My 87 2.3L has been through it all. When i first got the truck the original engine had a whole in the middle of the third cylender. So i put a new engine in it. With a couple new parts(fuel pumps, and ignition module) it fired right up. Now two years down the road the engine still runs fine, but it seems to me that the engine is running rich. The exhausts is sometimes blue when ive been running it for more than an hour, and the exhaust tip is always full of black residue. My power is alright. Sometimes i notice a significant difference and other times it feels like a v6. I dont have a speedometer so i dont know for sure what im getting per gallon, but i was getting 31 two years ago. Im pretty sure im not getting that now. I replaced the TPS, and that seemed to make matters worse. Is there any way to check to see if the engine is running rich? The truck runs great I just was wondering if i could get a lil better mileage out of her.
Thanks Curtis

 

Blue smoke = engine is burning oil.

Have you checked the spark plugs to see what they are telling you lately? I bet you'd see what I am speaking of, with the oil being burned and whatnot.

Why did you replace the TPS? I will assume you got a code relating to said part and your test of that part indicated that the TPS was indeed bad. Otherwise, you wasted money.

Anyway, if the exhaust is always blue, the engine is drinking oil (bad rings perhaps, which = lowered compression) and you need another engine.

 

I also thought that blue smoke=and oil problem, but i never have to put any more oil in the truck ever. It always stays at the same level. Its hard to tell now during the winter because the exhaust is always white from the cold, so i dont know if it still is or not. I replaced the tps with a used on that was on my old engine. I have a lot of extra parts, so sometimes i just switch parts to see if that makes the engine run better.

 

If you don't have any method to measure economy, then how do you know if your parts swapping does any good? Why not swap in a new odometer/speedometer or put in a new cable or gear and have something to measure with.
As the old carpenter once (once?) said, 'measure twice, cut once'. I'd as soon poke around on the web (here?) as swap parts 'just because'. Besides, on the older Rangers, you had to adjust the TPS when you install it, or it will not work right. I don't remember if the '87s were fixed or adjustable, but it might make a difference. Did you check yours?
Ever since catalytic converters and unleaded fuels, exhaust pipes have taken on the black sooty color. It is not a valid way to know if your fuel mixture is too rich or too lean. If you think you have problems, pull the codes from the ECM, or put a meter on your O2 sensor output and watch it switch back and forth as the engine warms up and as you drive (need some looooong leads to the VOM for that one). If you are really into that, you can get a 'kit' form J C Whitney that will make LEDs glow indicating your engines current fuel operation. It uses the O2 sensor output to drive its mechanism. The O2 output varies from about .9v when rich, to low tenths of a volt when lean. My remember mechanism for it is 'low == lean', FWIW.
just a few meandering thougts...
tom
tom

 

Im working on getting my speedometer to work. Guess i should have done that in the first place. It was just the riseing in gas prices that caused me to think more and more about how often im filling up. The problem is in the tranny for sure, and im looking into if its possible for me to replace it or not. I know its in the tranny because the gear attatched to the speedometer cable is new and when i took it out and spun it the speedometer worked. When i get that up and running i will see what im gettin for gas mileage. Thanks for the advice.