Build Thread: 1996 Ranger 2.3L 5spd 2WD
 

This will be the build thread for my little ranger "mini green"

I came across this site while researching ways to improve the gas mileage for my pickup. I felt that my truck should get better mileage than the 17MPG I was getting doing about 50/50 highway/city driving while commuting to work (25mi each way). Especially considering it's a 4 cylinder with a 5 speed and 2WD. My goal will be 35MPG to start with and I think this is definitely attainable now that I have read through a lot of the build threads on this site.
:cool:

Ecomods Completed
10/31/08 - Increased tire air pressure from 35/30 f/r to 40/35 f/r
10/31/08 - Installed performance plugs/wires
04/15/08 - K&N drop-in intake element
10/31/08 - Removed Subwoofers, Box, and Amplifier (67 lbs)

Future Ecomods
Replace exhaust rearward from manifold (have parts, will install this weekend)
Block off grille (in progress)
Remove Mudflaps
Tonneau Cover (should help keep weight of snow out as well)
Wrap manifold tubing for better exhaust gas extraction
Replace front bumper with more aerodynamic bumper / air-dam combo
Install electric fan
Side Skirts
Fiberglass rollpan (will save weight of rear bumper)
Lower entire truck in order to decrease drag

Mileage:
20.6 - 11/06/08
17.3 - 10/31/08



Here are a couple pics:
11/5/08:
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/a...r/DSC03449.jpg
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/a...r/DSC03448.jpg

Hello XVTer. Thats a good list of mods you got there. However, you might want to do a bit more digging. The K&N airfilters will not give better mileage. Replacing the exhaust with anything larger than stock size piping is probably going to hurt mileage.

The rest of the list looks good though. 35 mpg is definitly attainable even with just driving style changes. Good luck!

Hoping to see an aerocap on that sucka soon, ;)

Nice progress, :thumbup:

fold back your pass side mirror.

30mpg is hard in a truck...
but i am a speeder at heart.

get in 5th asap, mine vibrates a little but i can hit 5th at 35mph, and get 40ish on my scangauge. (need to put that back in my truck and readjust the nut behind the wheel, has gotten loose over the last few weeks)

Have you adjusted the nut connecting the steering wheel to the seat yet? My father's S-10 with the 2.2 I4 gets between 23-25, with NO MODS WHATSOEVER.

With the mods you intend on doing, if the truck is in good shape mechanically, improving your driving should make 30mpg an easy task.

The two best things that I ever did to my 96' Ranger 2.3L/5 speed was to switch to synthetic fluids in the transmission/rear axle/crankcase and to use a Scangauge to learn how to drive the truck more efficiently. I never got around to a grill block or electric fan, but agree that both of these would be very good mods also.

We get 16 mpg in our lifted '96 Ranger 4L auto 4WD, so you should get MUCH better with the 2.3L and 2WD. In fact, my '86 2.3L 2WD with a 5 speed got 22-24 mpg with me driving like a nut.

Check your tires for uneven wear; my '96 has camber and toe problems because of worn suspension bits. Also check your rear bearings; they roar when they're worn, but it happens so slowly that it sneaks up on you.

Thanks for the tips!

The reason I am going with a new exhaust is because the one on there was totally rusted out and has a few holes in it; the new exhaust is slightly larger, so we'll see. I got a good deal on it and I need to get inspected so I pulled the trigger. I got the K&N for free out of my brother's old pickup, so that's the reason it's there.

I'm still working on the Nut between the steering wheel and the seat; it's a stubborn one to tighten up. :thumbup:

This tank will be significantly better; I'm already about 50 mi ahead of where I usually am with a half a tank left. It looks as though I will be around 26MPG this tank.

Well, I haven't been on in a while so I figured I would update my progress. I am traveling overseas for work so I haven't driven my truck in almost 2 months, but prior to this trip, I was getting an average of 26-28MPG on winter gas. The ScangaugeII definitely helped me out as far as adapting my driving style for better gas mileage.

What I've done since last post:
Full Exhaust (inc. Cat)
Synthetic 0W30 motor oil
Synthetic Transmission Fluid
Synthetic Differential Fluid
New Driveshaft Carrier Bearing (2pc driveshaft)
Removed Mudflaps
Bosch Icon Wipers (low-pro)


I have a 4'x8' sheet of ABS waiting for me at home that will go into doing the grill block-off as well as starting a belly pan.

Most of the changes so far are along the lines of simple maintenance. Once I actually do a few aero mods, I don't think that 35MPG will be to difficult to obtain. Until next time....

Good to hear about the improvements and the return from being overseas. Btw, do your own test on the air filter element, another person seems against K&N filters by thier comment, but I have been pleased with actual increase in mpg in my vehicle. Do your own test to see if it has merit for you.

