerate quicker, and you'll be able to use more of the engines powerband more effectively. The drawback is that top speed is limited, and you'll be turning higher rpms while cruising, which uses more fuel. Id suggest you figure out what your current gear ratio is, and consider a gear swap if necessary. If not now, then when you get your lift/tires on. Just remember that there's a tradeoff where you'll have to sacrifice some power for fuel economy, or fuel economy for power depending on your situation/use.

 

[dannyboy3141]

Okay, I liked your post about the 2.3t and the 5.0, but I have some questions. I had considered the 5.0, but the huge drop in mileage threw that idea out the window. I like the idea of the 2.3t, but I really don't want to have to pay for the expensive gas. What would you guys say about the 2.9? Or the 4.0?

 

[hoosier1104]

The 4.0 has a descent aftermarket backing. You can drop a M90 s/c on it to get a little hp. I wish I had a 4.0 in my DD but who knows down the road I might drop one in.

 

[chucky2]

Search here and at tdiclub.com Conversions forum for guys doing VW TDI swaps. There's your fuel efficiency and power. It certainly wouldn't be drop in, however, it is starting to be done enough that with enough research, you could probably get a working setup for around $2k (I admittedly don't know how big the around range is, and the $2k was a SWAG).

The 4.0L while OK on power, gets bad gas mileage. A 4 cyl VW TDI with a mild tune on it would make more than enough power and get probably closing in on double the mileage a 4.0 would get.