General Technical & Electrical General technical and electrical discussion for the Ford Ranger that does not fit in any other sub-forum.

It's time: Good Upgrades for the Ranger?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
  #1  
Old 04-14-2010
JToona's Avatar
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: DFW, TX
Posts: 39
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
It's time: Good Upgrades for the Ranger?

So my truck rolled 107k and I must say it's running pretty good (even though it's a new(er) engine block). I recently got a job at an oil change place until I can get a REAL job with my degree. Well when it's not busy we tend to work on our vehicles until people come in. Well, I got to thinking that I have never replaced a lot of things in the truck. Here's a list of just a few:
Wheel Bearings
Front Discs
Rear Brakes
Plug Wires

Now it brings me to the question. Is it a worthwhile upgrade to get the Screamin Demon coil pack and a good set of wires. Then gap out the plug a little bit and run them? I'm not looking to hot rod it out, but maybe a slight power increase to tow the jet skis a little better.

The next upgrade I'm thinking of doing is a set of pulleys. Just the crank and alt pulleys. I'm am probably going to to the big 3 upgrade this week to see if my alternator (still stock) can take the abuse my modest system is throwing at it. I tested it this morning with A/C, lights, and amp pushing fairly hard and it dropped into the 11.8x's. I do notice my lights dim whilst idling at night, then they come to life when I step on it. I'm hoping the big 3 will help, or I can go to Oreilly's and get a 130A Expo alt and slap it on there soon.

I've come to realize that the Ranger is a pretty good vehicle. I've only had major problems 3 times and they were all freak accidents. All in all it's been pretty good, and I know I go up and down about my level of hate towards it, and I've decided it's time to stop and give it some love for once. Thanks for any help/feedback regarding the coil pack, wires, alternator, or any other upgrades I can do to help this truck reach at least 250k!
 
  #2  
Old 04-14-2010
04blackedge's Avatar
RF Veteran
iTrader: (13)
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Durham, NC
Posts: 23,426
Likes: 0
Received 6 Likes on 6 Posts
I would do the pulleys before the coil pack. What motor do you have 3.0 or 4.0?
 
  #3  
Old 04-14-2010
JToona's Avatar
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: DFW, TX
Posts: 39
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Oh, 3.0 sorry.
 
  #4  
Old 04-14-2010
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: The 253
Posts: 756
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Yeah. Get the pulley's. Probably the best investment for a 3.slow.
 
  #5  
Old 04-14-2010
Fx4wannabe01's Avatar
RF Veteran
iTrader: (23)
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Boring, Oregon
Posts: 21,721
Likes: 0
Received 10 Likes on 10 Posts
Get some maint done before mods.....

Coil packs aren't really worth it IMO....stock is as good as it's gonna get. Ford's known for great ignition systems. Pulleys and a tuner are the best bang for the buck mods. Any other mods, take a peek at our how-to sections for things that you may or may not want to do. That's what I did when I first joined forums on these trucks......hit the how-to's and got things on a list for me to do! lol.






And please......create a signature. It gives us a better idea of what you're working on(year, trim, drivetrain, etc). We can't read you mind or see your truck!!
 
  #6  
Old 04-14-2010
rstangboi's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Davis, Ca
Posts: 2,583
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Fx4wannabe01
We can't read you mind or see your truck!!
really? i thought the MODs had that power lol
 
  #7  
Old 04-14-2010
Steph3n1's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Duluth, GA
Posts: 93
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
the big 3 will help depending of how many amps your amp draws from the battery. what kind of amp is it and what impedance is it wired to. im currently running 1200watts rms and with the big 3 it didnt help at all at idle but when kept at 2k it stayed at a steady 13.3-13.5v so it makes a difference while riding around. as par as the alternator goes id just go ahead and get a high output a 220amp from iraggi costs around 300$ but they look amazing (can be powdercoated to any color you choose) and they do 15 amps at idle say good bye to voltage drop lol. as far as mods go do the pulleys they make a pretty noticible difference and look cool haha.
 
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
WalleyeKing
General Ford Ranger Discussion
1
06-20-2014 07:18 AM
JackedUp88
General Ford Ranger Discussion
4
09-14-2011 08:30 PM
larsen550
New Ideas
29
06-30-2009 01:22 AM
BamaRanger
4.0L OHV & SOHC V6 Tech
6
10-04-2008 08:39 AM
cmher18
4.0L OHV & SOHC V6 Tech
2
11-19-2006 09:03 PM



Quick Reply: It's time: Good Upgrades for the Ranger?



All times are GMT -6. The time now is 11:59 AM.