i went ahead and decided to purchase a superchips Flashpaq programmer over the weekend. overall it is very easy to use and does the job i intended it for. i am now able to calibrate the truck to give me more accurate and effective manners and displays.

but i was a un-impressed with the price of these units, and how limited they are overall. i would of liked a few more options available to me with a programmer of this price, but these just dont give me all the options i would have liked to have.

overall they are great to have for any auto tranny calibration issues. shift; pressures, limits and advances are all great features to have on the fly. while also being able to log your vehicles computer information is also a nice feature. the flashpaq is a fully upgradable unit aswell, with the included usb input, you are able to add some online features.

after i calibrated the ranger to drive with 32" tires and my factory 4.10 rear setup. i installed an operating program onto the truck to correct any improper shifts and engine controls. while driving on the highway my rpm was well reduced to proper expected cruising rpm, and my truck actually doesnt run through as much fuel as it did on the highway.

 

Did you pick the programmer up locally? How much do you figure it increased your mileage?

 

yes locally, ordered it on a thursday and had it by friday. im at a point to say that after ive played with it, ive improved my gas milage about 25% and possibly more. im using about half the fuel i normally use on the highway. there were alot of times where my rpm would hang up or my engine would feel quite underpowered on a steady incline either with too high of an rpm or too little. the programmer is a must have with a larger tire and/or auto trans!

ill be recording some data with the programmer and listing some fuel data when i can get some steady runs with the truck

 

I have the same unit. I'm happy as well. I've only adjusted for tires and gears. For a short time I used the fuel mileage feature (save on gas) , but now it is stock with tires and gears. I went wheeling a few times and haven't switched it back.

 

i made a mistake by using the 'performance' program for my trip out of city for the weekend. i used over a quarter tank of gas from full for the 100km trip. but for the ride back i used the fuel saving program, and from full, the needle never even droped past the full line lol! defeniately an improvement.. and so far this week my tank is still full

as of this thursday ill be running a 4.88 gearset in the rear with the 32" tires, that will be the test!

 

i thought this was kinda interesting, it pays to keep an eye on these because i dont know how common of a problem this is.. i was noticing a little noise from the rear when i would run over some rough road but i never thought of it much. today i took a look around to see what it would be and i noticed my shocks were beating the crap out of the lower bushings that were in them. so i came up with a little custom fix.

instead of going out and buying new bushings a created a pair of stepped, tapered, slightly oversized bushings made of derlin. they slide on the original sleeves, one on either side of the lower fastener. as these are intended to be slightly under pressure because they are oversised. using a c clamp, i slightly crush the bushings together on the sleeve into the shock end until the sleeve is just flush with the bushing on either side then reinstall the shock end back into the axle, the bushings will act to give a little outward preload on the shock end limiting end play.

i believe the nylon material will have better wear resistance then rubber, but i may not get as much flexability with the harder derlin insert which may cause more movement or advanced wear on the upper bushings in time.

 

i picked up another piece for the steering today, i hope its the correct shaft..

i quickly found an E150 intermediate shaft from a 2000. the d-card. joint is in great shape but the other end is completely worn out. luckily, this end will be replaced by the toyota 4 runner joint and complete the intermediate assembly. ill be picking up another set of ranger connections to modify for the firewall connection and ill also be ordering a heim/bearing for a steering shaft support built right in the firwall to eliminate momement.

 

can i see some better pictures of the shinny end on the E150 shaft please?

 

sure thing. the Macro setting on my camera got turned off, i was wondering why it takes such crappy pictures lol

 

the rear 4.88 gear and Eaton E locker were installed tonight. using my programmer i corrected the speedo and shifts very easily. im told there is a 20 minute break in on new gears and by the time i got home from the shop my rear end was pretty warm to the touch! i hope the heat goes away..

ill need to do some wiring when i have some time, im not to sure about the ignition connections for the hook up. would it be as easy as looping into the deck power or anything that runs when the key is turned to the on position? the locker relay is supposed to be limited to working only when the engine or accessory is running and gives you a blue wire to hook into an ignition source. then red to a battery connection and all the blacks are grounded to the frame or body

 

yeah that is the right steering shaft! good find.

btw the rear diff will be warm, mine has always been really warm to the touch. ive even seen it steam after a hard run and spraying it with water.

 

lol its just the benefit of living near 6 good auto wrecker companies.

good to know about the diff, i wouldnt of expected it to get that warm after running. ill change the fluid after the first 2000km to clean it out and check the wear. i like the way the down shifting feels with a steeper gear, its much more firm. and overall my rpm wasnt affected when calibrated, i cruise at 100kph at just over 2200 rpm

ill pick up the ranger steering components tomorrow to start making up my shaft, im planning to modify the square shaft part with the plastic on it through the firewall by making it a 3/4 round shaft through the firewall and using a bearing or heim built into the wall to support it. then the d-card. joint and intermediate will fasten to that and go where they will..

