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Old Feb 13, 2004 | 11:22 AM
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newbe questions

Hey all I am the proud new owner of a '97 Ranger Supercab!! I have a few questions though. I want to change the tranny fluid and after a search I agree with going with what Ford says, why would they say it if it wasn't the best thing for the job. ATF it is, Have any of you tried putting like, B&M Trick shift in the tranny? I got some ATF that says Ford recommends it on the bottle I was just wondering about the above. Another thing, the girl I bought it from's husband is out on the ship and it was his truck, it looks like there is a header on it. Could that be or is that just what the exhaust manifold looks like on these trucks? Again it's a '97. What about a new air fliter system like a K&N does it make that much difference than a new stock one. I know most of you are going to say it does but I know on some vehicles it is just a waste of money.
 
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Old Feb 13, 2004 | 11:43 AM
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If the "header" is chrome then it is a header, if it is rusty then it is a manifold. Most likely, anyway. Air intakes are always an improvement over stock. It lets your engine breathe more freely. The two most restrictive things on a stock engine are probably the intake and the exhaust. If that truck does have a header on it, I highly recommend that you put on a performance cat back to get the full potential out of your exhaust.
 
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Old Feb 13, 2004 | 12:03 PM
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Its rusty but it looks like the more common headers that I have seen. Not anything like what I am used to seeing as a stock exhaust manifold. It has 4 round tubes all going into one collector, just like every other header I have ever seen.
 
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Old Feb 13, 2004 | 12:27 PM
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A manifold is made the same way. The main difference between a header and a manifold is that all the tubes on a header are the same lenght so that the exhaust gases all reach the exhaust pipe "in order". That way you don't have exhaust from two cylinders reaching the exhaust pipe at the same time. That's the way I understand it anyway.
Also, headers are almost always chromed or powder coated so if it's rusty it's probably a manifold. Someone please correct me if I am wrong so I won't pass on bad info.
 

Last edited by Lone_Ranger01; Feb 13, 2004 at 12:30 PM.
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Old Feb 13, 2004 | 12:41 PM
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Welcome to FTE!!

If you have a 4 banger then it could be a factory "header", I recall someone talking about them coming with them.

I would read the owners manual and buy AFT that meets that specification, nothing less.

I have heard good things about trango shift kits.
 
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Old Feb 13, 2004 | 12:50 PM
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LoneRanger - the difference between a header and a standard manifold is whether the exhaust ports are dumped into a log manifold right at the head or whether they come off into individual tubes. Many aftermarket headers have individual tubes that are not all the same length.
 
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Old Feb 13, 2004 | 01:13 PM
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Thanks for the info. fastpakr
 
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Old Feb 13, 2004 | 01:52 PM
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Originally posted by fastpakr
LoneRanger - the difference between a header and a standard manifold is whether the exhaust ports are dumped into a log manifold right at the head or whether they come off into individual tubes. Many aftermarket headers have individual tubes that are not all the same length.
I would disagree with that, any that are worth having will be equal length.
 
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Old Feb 13, 2004 | 01:53 PM
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I guess I was half-right and half-wrong
 
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