Hey guys first time posting in this forum. I have a 1989 ford ranger 2.3, 2 wheel drive, five speed manual. So i used to get 21 mpg, and now i get 18 mpg . The tps, air charge censor, coolant temperature sensor, oxygen sensor, and new thermostat. I drive it sensibly, accelerate slow and shift around 2100 rpm, going by the owners manual. It is not factory equipped with a MAS. All sensors were replaced under a year ago, and i have no engine light coming on. And for the noise, when i am turning left while pulling out from a stop. It's like a low kinda grinding sound. I also just replaced the transmission mount to stop the drive shaft form hitting the heat shield on the gas tank. Sorry for the long post, and thank you.
Its typical to get lower gas milage during the winter. Is most of your driving done in town or on the open road? How many miles on the engine? Are you using a different brand of gasoline than you have used in the past? Is there anything else that has changed about the truck, for example, new tires with a more agressive tread or a larger size?
While I see that you have replaced a lot of parts that are related to engine operation, I don't see where you have replaced spark plugs and wires. By the way, what prompted you to replace the parts that have been replaced?
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2008 XLT, 2.3 DOHC, 5R44e Automatic, 7.5" axle, 4.10 gears, 40 K miles
Motorcraft Blend in Engine, PS, PB, A/C, 225/70 x 15 Continental ContiTrac RWL tires,
extended. cab, 6' bed, Access tonneau cover.
Previous vehicle: 1991 XLT, 2.3 SOHC (Lima), M5OD, 7.5 axle 3.45 gears. Donated to a charity, September, 2011.
I had trouble codes that propted me to change the parts, and yes I forgot to mention it but it did do a tune up when I replaced the engine, it was the same way before with the old engine and the truck it came iut of got around 21 as well, I do have winter treads on it but get the same milage with radial tires, and most my driving is highway and open roads, the engine itself has 212000 miles, thank you for your reply.
I was thinking along the same lines as MI66 - winter fuel. When the winter blended fuel got to my local pump, the MPGs fell about 15%. If you do some reading, you can find articles showing that the blend you receive may be better than what is posted. For instance, Contains upto 10% Ethanol might be on different pumps at different fuel providers. But one my have a 6% blend while the other has a 9% blend. Some experimentation might be needed to figure out if one is significantly better than the other.
Sounds like you are going through the trouble shooting steps, but it might be that the truck is right...the fuel just lacking 'pop'.
I don't know if I read it or heard it, but MTBE used to help with complete combustion of gas in the winter was a bad idea (not sure that it really worked as was stated and it was at the root of debate on the environmental impact when spills leached into the water table). Ethanol was a better solution (biofriendly additive), but unless you have a high compression engine, can detract from your power in that the blended fuel combustion has less pop than straight gas. Hence, MPGs are better in the summer than in the winter. There is a site out there where you can find locations that distribute regular gas (nonblended fuel), but in colder areas in the country, not likely to be found given legislation that demands fewer noxious emmissions.
I think I read that it takes 1.5 gallons of blended fuel to match the pop of 1 gallon of regular untreated fuel. Other reading stated that most folks wouldn't notice MPG or power differences. I can state that my 2000 Ranger and 2004 Accord have seen 10-15% dropoffs. I know your truck has some miles on her (Bravo by the way!!!), but not sure on the engine. It could be that the compression is lower (because of age/wear-and-tear), so you're more susceptible to the Ethanol blend than someone with a 2011 Ranger. If the CEL is out and the truck running fine otherwise, it might be cold temperatures and blended fuel at the root. I'm not sure where you are at, but in Connecticut and Michigan, it get pretty cold here. Don't underestimate the temperature outside either. That 10-15% dropoff is affected by temperatures.
Yeah hear what your saying, and thank your for the explination. Can you do somting to raise the compressoon when you rebuil the engine to compensate and make it better for ethanol blend? I am rebuilding the engine some time soon
Any ideas about the grinding soubd i get with hard lefts?
Are your tires hitting anything when they are turned like that?
I get a weird sound like one of my front tires is scraping something when turned to the left and I'm backing up - not entirely sure if it's a tire or the brakes - could be either...
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-Terry.
2004 Ranger XLT SC 4x4, 4.0L, M5OD, 4.10LS, Payload Package2, Towing Package.
1977 F150 Ranger 4x4, 414cid (6.8L) w/ '72 2V Cleveland heads, C6 Auto.
"Control will always be in the hands of people intelligent enough to operate in the shadows, while using puppets in the public eye." - shorebird
Josh - looks like your numbers show around the same loss.
Sparky - a stock rebuild should improve compression to manufacturer's specs. There are things that you can do to increase compression, but to be honest, I don't know to what degree you'd have to go to minimize the effects of Ethanol blended fuel. As I recall from reading, folks built engines where they were able to leverage the blends, but the cost to do it wouldn't be justifyable (cheaper to buy gas). I think the compression levels need to be pretty high; comparable to a diesel engine.
That said, getting the rebuild as close to original spec's is probably the right, most cost effective thing to do. Maybe someone here with more engine building experience can chime in and give some better advice.
Could you grinding noise be a bad wheel bearing? I think the rule is, if you hear it while turning left, it's a bad right wheel bearing. When mine went bad, they only made noise on sharp turns.
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first time posting in this forum. I have a 1989 ford ranger 2.3, 2 wheel drive, five speed manual. So i used to get 21 mpg, and now i get 18 mpg 
. The tps, air charge censor, coolant temperature sensor, oxygen sensor, and new thermostat. I drive it sensibly, accelerate slow and shift around 2100 rpm, going by the owners manual. It is not factory equipped with a MAS. All sensors were replaced under a year ago, and i have no engine light coming on. And for the noise, when i am turning left while pulling out from a stop. It's like a low kinda grinding sound. I also just replaced the transmission mount to stop the drive shaft form hitting the heat shield on the gas tank. Sorry for the long post, and thank you.
