ok, i found a guy that wants a 2.3 like the one in my ranger, but the only problem is that if i did sell him my 2.3 the only engine i would have to put in my 87 ranger is a 3.0 out of an 88 aerostar. my ranger gets around 20 mpg, which i dont want to lose cause the aerostar got about 18. but is it possible that the 3.0 would do better on gas because i wouldn't have to push it so hard to go somewhere?

87 ranger supercab longbox 5 speed 3.73's
88 aerostar 3.0 auto-overdrive(tranny bad) 3.73s

 

In theory that is correct.
Story: 76 Royal Monaco 360 fully tuned was harder on gas than the 74 Newport 400 fully tuned.
AL.

 

thats what i thought it would be, this thing has to be floored to hit 75!

on another note, whats the deal with the newport. we had a white four door with a white and black interior when i was really young (it was even the car that drove me to the hospitol when a golden retriever decided to try and take my face off when i was four) it was that newport, a 69 olds, my grandpa's 58 ford dump truck (which we still have, that thing and the trailer built out of a two ton truck was loaded w/ firewood, and still managed to walk away from my dads 429 powered 250, which had a load in just the box) those are the vehicles that made up the major parts of my child hood... at least there the only ones i can think of now

 

I used to run Toronto to Windsor in the late 70s. My cars were junk, so I'd borrow one of Dad's cars (always tuned right up). The Newport would consistantly get better mpg than the Monaco.
AL.

 

Sorry to say, but the 3.0L sucks on gas. With some luck and some really good driving habits you might be able to get 18-20 mpg. I think most people on this site report 15-18 on average.

 

I have a rental taurus with the 3.0 while my 4.0 ranger is in the shop. It is a 2004 with 2000 miles on it. The sticker says 18 city/ 25 highway. I live on the highway and i only drive one mile into town to school(And there is only one stop light) all the rest have been highway miles. The cluster in the dash has the Averge MPG..... 12.4!!!
My ranger gets better than that off road!!! And i know it weighs more than a taurus and it HAS to catch more wind than this low raked aerodynamic thing. I have never driven a ranger with the 3.0 but my buddy has one. i just hope it is different than the car engine.

BTW it has NO TORQUE. doesnt even feel like your moving til it reaches around 3 grand.

I miss my truck

 

thats strange. our little aerostar had no lack of power. it wasn't a powerhouse by any means, but it would have no problem sending tires to thier grave. and when my dad was driving it, it would get a constant 17-18 mpg (its only mod was an electric fan) i was thinking that i might be able to get a little more, or maybe even a bit more with a cold ram air and duels along with the fan.

and are you sure that your not driving the taurus SHO. i have heard that not only they have no bottem end, but they are an absolute hog on gas.

and no offense, but my ranger doesn't exactly have torque either

and i dont blame you for missing that 4.0, we had one in a 94. a very nice engine, had more than enough powe to eat through 3 5-speeds(2 while we had it)

 

My 01, 4.0 sohc gets 22 mpg at 70 mph.

 

muscletruck7379 - I have a similar truck. 88' 2.3L 5sp 4x2 x-cab. When I got it I had the same problem you mentioned that I had to floor it to get up to 75mph on the highway. And my MPG was only like 18mpg city, 22mpg hwy. If you search on my username you will find several things I have done in the last year that I am now getting a consistant 23-25mpg city, 25-27mpg hwy (oh yea, and that is on 87 octane). If you are concerned with MPG, (like I am) you won't get it with the 3.0L like you will with the 2.3L.

Just to name a few things I did:
Fuel filter
Air filter
Plugs & wires
Cap & rotor
Ignt coil
Vaccume hoses all replaced & PCV
Diff fluid change
Trans fluid changed (well this was a big one, since I also had to replace the trans due to broken bearings, I bought it for cheap knowing about the trans)
Valve cover gasket replaced
TB and Intake gaskets replaced when I took everything off to clean it out.

There was a huge build-up of crap in the TB, manifold, EGR, and other sensors. I noticed the biggest difference in power and MPG when I did this. I don't make it a habit, but I can get 75mph in 4th, and cruise easily at 75mph in 5th. I still think the EGR, and o2 needs to be replaced, but they are a bit $$$.

Many of these items should have been changed during routine maint, but the previous owners didn't do much.

 

My 96 3.0 Supercab 2 wheel drive with 5sp and 107,000 miles gets 23mpg. I dont drive litely around town and 65-70 on the freeway. My 96 3.0 caravan with 3sp automatic got only 19mpg (short wheel base to). Automatic and 4wheel drives dont do so good. My truck gets better milage than my 04 ZTS Focus 2.3 with 5k on it and a 4sp auto.

 

in my owns ruitine maint. most of the above has been replaced. some of the stuff like

is the ignition coil you got aftermarket? did you just go to synthetic with the diff/tranny? and how can you check the pvc and o2 sensor, i dont have the dummy light coming on, but you never know if it has been tamperd with.

 

Yea, I did alot of mine all at once, because 1) it hadn't been done and this is the first year I owned it, 2) it wasn't running too good + bad MPG. I basically replaced everything on the upper engine bay. Vaccume hose, gaskets, filters.

I am not sure on yours, but my PCV was behind the Alt, next to the valve cover going straight down on the driver's side. You can't really check a PCV, but it is suposed to be replaced from time to time. I was ticked off though that I can't get to the lower PCV hose without tearing more stuff off the engine (lower intake I think). PCV is like $5-$10 at Advance Auto. It confused me because it comes with a "T" fitting on it that you have to just know to pull off. I didn't until a guy asked me "does that part come off" "I don't know?" "pop!" Doh.

I got the generic (Exact brand I think) coil, wires, cap, rotor, and Autolite plugs. All the fluids were just Valvoline: std gear lube in the diff, std Mercon III in the trans.

The reason I said I think the o2, and EGR needs to be replaced is because they look original, and I have 115k+. Plus it does ping a bit if you stomp on it. Under normal conditions there is no ping. It was suggested to me by another member that the EGR can cause pinging, and the o2 can help to smooth out the idle. Add to it the fact that when I had the upper manifold off and TB the passage to the EGR was about 70% closed. Many of the other passages in the manifold & TB were clogged & restricted. I joked about it before, and I wish I had a pic of it, but the back side of the butterfly valve in the TB looked like an Oreo cookie (and almost as thick!).

A link to some of my junk: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...d.php?t=248941

 

I have a 3.0 5spd w/fan clutch and I currently get about 25 hwy and 22 city. It was slightly higher when new ('92), but while it's not knock-your-socks-off good mileage, it's not as bad as what some are saying.

 

I get 21 mpg city/hwy mix with my 2002 3.0 4x4. My 1992 3.0 4x2 got 25 highway. Both enines are/were mated to a manual tranny.

 

I traded in a 03 XL with the 2.3 for a 04 Edge with the 3.0. Both trucks have the regular cab configuration with a manual gearbox. My Edge does have the 4.10 gears that hurts gas milage and I have averaged about 19mpg in the new truck. My 03 XL did not have AC and it got 27mpg. It's all how you drive the truck but the 2.3 was WAY better in gas.