 

lol why? did you read my thread? you have the easiest parts to do it all. and it simply bolt in.

 

i just want to keep the bearing in the firewall instead of mounting it outboard, if i cant do it the way i like then ill use a pillow block and keep it simple

 

it wont function properly inside the firewall.

you have to have a pillow block. or it will steer horribly. been there tried that.

 

i was planning to create a similar support as seen at the bottom of this thread using these shafts i have

Section525 - D44 2nd gen. leaves SAS - Page 29 - Ford Explorer Ranger Enthusiasts "Serious Explorations"®

i believe it would work just as good as he said it was for him

 

you're pouring how many thousands of dollars into a D30 and a 28 spline 8.8?????


...I guess I just don't understand

the $2,000 you said you spent on the 8.8 could have got you a pair of 1 tons, gears and diff covers for both..

 

but it wont get me the engine and tranny to drag all that heavy gear around for long,

if, i do up a bigger scale truck or powerplant, i would use higher grade components, lets face the fact that its just a ranger, not a full size.. im just trying to improve my situation and make a more capable truck. money is money, spend it while you can, its not like im married, or have a mortgage,, yet. but im sure once i am i wont get many chances to do something creative like this for myself. doing something right costs money and takes time, for some people that may take less, or more of both..you wont see me leaving posts on any board about other peoples financial decisions, its really alot more productive here to give some support or usefull advise..

 

it really doesnt matter as much when it comes to your motor size. its moreso about your gearing. if you have the right gears...then you can get **** done.

why do you think theres so many 4cyl yota guys rollin on 37's and up?? cuz alot of them have really tall gears and doublers....its all in the gearing...

 

there is a litttle more involved then that when it comes to a proper and fairly balanced setup, im not running a doubler, or any modified driveline or powerplant. im sure those yota guys spend just as much time replacing their trans as much they run them, but ya it sure works but something will fail. im building for a daily driver not a rock crawler..

 

everything breaks or wears out its a fact. doesnt matter what it is.

 

well, i went out testing the locker tonight after i figured out the wiring yesterday. ill show a few pictures of my location of the relay and fuse.

on friday i ran all the wiring through the drivers frame rail and up through the front cab body mount. mounted the switch in the black bezel on the mirrored location of the passenger air bag indicator. i wasnt sure where to tap into for the constant and switched power source of the locker activation until i stopped by a buddies place. he told me that on the stereo harness, a RED wire would be the switched 12v source (blue wire on the locker harness) and a yellow wire on the stereo would be the constant 12v source (red wire on the locker harness). mounting it to the stereo saves a lot of work then routing wire all over the truck. i mounted the relay right next to the passenger fuse panel on a factory threaded stud, where there was a simple stud location for the grounds in the fuse panel and also keeps the inline fuse from the locker harness nicely in the fuse compartment.

i took the truck into some very steep and loose terrain and also through some sticky spots i wouldnt normally attempt unlocked. i hit some mud and loose all driveability, press the lock, and simply drive right out with no issues. driving up blind sandy inclines very slowly, truck loses any momentum and a tire spins, i lock up the axle and simply continue to the top..
overall a great investment for any truck! i also notice its a very quiet engagement, i dont even notice any noise when activating.

 

picked up the ranger steering shaft i needed, i dont think my idea of a firewall bearing is very practical in this case. trying to dismantal the ranger shaft can only be accomplished so well without causing to much work. i will end up using a pillow block or similar method.

the ranger input seems just a hair larger then the input of the e150 joint, i will just need to shave a little off of the one side of the input to fit the cavity, then fill the hole of the ranger end and after that make it look and work like the e150 shaft ends .

i also ordered a set of yj d30 leaf perches from BTF, their high steer bracket and tie rod relocation require me to use atleast a 1.250" raise off of the axle tube to clear the tie rod when the spring flattens out, their perch for the yj are at a 1.5" raise for the spring clearance.

 

i started with the steering shaft assembly this afternoon,

mating of the e150 shaft to the toyota end,,

i started with the e150 shaft and went to the band saw to cut off the useless ford u joint, i then took my dissassembled yota shaft on the lathe and used a part off tool to clear the weld from the rag joint end i needed. once cleared i popped the shaft end off and scrapped the yota shank. the e150 shaft end is just slightly larger then the ID of the toy. joint end, so it is necessary to clear the shaft to create a snug fit into the joint. once the shaft is inserted at around 1/4" i got on the TIG and seamed up the shaft from the front and the ouside diameter.

and this is what i got,

i also went ahead and filled in the ranger shaft and ill begin its processes tomorrow,

 

great work so far!