cheap HP upgrades
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 7,147
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NO, but if you put 300 more with it, you can get a bama engine programer that will add power and torque and most people report an increase in mpg with bama. The only cheap mods are proper tire inflation, tuneup and maybe synthetic fluids. The 3.0 is sorta of a dog to begin with, it's gonna take some money to wake one up, better off swapping for a 4.0 truck and be done with it.
Freshman User
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 39
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The only way I know of to get better mileage for under 100$ is to drive different. Instead of sinking the pedal to the floor every time you start moving, ease into it, and use the brakes as little as possible. Every time you brake, you have to use more gas to get back up that speed. So if you can anticipate your stops, then coast up to the light.
Make sure your filters are clean, fluids are in order, etc and you should be ok. My first tank of gas got me 13 mpg, but that was with me making sure there was NO carbon in the engine, and exploring the acceleration profile of the truck... The next tank, with much less hot rodding, other than that one trip to find out what the limiter is set at, yielded 17 mpg, mostly city driving, but around here that means 50 mph for a few miles, then stop for 5 minutes and repeat...
What sort of mileage are you getting now?
Scott
Make sure your filters are clean, fluids are in order, etc and you should be ok. My first tank of gas got me 13 mpg, but that was with me making sure there was NO carbon in the engine, and exploring the acceleration profile of the truck... The next tank, with much less hot rodding, other than that one trip to find out what the limiter is set at, yielded 17 mpg, mostly city driving, but around here that means 50 mph for a few miles, then stop for 5 minutes and repeat...
What sort of mileage are you getting now?
Scott
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Senior User
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 178
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im getting 15-16.5 and its all 4 lane driving i only have lik a 1 mile drive during the week and that uses a 1/4 tank then the rest is 4 lane so im only getting 195-197 per tank i just didnt know if and intake and one of those cheap power packs from MAC would work
Freshman User
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 39
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Sorry to say, but that seems to be about par for that engine, an electric fan isn't going to help much since you drive mostly highway, and its more than 100$ IIRC. You might consider an underdrive pulley, but I don't know if that would really provide a whole lot of difference by itself. I am thinking about getting one, and looking at the one from stuffforyourranger.com, they have a package of 3 pulleys, so you don't have to worry about the alternator... Its 195$ though.
Just the crank pulley is 75$ and they claim 8 HP and 11 TQ gains. You'll need a different belt with that, too. If you get just the crank pulley, might as well get it from jusnesmodified.com, he hangs out in here. His page claims a 2-3 mpg gain.
Hope that helps, and let us know what you end up doing and how it goes.
Scott
Just the crank pulley is 75$ and they claim 8 HP and 11 TQ gains. You'll need a different belt with that, too. If you get just the crank pulley, might as well get it from jusnesmodified.com, he hangs out in here. His page claims a 2-3 mpg gain.
Hope that helps, and let us know what you end up doing and how it goes.
Scott
Posting Guru
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 1,343
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From: Higginsville, MO
HP,Mileage, and cheap don't belong in the same sentence. Nothing in the world of the internal combustion engine is cheap for HP or mileage. Like they say, "You gotta pay to play".
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Senior User
Joined: Mar 2007
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i didnt now if there was a trick 2 the ranger or not i should of just bought a v8 i would of done a lot better in fuel im going 2 tune the engine first to c what will happen then ill think of those pullies
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Joe Kucinski
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Joined: May 2004
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From: Higginsville, MO
If you were looking for power in the first place, you messed up getting the 3.Slow to begin with. It is a great little engine and more durable than most but you have to respect its limits. It was designed as the go-to little engine between the 4 banger and the big 6 for this truck and it does an admirable job considering the age of its design. If you really want power and mileage, I suggest you get a full size F250 or F350 with the 7.3L Powerstroke. I had a regular cab 97 F350 4x4 5spd with 4.10 gears pushing over 350hp and 600lb.-ft. or torque and got 23 miles to the gallon. I'll never stop kicking myself for selling that truck for my Ranger.
Senior User
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 113
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From: Kennesaw Ga
Ok You really dont want to go cheap on HP/Milage Increase. BUT there is 1 cheap mod that MAY give you 1-2 MPG diff did on my 99,03,00 B3000's. $6 MAF adapter(SQUARE WITH 4 HOLES GREY COLOR OR SILVER) from autozone and a $25 Cone filter. When going to install this leave the bottom of the filter box installed and you will have to remove the top half. take the 4 bolts out keep them to the side. and the silver/gold NUTS in the top half will come out and you will need them to attach the adapter. I dont recommend this but it is a cheap install that will give you a better response and a tiny savings at the pump. I use this setup on all 2.5,3.0,4.0 motors as a temp setup until my custom intakes arrive.
Junior User
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 75
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i have to agree wit smith i did the same thing wit my 06 3.0 after going threw tanks at 190 now im up to about 235 but i didnt change my maf and yeah my other suggestion would be to be prepared top fill ur tank up preety soon after u put the filter on bc hear a differance and if ur like me ur foot will alost never leave te floor the firts week ater