I am no noob when it comes to rangers but I have no clue about this motor in the '08 model as my last ranger was a '95. I am considering a turbo set up or fabbing one up, but I know nothing about the internals of this motor if it is even worth my time and effort.

Also curious if anyone has converted a 4 cylinder to 4WD. . . I saw that one member on here had done that to their truck but I believe it was a V6.

Thanks for the help!!

 

http://www.fordvehicles.com/trucks/r...eatures/specs/

*click engines tab and there ya go...

 

Theres been a couple guys with V6's that have concerned but no 4 cylinders have that I know of.

 

Why thumbs down, for what it is, the 2.3 is a great motor. If you wanted a v6 4x4, why not buy one?

 

my buddy took a 98 2.5L 4 and converted it to a 4x4 cost him 2600$ and he did all the work but that 4 banger had issues with his 35s...

 

ok, yeah I searched and saw the other guys who did it, but no one with an '08 who had ventured that route(4x4). I will probably look at building a turbo kit for it once I find out more about this motor. I hear it breathes well . . . . but like I said I had the 8 plug 4 banger in my last ranger so this one is new to me.

I hit the thumbs down on accident when I clicked post. I definitely bought this 4 cl for a reason, it's just time to spice it up!!!

 

As for converting it using stock Ranger IFS parts that is going to be a huge undertaking. You have coil springs and the ones that were converted had the same type of suspension as a 4x4 t-bars. Your only route would be a sas with a transmission swap.

 

You got a decent motor in that truck.. A lot of guys here like the 2.3 duratecs.. things you could do, lesser price than a turbo set up is gears, tires, suspension can change the way it performs. Tires (GOOD tires) give better traction, usually better performance.. I dont recommend exhaust though for it. the new 2.3's have almost 145 HP, almost as much as the 3.0L V6, but like some people i talk to here, its not about HP, its about torque.. Good luck man.

 

Do you not care if you loose your warranty?

 

Without swapping the transmission you could get an atlas t/c and run it divorced.

 

Yeah. The 2.3 Duratecs are damn good engines from what I've heard. They produce almost as much power as the 3.0s and get damn good mileage to boot (for a truck).

Looking back on it, I totally wish I had got a Duratec in my 07 instead of the 3.0.

 

If you are looking for more horse power and 4x4, go buy a 4x4 v6 ranger. The cost of all the parts for the sas and the turbo it will excede the additional cost of the new truck.

 

Ford made 2.3 4x4's until 1996. So his swap was almost done for him.

If this guy wants to do a 4x4 swap into his 08 2.3 he's going all custom with his own tranny/transfer case combo, or go divorced like mentioned. Not to mention the entire swap of a 4x4 front suspension.

 

I'll give you my V6 3.0 for your I4. I'd take a DOHC I4 for a V6 anyday. To bad the stock internals are so flim-flam from Ford. Now my 4G63T, thats a beast.

 

its a truck not a race car...

 

Why, my friend has a newer duratec and that thing is slow... Now if it was turbod then it would be a different story.

 

from having owned a 3.0 for 6 years, it blows the doors off the 3.0..

 

Well, his is an auto with higher gears. Mines a 5 speed with 4.10s. I want to drive one with the same transmission/rear end gear setup as mine and see. Either way, Id rather have a 4.0 sohc. Ive driven those and was impressed.

 

I drove a 3.0 for nearly two months while I was waiting for my '08 to come in and the 3.0 didn't feel any faster than my 4 cyl, that I can tell. But I do think my 2.3 feels stronger/faster than my old 2.9 Ranger.

 

my old roomate had a 07 2.3 work truck and it deff felt faster than my 99 2.5 .... if my 2.5 ever blows up or something happens to my truck im deff gonna try to get a duratec 2.3 for the next one.

 

And some people do care, which is why he mentioned it. It is a valid point.

 

I had an 88 4x4 with the 2.3, manual hubs and transfer, and wish i'd never sold it.

But the Duratec in my 07 has plenty more power and terrific mileage--basically the same modern engine as in the Mazda 3 Speed. While the old Pinto Lima 2.3 needed all the help it could get, the Duratec's performance is the reason I got the truck and don't want to mess much with a good thing.

But to get more traction you can get a limited slip. I got the Detroit Truetrac (gear driven like the Torsen). It works--when I gun it on a dirt road there's two rooster tails. And never a slip on a wet city street anymore. The best thing is it doesn't void the warranty of anything but the differential, which if set up right should never go wrong.

 

Doesn't the tranny drive the differential? A major change like the differential
can void your tranny warranty.

 

Yeah I agree with Bob on this one, Ford could easily say that the Trac-Lock caused extra stress on the tranny or some BS like that.