I was going to say you should be able to pull much better mileage from that Ranger. Before I took my 90 Ranger off the road (due to safety issues originally), I was getting 28 MPG on my 100 mile roundtrip commute. And that included a mountain pass. My Ranger? 1990 4x4 regular cab regular bed, 2.3 liter dual plug head, 5 speed manual, 6" lift and 31" tires and factroy 4.10 gearing. AND, big baja type fiberglass front fenders.

With the work I've done to it in the last year, I doubt I'll get 28 MPG again. But it will be more offroad ready than a daily driver. I carpool to work these days. I can't delete the mudflaps, lifted rigs need them here in Utah for safety... Check your state laws about that rear valance, as most states require a bumper (even if they don't enforce it...).

I'm looking forward to see what you manage to get with your Ranger.

My '96 Mazda B2300 is a Ranger with slightly different clothing. I've been pretty consistent at just shy of 30 mpg, averaging about 29.7 or so. Mods made are: Inflate tires to 40 psi, removed AC compressor and piping, removed fan and shroud, synthetic fluids except engine oil, 80% grille block, K and N filter swapped out for paper, heater hose zip tied to fuel rail for heating.

The mods probably account for 1 or 2 mpg.

Honestly the only thing that really seemed to make a big difference was using good driving technique. It was learned by using a scangauge and an air/fuel ratio monitor. Keeping out of open loop and practicing pulse and glide and coasting were the biggest factors.

There is alot left on the table and I still think cleaning up the underbelly will make an additional 1 or 2 mpg. I'd like to break 32mpg for an average.

The nut between the wheel and chair is a MAJOR factor on that truck.

On a friend's matching ranger, I got 52 mpg on a 16 mile test circuit. This was with mainly low-speed pulse-and-glide. For higher speeds, you'll have to get all Phil Knox on the aerodynamics.

Well, I haven't updated this in a while as the Ranger has been out of commission due to a blown brake line and me having no time to fix it. While it's been sitting, I picked up a set of new wheels/tires for only $150 (and some pizza pans) and found a matching LEER cap online for only $100. I haven't run an entire tank through it yet, but the weight of the cap may hurt more than the aerodynamics help, we'll see. I just mounted up the wheels/tires last night. The contact patch is about 1cm wider than my previous tires, but they're a harder compound than those winter tires were. I'm running them at 42psi.

I have put in a few pieces of ABS sheeting to try and seal up the underbelly as well. I'll try and get some pics of that sometime within the next week or so.

This week, I am going to make some sort of quick-disconnect for the cross-bars on the Cap. I don't need them every day, but it'd be nice to be able to put them on fairly quickly when I want them. I'll also be finding a way to mount the pizza pans so that they don't rotate while mounted.

Unfortunately, I have realized that I have a small gas leak from where the filler hose meets the gas tank as well as some rust issues in the rear of the truck. I will be tearing in to it again within the next month or so.

Here's where it sits now:
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/a...r/DSC05080.jpg

That Leer cap is probably worse than an open bed as far as MPG purposes.

Wheels look worse for aero too, and too purdy to cover with pans.

Need to drop that thing.

My 88 Ranger always sees a big improvement with a fresh O s sensor, pretty cheap now on ebay, synthetic differential and trans lube huge help I removed my right mirror and just look when i drive, i'd keep it in fourth till around 40 , no sense lugging it to death , they aint making them anymore, !! also 2.3 motors really eat spark plugs, course yours are pretty hard to swap but my 4 plug ranger eats plugs, aero c2p will help a lot ,good luck .

That roof rack setup on the cap is really going to hurt your mileage. Otherwise, you would probably see a slight gain with the cap. A tonneau cover would be better for aero, though, with a custom aero cap being better still. My dad has always driven 3/4-ton trucks, and he's found that his current truck (2010 F-150, 4x4, loaded) gets no significant FE change from a full camper shell. He did, however, see an improvement on both his '03 F-150 (FX4 and well-appointed) and '94 Chevy 1500 (350 V8, auto, 2WD). I don't remember talking to him about how the mileage was on his '85 ranger before that.

My family has always calculated our mileage when we fill up, and we have noticed a marginal improvement in FE across the board with the above trucks (never had it on the Ranger) as well as a few Subarus, a Corvette, a Mustang, and a Maxima, with the K&N drop-in elements. Perhaps it doesn't show results in some easily-testable situations, but we've always seen 1-2 MPG improvement on a tank-to-tank basis.

I agree with Orangustang with regards to the cap. My three pickups all got better fuel economy with the cap than with an open bed. But the carrying racks hurt the fuel economy on all three pickups.

This assumes the cap blends in with the truck cab reasonably well. If the cap is taller than the cab and rises vertically in front as opposed to sloped, like my second cap did before I added a tapered cowling to the front of it, it will hurt the fuel economy. Even if it blends in with the truck cab, if it is too much taller than the cab, it will hurt the fuel economy. It will also hurt the FE is it is excessively heavy. How tall and heavy before it hurts depends upon the truck and the cap.

This is my experience. I wouldn't doubt that others have different experiences, since there are a lot of variables here, including the nut behind the wheel.