1994 Ford Ranger Project:Trixie

[classiccarsrule85]

Hello and welcome to my journey into ecomodding. Back when i first received my licence gas was id like to say 2.89 or something it was right before gas companies hiked up the price and received record profits. Id say i was more about going fast rather than what sort of fuel mileage i was getting...well fast forward to now, I have started a family and started settling down rather than worry about go fast mods im looking to mod to save fuel and thus save money. And with that saved money hopefully start possibly building a "tiny house". Anyhow i decided on ecomodding my 94 Ranger whom received the named trixie after me jokingly being a smartass after a long night in the garage working on it.
When i purchased her


1994
Ford
Ranger
2.3L I4 RWD
manual 5spd transmission
and according to my door sticker i have a 3.45 rear end

I ended up doing a trade to get this truck its been beat to heck and driven back from the looks of it, but runs like a champ. she has 64k im sure there might be a 1 or quite possibly a 2 in front but the actual mileage only has room for 5 digits excluding the 10th. either way im one of those guys that mileage doesn't matter as i came from a family of volvo lovers myself included my wife even has one.(1988 245) so gas mileage obviously sucked with them being bricks and all still i plan on fixing hers as well once i get it running real nice; as we recently found out shes only getting 19mpg combined so that hurts being the family car and all. So hoping to start with the truck and hopefully things will trickle over and i can save money with both vehicles.

So far all ive done is incorporate some of the simple driving tips from this site, did the throttle cable mod as well as the ranger dual fire spark plug mod. and ive received a combined 24mpg give or take as its all a rough calculation since its my first reading. I mainly wanted a starting point to
go from i know i should of had more data but i have already done some other mods.

-Swapped in a cluster w/tach as going by ear is leaving room for human error

-removed my 75lbs bench seat in favor of x2 xr4ti buckets which weigh 5lbs more all together however i will probably only install the passenger side when needed cutting out 40lbs and i plan on doing other weight saving mods i.e. bumpers and such

My plans are changing with each day so probably a basic idea of what id like to do would be...
-get 30mpg constantly prefer better but i also use this as a work truck so mpg can range from when im hauling to when im just daily driving to work
-working on finding a tonneau cover possibly might just build my own
-debating if swapping to a body kit will be beneficial over the heavy bumpers
- for the rear im looking to remove the rear bumper in favor of a removable hitch, and roll pan
-also later on probably once taxes come in i will be lowering it

And thats about it im using this truck as a daily because i couldnt pass up the price of it and it will also be my drifting truck because im a fan of motorsports and being able to go out have some fun for 25$ local seems like a great deal as even autocross is 40$ without a membership

but thats it in a nutshell hope i can start amounting some fuel savings her shortly

[classiccarsrule85]

thread now with pictures














Seat swap mod


Xr4t-i bucket seat swap

[classiccarsrule85]

Well i haven't updated in awhile for good reason found more rust on this truck than id like so i had a very serious decision to make. Either sell it and get something in better condition or just drive it till it died or make it to its next inspection....

After some looking around had my heart set on another civic cx or vx as ive owned them in the past and liked that id know hondas inside and out. However i was not prepared for the premium prices ive seen lately compared to when i had my Honda and after getting the run around on a few promising ads ive just decided it will be more economical to keep the truck and do a few mods so my commute to work will end up being more profitable.

Soon to be mods hopefully
-aerocap
-mpguino if i can figure out what i need to make one
-pizza pan wheel caps
-wheel arch cover
-possibly side skirts
-homemade roll pan and a few more items pictures to come as i go im just hoping to get 30+ as ive gotten it up to 25/26 with smart driving and a few other things so time will tell

[ME_Andy]

Think about a grill block too. It's quick and easy. I guess you've seen the thread of the guy who gets 40+ mpg with a Ranger?

Used to drive a 97 F150. Very glad I ditched that truck, it was a black hole for money (14 mpg).

What about an older Focus or something? Plenty of options besides Hondas.

[Daox]

I'll second the grill block and add an air dam to the list of things.

Good luck with the build, I look forward to seeing more mods.

