Hey Guys!

I'm new to this site and am ready to start learning! I currently am a member of another club called Stratusphere (http://www.Stratusphere.org/). I just bought my second vehicle (this truck) as a play toy :) I am not rich so this is where I stand...yeah...OK enough "bore-dumb" lets get to what I really would like to know!

As you probably already know/read, I have the 2.3L 5-Speed. The vehicle was bought for a great deal and needs some minor work done on it to get it in better running condition.

The vehicle has a little trouble starting and it seems to idle ok. However, once the engine is under any amount of load and it's not at least at 2,700 RPM it studders and has trouble. It sounds like an ignition deal to me but I'm not positive. I plan on doing a FULL tune-up this weekend to make sure I KNOW it has every thing it needs taken care if. :)

Here's some questions though:

1) After replacing the spark plugs/wires if I notice the same problem then I'm going to A$$ume that it's the MAFS. Being that the case, a friend of mine owns a 94 Ranger 4.0L and he's a member of this club. He said we can stick his MAFS in my truck to see if it solves my problem. The question is, will his MAFS work in my truck being that I have the 2.3L and he has the 4.0L?

2) I need PERFORMANCE. I didn't buy this truck to dump a LOT of money into it however, after driving it and realizing it ONLY has 98 HP and who knows how much torque (correct me if I'm wrong about the HP) but it NEEDS some power. What is the most cost-effective things that I can do to make this baby burn a little more rubber. I'm not into eXtreme performance modifications, more or less I'm into things sort of cheap.

Examples being: What's the best Air Filter? K&N stock replacement or Cone Filter? Are Bosche 4+ Platinums the best? (They are for the Stratus...my other car). Who makes the best wires? Is there a cat-back exhaust system I can buy? Is there a chip I can buy? How much are these mods and how much performance can I expect to gain. Anybody Dyno to test these results and make sure they are accurate?

I think for now that's all my questions (it looks like two but I rolled a WHOLE bunch more in #2) :) If I have more and you guys are willing to answer I will post...again.

Please do not take any offense in me questioning how you obtained your results of what product is better then another and et cetera. Over on Stratusphere we always seem to have people CLAIMING that this particular product is excellent, however once thoroughly tested by a professional we come to realize the exact opposite..

Thanks once again and great site!

hey, my neighbor just bought a 96' ranger with the 2.3 and he told me it has 8 spark plugs, WOW! why is that does anyone know?

Originally posted by Rob 99
hey, my neighbor just bought a 96' ranger with the 2.3 and he told me it has 8 spark plugs, WOW! why is that does anyone know?

2 spark plugs per cylinder, why, I don't know.

Hmmm, from what I've seen the 94 Mazdas are popular. Get a KKM intake. I have a Gibson cat-back and I love it. With a 4 cyl. don't expect to get too much power, leave that to us big boy's with the 4.0Ls. :pimp:

The best bit of info I can give you is to try this on the 2.3/2.5 board. As you probably know, the engine in yours is the same 2.3 that is used in the Ranger. Those boys on the four banger board know a lot of tricks to get you up and running. The last 2.3 I had other than my SVO was in a pinto many years ago.

The other items I can offer, if the 4.0 MAF will hook to your intake and the connectors are the same, give it a try. You will need to remove the battery negative cable for 20-30 minutes to reset the computer, you could do this while you're doing the swap. The Bosch platinums are reputed to be good plugs, but I have no personal experience with them. I have used the Autolite platinums and haven't had any problems.

The other item you may want to check is your O2 sensor, depending on the miles it's probably time to replace it even though you don't say anything about having a check engine light.

Hope this helps a little, and welcome to the board!

I should of mentioned the Check Engine light but because I've been so busy lately I've forgotten. At any rate, thanks once again and I will post a link back to here to see if I can get some more people to help me...

Take care!

PS: Checking the error codes are harder then on my Stratus! I don't own a volt-meter (shame on me!) but I guess I'll have to get or borrow one to check the error codes. Seems like it's sort of a pain in the butt to use/do!

This Friday I'm buying this stuff but I'm not sure of exactly what manufacturer of the products that I'm going to buy...

01) Oil
02) Oil Filter
03) Fuel Filter
04) PCV Valve
05) Spark Plugs (probably Bosche +4's)
06) Spark Plug Wires (probably Bosche again)
07) Air Filter (Not sure if I'm going to do anything but an OEM replacement yet)
08) Cooling System Stuff (Anti-Freeze)
09) Wash mit (Hey, the truck has to be clean...right?) :)
10) Oxygen O2 Sensors (Isn't that redundant?) :P
BTW: How many Oxygen O2 Sensors are there...two (2)?
11) Fuel Cleaner (Fuel Injector Cleaner...Chevron/Techron probably)
12) Maybe some Mystery Oil...Just to make sure hte engine gets cleaned out...However I hope it doesn't make hidden problems show up after using it :(

OK I listed stupid stuff for fun but you get the picture...I plan on trying to make sure every thing is changed so I don't run into any new problems....The timing belt probably needs to be changed but the serpenteen (sp?) belt is new!

If you have any ideas for what I should buy (what works best) from the above please let me know!

THANKS a Million!

Looks like a good list, Dan-o. Everybody has their own opinion on oil and filters, I run Mobile 1 but wouldn't recommend it on an engine with lots of miles. You'll find leaks the truck didn't have before. I stick with Motorcraft filters, they have been tested and analyzed to be some of the best. Bosch plug wires will work fine, no use going to anything more expensive. In fact the standard factory wires work pretty well. The factory filter will do you fine until you start thinking about an induction kit with a cone filter. Don't waste your money on a K&N drop in if you're going to swap it later anyway. While you're changing out the anti freeze, you might go ahead and get a flush-n-fill kit and flush it out as well. On the O2 sensor, I think you have one. I don't think they added the one after the cat until the OBD II systems started in 96. The timing belt should be changed at around 60,000 miles, anything longer than that and you are starting to ask for troubles. Pretty easy to replace too.

On the Marvel Mystery Oil, I wouldn't use it unless you have valvetrain noise. The problem with motor flushes on an older engine is they loosen stuff up that doesn't get drained out, then it loosens later. I add a little mystery oil to the fuel once in while, but stick to regular oil changes to take care of the engine.

Good luck with it, if you need anything else just ask.

Try a jet performance module or a superchip