How to ruin a 2.3 Duratec
I bought a very clean low mileage 2001 Ranger with the 2.3 Duratec motor. After driving this truck for about a month, I was returning home from a business trip on the freeway. Looking in the side mirror I noticed that it was blowing a lot of black smoke out the tail pipe. Since the truck was still running OK and not wanting to get stuck out in the boondocks, I drove it the rest of the way into the city. Over the next couple of days I spent a lot of time trying to troubleshoot this problem. There were no codes and everything seemed to be OK, but the black smoke continued. Finally I happened to notice in the shop manual that the intake manifold on this engine is equipped with what are called "Swirl Dampers". These vacuum operated dampers close off about 3/4 of the manifold below 2,000 RPM and are supposed to create air turbulence to improve low speed operation and idle. You can't even see the operator, let alone see it's linkage the way it's positioned back at the firewall. So I removed the manifold. Sure enough, the plastic ball and socket had become separated and the dampers were in the closed position. This effectively limited the air flow, just like running with the choke closed on a carburetor. I drilled a hole in the center of the socket and snapped it back onto the ball, using a screw to hold it in place (This should be a permanent fix.). When I put the manifold back on the engine ran great and there was no more black smoke. However there was now a lot of blue smoke! The engine was now burning oil at the rate of about 1 quart to 100 miles. Obviously running that rich had destroyed the rings and possibly the cylinder walls. Finally I was able to locate a low millage 2.3 Duratec engine and installed it (after checking and making the modification to the damper linkage). This new engine is running well. I hope this helps someone else not to destroy their engine. B.D.

 

sad story indeed!

but on the good side ,, now you can soup up that motor

there is a manufacturer that makes aftermarket cams for the 2.3l 4 banger
( cannot remember who it is off the top of head )

go for an over-bore ,, larger pistons ,, i-beam connecting rods ,, heavier crankshaft

heavier flywheel,, larger capacity fuel injectors,,larger radiator

it bumps up the horsepower to something around 240 horse

i will have to google it later and post back

 

read this link

Duratec engine info - Ranger Power Sports Forum

 

i lol'd

 

you shouldn`t laugh

My built turbo Duratec dynograph - The Ford Focus Forum | Powered by Focaljet

a turbo`d 2.3l duratec

 

585 hp on ford 2.3l duratec engine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM3yXYxa-OY

 

or just get a 4.0lL and actually for what you would spend on all this listed above, one more 4.0l and 5.0l....

 

cosworth cylinder heads

Cosworth Big Valve Cylinder Head Ford Focus 2.0L 2.3L Duratec 03-07

 

true enough

but you would have to replace all of the wiring harness including all of the relays and such

and engine computer and shorten the the tail light wiring harness

just to swap in a 4.0 engine

if i was going to go that route ,, i would just opt for a 5.0 v8

with a little tuning you would get around the same fuel milaege as the 4.0 litre engine

 

still be a bucket load cheaper to replace the wiring and such then to have someone bore your cylinder block, buy/regrind the cams, new connecting rods, etc.....

the price of the connecting rods and larger pistons is the equivalent, if not more, to what you need for the v8 swap.

side note: love the avatar...

 

thanks

i always love catchy t-shirt slogans

another 1 i saw

eh heh ! my eyes are down here

yep and it was a young woman who wore it too!

 

uhmm thats 278?

 

Hi Guys

I'm new, just sittin back listening.

I'm pulling the intake off my 03 Mazda B2300 2.3 today to inspect
the IMRC controls because its acting exactly the way some on here have described.
I get an intermittent tick that sounds just like a lifter tick and quits when I disconnect the vacuum hose on the right side of the engine.
I would normally just replace the part, but I just got the truck, and don't know how long its been
doing this so the runner actuater and butterfly's may be loose.

 

so instead of swapping a wiring harness and basically having a "plug n play" option for more power and still be a reliable stock powerplant, youre telling him to go full kill on a turbo build? lol. yes these motors are awesome turbo'd, but require tons of work, tuning, all to get it to run right. then you'll start blowing heads or headgaskets.

 

no i was telling him that bolting a turbo onto a 4 cyl engine that is NOT manufactured to handle a turbo is idiotic

retrofitting a same year explorer with the 5.0 engine is a better route to go

modifying wiring is easy

 

i would've been pumped! how many people can say they've rolled-coal in a gas truck? haha