Do you have any instrumentation (Scangauge or Ultragauge)? That'll help a LOT.

[wriley4409]

Having owned three different Rangers in the past, I have a few different ideas for you to consider.

0. Before anything else... Your truck was rated at 22 city and 27 highway when it was new. If you aren't getting at least this mileage, then a good and thorough tune-up is in order. This would include testing the coils, and replacing vacuum hoses, pcv valve, platinum plugs, plug wires, timing belt, accessory belt, and water pump, and finally a thorough cleaning of the entire intake assembly/throttle body/intake manifold.

1. This little Lima 2.3 engine REALLY likes synthetic oil. My personal favorite was always Mobil1 5w30, and I actually measured lower fuel consumption at idle with this oil. (measured with scangauge).

2. Synthetic lube in the transmission and rear end would reduce friction as well. Some racers swear by Royal Purple gear oils. Don't forget that the transmission uses ATF, and not traditional gear oil.

3. One really big mechanical mod that reduces fuel consumption quite a bit is replacing the belt driven fan with an electric fan.

4. I noticed that you are running steel wheels. You should be able to reduce your unsprung/rotating mass by switching to factory alloy wheels. Craigslist, junkyards, and the like are good sources for parts like this.

5. The MPGuino would be awesome, as it really helps you figure out how to drive your truck in the most efficient way possible. When I had my '96 Ranger, I used a scangauge to figure out that it got REALLY good mileage when I would knock the transmission into neutral when coming to a stop - and you can coast a long way when doing this.

BTW - since your '94 is on OBDI vehicle, the Scangauge and Ultragauge are not an option. Those will only work on OBDII vehicles.

6. The over sized air dam and partial grill block are both probably good ideas, as is the bed cover.

Good luck...

[Daox]

Doh, I missed that it was a 94. Nice catch wriley4409. Also great other tips too!

[classiccarsrule85]

Well i have come to report that sadly the truck is no more....(insurance told me flat out they are not covering it either so trying to find something else am making a new post with needs and to see if im overlooking cars and such as im sure i am with all the makes and models out there.... but heres what happened if your interested, sucks as i wasnt able to see the results of the grill block and Cherokee bumper swap.

Well it was the first day of my new job which is approx 1.3 hrs away from my current location. truck drove great there was really enjoying the ride minus the lack of power going up hills with all my tools and such in the back. Well work went alright a little overwhelming getting used to how things differ from my past experience at a auto repair shop. but after work i jumped into the truck sadly i had taken my very un updated gps so i didnt use it on the way back; which i think back may of saved my life as i got lost in the city. Well started smelling funky but i didnt think anything of it as i thought i had a clogged catalytic converter and the cab was full of holes....this ended very fast when i was stopped at a red light just about to pull out of town and i get a knock on the door "dude your trucks on fire".....was surprised stalled out and it restarted and i got it pulled off to the side of the road and thus you pretty much heard a pop and more flames shot out started to get in the interior as well my seats didnt get damaged miraculously but still sucks its gone as i am now having to use the wifes 88 volvo 240, which has been tuned a bit with a cam and such and gets 19mpg on a good day 20mpg. Till i find something i can afford after a few paychecks.

The aftermath:

the shots on the way to work last of them before the fire


of coarse my temp gauge was finally warming up better than hovering down there at C though i hear this is a problem with these trucks



The aftermath(seems like one of my injector o-rings was leaking or something around there, and im guessing the reduced airflow in the bay may not of helped but things got hot and then things go really hot..... go figure it leaves me so far from my home.)





















sending her off to that junkyard in the sky


Do apologize i wish i got more pictures of the fire but i had to call and use my phone also why the pictures suck. Im just thankful for my life but now the search has started for the next car....

[Daox]

Well, I'm glad to hear you're okay! It is sad to see the truck go. I bid you good luck finding a replacement though.

[cosmick]

Something's seriously wrong. Did you start with a comprehensive tune-up and new synthetic lube in the axle? Are you trying to keep up with traffic? Are you doing any drafting?
I have nearly the same thing, but worse aero and no OD, and I'm now averaging well over 30. http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...mpg-29947.html