Greetings!

I just want to say that this is a well-run and informative message board. I don’t frequent the site as much as I once did, but I’m glad to know when I need guidance the porch light is always on.

I have a ‘99 Extended Cab XLT with the 3.0, AOD and 4WD with about 40k on it right now.

My truck also seems to suffer from the lack of power most 3.0 owners mention here.

I live in a very hilly area and when on the highway the truck just doesn’t want anything to do with steep hills.

I often wonder if a 4.0 or even a 5.0 conversion would get better gas mileage since the little motor is really working hard to even stay at a steady speed.

I know this wouldn’t be a cost effective idea, but this motor just seems to be so anemic even if it is running correctly and in full tune.

I’ve been actively involved with Mustang 5.0s’ for about 6 years and the AOD cars need a torque converter swap and a shift kit to make them really come alive.

Besides the popular options of air intake, exhaust work and installing a chip, has anyone tried this maneuver to give the 3.0 motors a fighting chance?

I performed a quick search and not much came up for transmission upgrades.

Is the motor that badly underpowered or is something else holding it back?

Are there any current magazine articles that have tested different mod combinations on the 3.0 I should give a reading to?

 

Thanks for the positive feedback.

Well, compared to what the aftermarket offers for the Mustang 5.0L, you are not going to be impressed at all when you find out what kind of "bolt ons" are available for a 3.0L Vulcan Ranger. You seem to know the basics (more air in and out is good) so I guess the reality is that, after upgrading the intake and exhaust, there really isn't much else to do. Maybe a more agressive cam along with the chip. Some people claim an underdrive pulley has helped them squeeze some more hp and/or torque out.

Whipple makes a blower kit for the 02+ 3.0L Vulcan Rangers, but I heard that it is a pretty difficult conversion (hacking up the harness, etc.) to get it to fit into any other years.

Nothing works from the Ranger 4.0. Even the bellhousings are different.

5.0L Ranger swaps are something that's been done before and there is even a decent amount of information available for it. So a lot would depend on what kind of resources you have and how good a wrencher you are.

 

Rock, like you mentioned about the 5.0 motors, all kinds of aftermarket parts are available and all kinds of testing has been done over the years. It’s easy to see what offerings either don't work or show the most potential for the application. I moderate on a Mustang website’s message board.

If the automatic transmissions in these Ranger trucks are a really holding the motor back, there must be magazines that have had some kind of success changing out parts in the transmission area. It was just a thought. Ford’s plans were geared more toward economy than high performance.

A motor is basically an air pump so intake and exhaust are naturally very important.

I do all of my wrenching and I want to make it a goal to improve the truck’s performance.

I’m just curious to see what real results I could plan on seeing after a K&N filter is added along with a more free flowing exhaust system. A chip might not be too far fetched either if it will make a noticeable difference for the better.

You can never trust the false advertising you read.

 

I agree, It's hard to believe the claims of most "after market" manufacturers!!

As far as the K&N, here are some dyno results that are NOT paid for by K&N:

http://www.jackphelps.com/ranger/dyno1.htm

 

Bob, thanks for the input!

What I'd be looking for are the usual before and after tests for the practical bolt-on parts and accessories.

I’d like to see just what the difference chipping, intake, exhaust work and the usual stuff like pulleys make before I'd be jumping into them.

I really like the truck, but apparently the 3.0 motor’s lack of power isn’t just obvious to me.

The guys with the 4.0 powered trucks seem to be happy.

 

I had the same trouble with my 3.0 with the lack of power but I did instal a 3" lift and 33" tires with 4.10 gears so I really needed the extra hp! Here is a list of all the mods I did to improve the power I added (headers,MAC cold air intake with K&N filter, Mac mass air flow sensor,throtle body spacer, high flow cat's with straight pipe dual exhaust, underdrive pulleys, electric fan, and Diablo sport tunner) I also run synthetic motor oil to help reduce friction! It has helped a lot it is running about 192hp on a G-tech dyno reader! The only mods I have not instaled is NOS, supercharger, or cam, The supercharger adds from 50 to 70 hp and the NOS adds 75 or 100 hp as for the cam I don't know for shure how much you would gain! The down fall to NOS or supercharger is the $$$$ they both cost around $2500 each! Hopfully this info helps you out!

 

NOS? What's wrong with Nitrous Works?

 

I'm just learning to put up with the truck's lack of power.

It looks like I would be dumping more than a few dollars into the truck just to get near the output of a 4.0 motor.

It just hurts to have to get into that third lane (on highway trips) when climbing the hills and I'm not loaded or even pulling a small trailer.

 

My experience with the 3.0L vulcan engine leads me to conclude that it is perfectly suited for a car like my '97 Taurus. It scoots around the car quite well and the gas mileage is reasonable. And I have complete faith in it.

The Ranger, of course, is considerably more of a load to move around, especially the X-cab model with 4WD. On this point I feel that the 4.0L in my own X-cab w/4WD is just about right (keep in mind that it's the 160 hp OHV version in my '98, not the 207 hp SOHC). So I think I can relate a little to what you are saying about having the 3.0L in your '99 even though I'm not in the same boat.

 

I'm thinking about putting in a shift kit for my 94 3.0, that might be a good transmission upgrade, not expensive either.

 

I have a k&n filter charger, jba headers and exhaust and my ranger getts along a little better. A lot of money for very little though.