okay, i know this thing sould have more power than this. it's a '90 ranger with a 2.3 and an auto. i've put on a cat back, open air filter, new plugs, wires, and a tornado. it can't get out of it's own way! also i'm only getting 20 mpg. i've run a diagnostic, no engine codes are popping up.

today i tried to floor it from a dead stop and it fell on it's nose and tried to die before i let off. i know that can't be right, can it?

HELP!!!

 

So many unknowns here.

When you floored it, did the tranny down shift????

If not, you need to find out why!!!!

If it did, then maybe you have a faulty TPS, timing, or fuel pressure, or fuel trim problem.

The 4 banger with a auto tranny wasn't called "lightning" for a reason, but from what I gather from what you've posted it isn't behaving normally either.

Rather than a shotgun approach of bolt on add ons, sounds like it needs some good diagnostics & maybe a good basic tune-up, which it sounds like you've begun with the trouble code scan & plugs & wires, IF they were MotorCraft!!!!!

Look for vacuum leaks, with the vintage of this ride, hard, broken, cracked, split, loose fitting & leaking vacuum lines & gaskets, should be high on your check list.

Then maybe a fuel pessure & fuel deivery rate check.

Does it use oil???? If so, have you done a compression check???? If so, what are the compression numbers?????

The "Tornado" isn't going to do squat for it, so I'd loose/sell/get rid of, that thing right off & use the money for some things that are known to work, like good Motorcraft plugs & wires, if you haven't already used them, maybe a good throttle body & intake side cleaning, along with a good engine decarboning, with something like Chevrons "Techron Concentrate Plus", in a tank of Chevron, or Chevron/Texaco gas & run most of that out, with periods of spirited acceleration & high rpm freeway driving, to clean the intake valves, injectors, & combustion chamber.

Then evaluate how things are going.

Just some thoughts to ponder.

 

The 2.3 isn't known to be fast, but put an automatic behind it and you have a recipe for gutless. See if you can drive a few other 2.3 powered rangers to compare, maybe it's just that slow, or you may have a problem.

 

I'd agree, Wendell, except for this:
Mine's a stick, and the throttle's a bit "funny" right off idle, so she kinda wants to stall sometimes, makes it look like I can't drive my own truck. Cleaning the MAF sensor helped quite a bit, you might want to give that a try, as well as checking the TPS. The Tech sticky at the top of the page (hooray! it's back!) links to directions for both of these fairly simple tasks.

 

His is a 1990, did they have the maf back then ? I don't remember when ford first started using the mafs, or was it when they went to FI ? A clogged cat can kill your power also.

 

it is a MAF, yes. i dumped a bottle of EFI cleaner in teh tank today, i'm still gonna change the fuel filter later.

 

Remove the MAF sensor and lightly spray some intake cleaner spray (if not available Brake cleaner is better to use than Carburator cleaner, as Carb cleaner tends to leave a coating which can screw up the MAF readings) onto the MAF elements. Do not spray very hard, as it is easy to break them.

If the problem still persists, then you might try some rubbing alcohol and a q tip - just be VERY gentle.

If it still happens, get your fuel pressure checked.

EFI cleaner in the tank will do nothing for your MAF sensor.

Good luck

 

By open air filter, do you mean you dumped the hose from the rad support? Or the whole box? I tried something along those lines with my 2.9 and a cone filter. For an hour or so. Result was ridiculous! Sounded cool and you could hear the throttle body sucking tons of air or so it would seem. Engine ran like a piece of junk if you ignored the cool sound. Tried resetting the computer by cutting power for a bit and all that. Runs stronger with stock air box and plain box filter. May run a bigger hose from the core support one of these days if I think it needs it for avoiding these Michigan goofballs. I would want a 2nd airbox for a trial cut-out version.