1996 ranger efficiency down
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From: so cal
1996 ranger efficiency down
about a month ago i noticed i was getting realllllly bad mpg in my 1996 2.3l ranger. i have just clicked 123000 miles and i know the egr valves are known to go bad and give bad mpg for these trucks. i have just done my plugs/wires and ive done custom upgrades to my intake side. so far the only thing i could think of is the egr. i popped it off and sprayed some carb cleaner in it i dunno if it worked or not i guess time will tell. i havent noticed a drop in power or anything, and it runs reallly good. the check engine light doesnt come on ever and all my dummy gauges are reading good at all times. i need a solution quick because as it is im getting 15 mpg......... my dads 87 f150 with a 351w gets about that. thats just sad..... and my moms 2000 5.0l mountaineer gets 19 average so this is bad. any help will be appreciated.
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"the check engine light doesnt come on ever " Are you saying the light dosen't come on if you just turn the key to run, but not start? If so it may be the light is burned out. Swing by you local parts store and get the codes pulled and post the here, someone will help you out.
Dave
Dave
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From: Fort Worth
I have that same truck, same engine, one thing i noticed on mine was at the time i did the plugs and wires, on the #2 & #3 wires on the passenger side, in the chiltons manual they have them going one way and on the diagram under the hood they are backwards. I did them by the chiltons, not noticing that sticker under the hood untill later, the chiltons way i was getting about 18 mpg, as soon as i switched them around, got 21...Just a thought
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From: Central Virginia
I noticed that the mileage on my ’96 with a 2.3 was real low. About a week latter, the timing belt broke. I was told that the belt may have skipped a tooth which caused the low mileage before it broke. Since the new timing belt was installed, the mileage is back to normal. Of course, my situation could be coincidence. But, it might be worth checking the condition of your belt if you are still running the original.
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From: so cal
belt/plugs
well i dont have a manual on my truck but i just took a plug out and replaced it with a new one etc. i so i always had the plugs and wires in the ford spots..... i am pretty sure of that atleast. ill check for a sticker about that under the hood, didnt notice it before though. and about my timing belt i think theres a very good chance of that because i had been told to replace it a while ago and i never did (money etc) so i think ill have to take it in and make sure that it didnt get messed up cause the timing belt is very worn. ill post anything i find out.
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Joined: Oct 2004
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From: so cal
check engine light
ill check the light before i leave school today, it seems like it turns on when i just turn the key to the on position if it doesnt ill make aure and get my codes pulled. thanks for the info.
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From: Central Virginia
If you do decide to replace the timing belt, shop around for the best labor price. The local Ford dealer quoted $960 to replace the belt. A local independent shop quoted $300. I ended up doing it myself. Total cost was $34 for the belt and one six pack for me.
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From: so cal
my self
im probably going to have to do it my self cause im strapped for cahs right now the only question i have is how do you actually tell when the cylinder is at tdc, i mean i know you have to take a spark plug out but i mean there has to be kind of way to do it, i mean do you just look in through the plug hole or what. sry about dumb questions but i want to do it right.
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Look at the technical sticky at the top of the forum. You will find one about 2.3l timing belt replacement. It has all the answers you need for the job. I'm not saying the belt dosen't need to be replaced, but I check for codes and some other things before replacing the belt.
Dave
Dave
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From: so cal
codes
well i checked to make sure my check engine light works and it does but since it never comes on when the truck is running doesnt that mean there wont be any codes to pull. also what else would you check i need as many options as possible.
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From: so cal
no codes
well im confused..... i went and tryed to pull my codes but no luck it didnt give me anything. so now im trying to figure out what would kill my mpg without setting off a code and without effecting power too badly..... im still gonna replace the timing belt because it needs it and ill tell you guys what all come about with that hopefully it jumped a tooth and ill get it fixed..... seems like that would set off the check engine light though. oh well who knows.