Cammed 2.3
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Joined: Dec 2012
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Okay, I feel as if I've drifted from the original thread pertaining to camming a 2.3L, I have the 4.56 gears installed but to be honest I feel a little disappointed. It doesn't pull as well as I thought it would. Definitely helped on take off and 1-3 gear is about the same, when I hit 4th gear and I get up to 3000 rpm's, it just falls on its face. It runs about 50 and that's all it will do. I have a gps tracking speed as my speedo is about 10 to 15 mph off. So now that I know what the gears will do, my next question is this,
It's getting close to where I want it but just shy of the pie.
- What can I do to give it more power between 2500-3000 rpm's?
- Can I just retard the cam with a gear or should I swap a cam in it, or both?
- Should I go with a off the shelf cam like Crane Cams' 199541, or get a custom ground cam?
- Is a cam going to give a big enough improvement to justify the expense?
It's getting close to where I want it but just shy of the pie.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 3,635
Likes: 3
From: Lansdale, PA
I'd say do an adjustable cam gear because then when/if you do get a custom cam, you can tweak it more.
The stock cam could use the help of an adjustable gear, but it really seems like you're going to need a custom cam to be happy and get the most from the engine.
As far as the 2.5 goes, it's the same engine just more displacement. My 97 its a bolt in swap. Electronics are the same and it plugs in. Research the swap. See if it uses bigger injectors, even if it doesn't, get a 2.5 ecu and put it in place of your ecu. It may have a better timing and fuel curve and help with power.
The stock cam could use the help of an adjustable gear, but it really seems like you're going to need a custom cam to be happy and get the most from the engine.
As far as the 2.5 goes, it's the same engine just more displacement. My 97 its a bolt in swap. Electronics are the same and it plugs in. Research the swap. See if it uses bigger injectors, even if it doesn't, get a 2.5 ecu and put it in place of your ecu. It may have a better timing and fuel curve and help with power.
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Me thinks that's what I'll try first. Got the feeling of low compression Saturday when we was dropping the drive shaft, was turning the engine over with the breaker bar. But hell, if it'll pull worn out, just think of what it will be like with a fresh rebuild.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Jan 2002
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From: suburban atlanta
I do not understand why you feel it is not pulling at the higher rpms .. "3000 rpsms, it falls on its face ..."
My old 2.3 really starts to pull when you get above 2500. Even more so it seems at 3k. You have something else wrong, I think.
Run a compression test. When my truck was almost new, I left it in gear in the driveway, and it walked itself backwards out into the street. Compression was as good as it would ever get and it would not hold. Old rule of thumb on compression was to watch the fan when you shut the engine off. If it stopped immediately when you cut the ignition, and didn't keep turning over at all, maybe even bounced back, it was likely good.
tom
My old 2.3 really starts to pull when you get above 2500. Even more so it seems at 3k. You have something else wrong, I think.
Run a compression test. When my truck was almost new, I left it in gear in the driveway, and it walked itself backwards out into the street. Compression was as good as it would ever get and it would not hold. Old rule of thumb on compression was to watch the fan when you shut the engine off. If it stopped immediately when you cut the ignition, and didn't keep turning over at all, maybe even bounced back, it was likely good.
tom
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Joined: Jun 2006
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From: Ottawa, Ontario
That's the stock cam and nothing you do will make a difference until it gets changed, an adjustable timing set may allow some polishing of the turd but it'll still be a turd with the stock cam. If you're gonna spend good money for a cam a custom grind would be the way to go, ask for a smooth idle(max 210 dur at 0.050") and EFI frierndly(min 112 LSA) and with power to 5000rpm.
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Im going to check comoression thus week sometime and if its good, ill start looking for a new cam. If its low, im going to start with a new used engine. Bump it to 10:1 with ported heads springs polished chambers and custom cam. 2.5 rotating assembly and long tube header to 2 1/2 exhaust. Ill probably reach my goal. Not looking for a speed demon, just want it to pull hard every shift and maintain 65 mph at 2800 rpm's. Shouldn't be that hard to reach with the right work.
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Well after talking to someone who pointed out an obvious but over looked fact, I actually have a better understanding of why it won't pull. The trailer I got weighing in around 1,000 lbs. has a 4 foot tall gate on the back. It pulls great up to about 40 mph and then that's it. At 40 mph the wind resistance on the gate gets the best of it I assume. I tested this theory tonight by removing the gate and taking a drive down the highway. It hit 3000 rpm's and slowly creeped past, now given there is some slight up and down spots on the highway it did pretty good. Good enough, no, but better. I have been wanting to put a dove tail on the trailer and drop the gate to a 2 footer for a while, now I've got a reason to. I'm still going to check compression this week sometime but who knows, all might show good.
Cargo Master
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 2,756
Likes: 38
From: Nampa, ID
I'm glad someone mentioned a compression check. I have a '79 Mustang Ghia with the 2.3L NA engine. If you're looking at headers, check out Schoenfeld, too. If I can't get my hands on a Ranger header, I plan on buying a Schoenfeld header. It can be a bit spendy, but the price is within the same price range of other headers I've been looking at, so I'm not too concerned about the cost.
Of course, my situation is significantly different than yours. I've been looking at a Crane Cams 268H grind for my engine. I'll probably stick with the 2" exhaust. The OEM catalytic converter and the OEM muffler were failing. My car is emissions exempt and those situations have been fixed by removing the exhaust system from the header collector back. I'm running an open exhaust at the moment, but the car is street-driven daily, so that's not an issue.
I'd be curious to know the numbers, dry and wet, of your compression test. If you decide to get rid of your OEM header, PM me. I'm not having much luck finding one here. All the Rangers in my local junkyards are 6 cylinder models.
Of course, my situation is significantly different than yours. I've been looking at a Crane Cams 268H grind for my engine. I'll probably stick with the 2" exhaust. The OEM catalytic converter and the OEM muffler were failing. My car is emissions exempt and those situations have been fixed by removing the exhaust system from the header collector back. I'm running an open exhaust at the moment, but the car is street-driven daily, so that's not an issue.
I'd be curious to know the numbers, dry and wet, of your compression test. If you decide to get rid of your OEM header, PM me. I'm not having much luck finding one here. All the Rangers in my local junkyards are 6 cylinder models.
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