2.3 Ranger Turbo Kit. Is It Worth The Money?

Adding a turbocharger to your Ford Ranger may always seem like a good idea. But it's not always worth the money. And today we are going to tell you some true things you will be facing if you eventually decide to turbocharge your old Ford Ranger. Yes, we are talking today about the ranger from the 1990s with that weak 4-cylinder 2.3-liter engine that accelerates like a turtle.

This engine has two main advantages - it's very economical and it's also quite durable. Want to know more about how to turbocharge this unit and if it's worth the money? Just keep reading and we'll tell you everything we know about the 2.3-liter naturally aspired engine and its main features.

Here's what we are going to talk about today:

1. Is the 2.3-liter Ranger actually a good truck?
2. What will you need to turbocharge a 2.3-liter Ford Ranger?
3. Actual results after turbocharging the truck's engine.
4. Your expenses and some problems you can face.
5. Engine longevity after applying the turbocharger.

Let's get started!

Is the 2.3-liter Ford Ranger actually a good truck?

It would be good if it wasn't so old. We are not speaking about the 2.3 EcoBoost Ranger that will generate 270-310 horsepower and will be able to generate even more after tuning. We are talking about the Ranger from the 1990s with a legendary 2.3-liter naturally aspired engine showing only 143 horsepower.

Yes, this engine wasn't bad at all. We should say more, this engine was the grandfather of the 2.3 EcoBoost that is now found under the hoods of sports cars and trucks. The main advantage of the unit is its reliability.

Here's what we can say about this truck:

• there were two versions: DOHC and SOHC, the engines are pretty different, but they are both very reliable;
• these engines are long-lasting, they can go up to 250 000 or 300 000 miles and we saw some of them reaching 400 000 miles with some minor repairs;
• the 2.3-liter engines are quite rational in terms of gas mileage, you will get about 24 MPG which is not bad for a truck;
• these engines were coupled with good and reliable transmissions that allowed great towing capacity and payload;
• the engines are wonderful in terms of maintenance and repair - you will not need to spend a lot of money and time on them;
• the 2.3-liter engines are problem-free, they have some popular problems but those are solved easily.

We think the best idea for these engines is their simple construction. Ford engineers actually took the Mazda L engines and worked with a well-tested construction that had proven to be reliable and very durable. And this was probably one of the best Ford engines we can remember. Well, until the epoch of EcoBoost technologies, of course.

Well, now we should talk about the turbocharger as we presented this as a topic of our article. You now know that the 2.3 Ranger has a very strong and reliable engine and it can be turbocharged. Now let's talk about that.

Turbo kits for your old 2.3 Ranger

The turbo kits are sold on the market, you can buy everything you need in one kit. The prices are different. One kit can cost around $1500, some other kit may be for sale for $5000. We would consider the average price of the turbocharging kit for your old Ford truck to be around $3000. This kit should include everything you need to turbocharge your engine.

But one thing you shouldn't forget about is the labor. It's good if you have solid experience as a car mechanic. But if you need to pay money for labor, you will need another $1000 (at least) to add to your budget. Things get tough at this point. Is it worth it? We don't think so. Your old Ranger is not created for racing. It's a truck that can still complete its tasks even after so much time. Will you want to pay $4000 to turbocharge your engine? This is an open question.

What will you get after turbocharging the 2.3 Ranger?

Now, it's time to talk about the potential results. So that you could decide whether you are ready to invest $3 to $4 thousand dollars in your old truck.

Why do people usually want to turbocharge their cars? They want more power and higher torque. They want their engines to show maximum efficiency. But you have to bear in mind that your 2.3-liter engine has limited capabilities. Its displacement limits much of what it can give in terms of power and torque.

Here's what you can get after you turbocharge the engine:

• additional power on higher RPM range - the actual gain will depend on the turbocharger type, usually, it can be around 40 or 50 additional hp;
• higher torque which is available at low RPM already - the car will go like crazy and will be able to tow more which is a very good result for a truck;
• acceleration will be much quicker - your vehicle will be able to accelerate easily just like a sports car;
• the engine will show its full potential - without a turbocharger, your 2.3-liter unit doesn't show what it can do at all;
• the fuel consumption may even be lower on highways - the engine can work at lower RPM ensuring higher speed (transmission settings should be changed).

These are the wonderful results you will expect from turbocharging your engine. But you shouldn't wait for only good things. Be careful because you will also get some drawbacks when you finally have the turbocharger kit installed into the engine of your truck. Unfortunately, good comes with bad in this case.

What are the drawbacks of installing the turbocharger?

Your 2.3 Ranger is a good car and it's quite long-lasting, as we have already said before. But if you try to tune the engine or turbocharge it, you will lose this balance between power and longevity. The more power you will add by tuning the engine, the worse it can actually be for its durability and reliability.

Here are some problems you may face:

• poor transmission work - if you turbocharge the engine, you should tune or replace the transmission, otherwise, it will be broken soon;
• engine wear - the engine block will start wearing intensively because it will have to withstand much higher loads and much bigger compression;
• AWD problems - again, higher torque will influence your AWD systems and will require to service them more often or even to repair them;
• handling - problems with handling may occur if you get over 70 horsepower of gain after installing a turbocharger;
• brakes problems - high torque and power will mean that your brakes will not be efficient anymore, you will need to modify them.

As you see, to turbocharge the 2.3 Ranger, you will also need to make a lot of other changes in your vehicle. Just installing a turbocharger and gaining more power will not work as it should. So, the initially estimated expenses of $4000 are not the entire price of getting some more power and higher torque. This is important because sometimes you will spend more money than your vehicle actually costs.

What other problems should you know about?

Firstly, you should remember that the oil in your engine will have to be replaced with a thinner type. The thick oil will not keep your turbocharger "healthy". But the thin oil is not good for the old 2.3-liter engine at all. It will not ensure optimal lubrication of all parts of the head and the cylinder block. To find an all-purpose decision is not that easy.

Also, you will probably have to tune the transmission. When Ford was making your vehicle, the company's engineers spent some time tuning the transmission. It's now tuned for a certain torque and certain power. Once you add another 50 hp, you will destroy the optimal work of the transmission and AWD system. Tuning may be quite expensive, by the way.

One more thing - turbocharging a pickup that has already done 100 000 miles or more is not a very good idea. Your engine should now have some minor problems and with a turbocharger, you will only help them to grow into really big problems. So you will basically reduce the expected longevity of your engine and of some other parts of the vehicle.

Final words

As you see, turbocharging a Ford pickup truck is not always the best idea of how to spend $5000 or something like that. This may reduce the lifespan of your car, destroy some really expensive parts of the vehicle and become a really endless journey of expensive modifications and changes. So we would recommend thinking twice if you now want to turbocharge the 2.3 Ranger.

But if you want a perfect project car that you are ready to invest in, you may try it with Ford Ranger with a naturally aspired 2.3-liter engine. This is a good choice for making a project.