Ranger hates hills, almost no acceleration in 5th
 

I have a 1996 Ranger, 2.3L V4. The acceleration is okay up until 5th gear. Doing 65 in 5th which it will barely do on level ground, going up a hill I have to shift into 4th. Any ideas on whats wrong?

Welcome to FTE. This is a great site for help with all things Ranger.

1. Your engine is an I-4 inline engine, not a "V" configuration.

2. The 4 cylinder Lima engine is not a powerhouse, but it should be able to easily maintain 65 mph on level ground. How many miles are on the truck? Where are you on routine maintenance, i.e., plugs & wires. What kind of fuel mileage do you get with the truck? Is the check engine light on? If so, take the truck to an auto parts store and have them read the codes. Write them down and post them here and we can help you out is getting better performance with your truck.

Let know what you find out.

mine too although the top end is way better than 65mph on the flat. it may get to triple digits if there is a long enough stretch of highway.. lol.

the 2.3 lima is a dog, and always will be a dog, but a lovable dog all the same...:o

Mine has a 2.9l V6 and is gutless...

I have a 93 with 200,000 on it 4cyl 5 speed and live in Pa so we have our share of hills. Sometime ago I was going North on the North east extension of the turnpike and I noticed the power was falling off. The first thing that came to mind was well if this was a diesel I'd be looking at a blocked fuel filter. When I got home I changed it what a differece. Yes you will have to use the transmission as It won't run to the top of the grade in 5th thats od. Mine will run along 70 75 mph. I think that the engineers did quite a job on this little 4 cylinder. kotzy

It's going on 300k, routine maintenance, plugs and wires checked when oil is replaced around every 2-3 months. Check engine light has been on, mechanic said it shouldn't be worried about, doesn't affect anything. I know it's got a hell a lot of miles on it and surprises me it's still running.

my 2.3 didnt like long upgrades even after a overhaul. its a great fuel-economy engine, but it does lack in tourque! id do a comprestoin check on it, if all 4 are withing 20 psi of each other and it has at least 100 psi, id look into the check engine light issue, it might make a difference.

Remember you have only about 119 HP and depending what you have as cargo in bed.............this will slow you down. Long lasting motor, but not much power!:-wink

I have a 3.0 V6 and it's a gutless wonder too. Always has been. But, it's been very reliable as well. Still purrs like a kitten at 163k+ miles. I've never done a lot of hauling with mine so it hasn't bothered me too much. I just accept what it is and I'm happy it's lasted me this long.

What was the code that appeared when your mechanic checked on the lighted CEL?

Post the number and we'll see if its a non-essential issue or not. Usually the light comes on when something significant occurs.