Just another stupid question but I'm wondering what the rest of you all got. The idle RPM on the 95Ranger2.3 is about 4 hundred, seems alittle low. I have an 03 Cobra it's around 7 hundred and an 04 F-150 FX4 and it's about the same. Also when I rev it, 2500 sounds like the max before the valves start jumpin around.

 

I think your tach is off... 4 hundred is just about death for an engine, as it's very hard for the engine to stay running at that RPM, and it definetly would not be smooth.

Is this an aftermarket tach? Seems like it could be set for a V8, reading half the values, therefore idle would be around 800 or so and the valve jumping would be around 5000, though even that's low on a 2.3L.

 

The Ranger tach's have a switch on them to allow use w/ 4 or 6 cyl engines, so if its the factory tach, it could just have gotten accidentally changed to the '6' setting.

 

The tach I have is a SunPro 2. Maybe there's a switch somewhere?

 

it has a switch on the back.

go to the web site and it probably has a pdf of instructions.

 

I've got the exact same tach that I just put in my truck also. There is a switch on the back side of it that'll switch between 4 cyl, 6 cyl, and 8 cyl. Zach is definately right about what he was saying about the half of rpms. Even if your engine was only at 400 rpms your motor would feel like it was falling apart if that was for real.

 

Thanks to all for the help. There is a switch on the back of the tach and it was set on 8 instead of 4. Idle RPM is now between 800 and 1100. Problem solved!!! You guys f-in rock!!!

 

Or you could keep it in the 6 cyl or 8 cyl position and convince your buddies that the 2.3 makes so much HP and Torque at a low RPM, that you don't even have to get it up past 2000 RPM to make power.....

Really though, Zach pinned that one to the ground in a hurry. Nice job man. Especially since dlgentry never specified whether or not he had a factory tach or not!

 

Let's just say I've been there before. It's the switch that everyone seems to miss. Glad it's fixed now.