An onslaught of questions:

[mr.beanz]

I need professional advice. I am almost to the point where I would pay someone to correctly diagnose my cars problems. Oh wait! I already did, thank you Ford for nothing. I have three problems that are in need of attention:

1. Gas Mileage:

My car is a 2000 model year, with only 35,000+ miles. I have a 3.0 liter V6 and should be getting 18+ miles/gallon. I have on numerous occasions got 400 miles on one tank. My tank is 19 gallons, so if you do the math, that’s 21 miles/gallon. When I got my BF Goodrich All Terrains 30”, which I believe was a 4” increase from my Firestones, my mileage dropped a little bit. I did not pay attention to it in detail however. Nearly a year later, my mileage was terrible! It dropped so low that I was getting 13+ mpg. Because I was at 30,000+ miles on my truck, I took it in to get a *full* service job. What a mistake and waste of money that was. Mainly the engine flush which I shouldn’t have done. My mileage climbed back up to 15+ mpg probably thx to the fuel injectors. But now it just started to drop. I’m now making 14.8 mpg on my recent fuel up. What is the problem here? It can’t be my tires, 4” can’t make that much difference. I’m sure the odometer is off, but not by much. I just had a service. My air filter is a K&N and was just recently cleaned. What is the problem?? Its starting to drive me nuts. Could it just be the aging of my Ford?

2. Noise:

Heading up any sort of hill seems to engage a type of “clicking” noise. Its really hard for anyone who does not have a Ranger to identify. But the other night, I was driving up a hill with a friend that owns a ranger and I was like “I really hate it when my car does that”… and before I finished my sentence he said “all Rangers do that”. I wasn’t sure what he was talking about at first, but he knew what sound I was talking about. I guess this is normal? Or is it? It doesn’t sound right to me. No car should ever sound like that. Btw, this sound occurs between gear changes, and is a clicking/popping sound. Its really hard to put words to this sound.

3. General question about engine dirt:

I have been off-roading quite a bit with my truck. I am hard on it, no question. But I do take care of it. I don’t do it anymore, but I may get back into it. And for those of you wondering, I don’t think it’s the reason why my car is having problems.

My engine is really dirty, and I’m not sure how to approach cleaning it. It sounds like just about every method will strip grease from components. Some areas are caked with dirt though. What is your advice in this area?

Sorry to make such a lengthy post. I really need advice though!

 

[jimbo74]

4"? what did you have on there stock? toyota camry tires?

4" increase in tire diameter would really mess up your mileage, if it was 4", i would be surprised it only hurt it that much! what is your gearing like? that will play a big part... also.. using the larger tires with inadequet gearing is also forcing the engine to work harder as it is now having to compensate for its lost powerband.....

noise may just be fords goofy trannies... there trannys in the light duty anything versions-- just plain suck

clean it with water, and soap.... and a brush... if you really want to, cover up the electronics and go at it with a pressure washer... or go to an auto detailer and have them steam clean it..... most engine parts are sealed pretty tight and wont let water seep into them..

 

[RangerX]

I agree with Jim that a 4" increase in tire size will reduce gas milage, and affect your speedo and odo more than you think.

What axle ratio do you have? If you don't know, look on the doorjamb. There will be a two digit code. Tell us what it says.

Do you have an auto tranny?

Have you looked at the air filter? Your mention of offroading and a dirty engine makes me wonder if it might be clogged?

 

[Mbrooks420]

I'd regear the speedo so you actually know what kind of mileage you are really getting. You don't know the true mileage since the odometer wouldn't be correct. What size tires stock, and now? 4 inches is a helluva a difference. You might want to look for a set of rims to put the larger tires on when you need them, and then have a set of tires with good road manners and low rolling resistance. After a few thousand miles they start to pay for themselves with increased mileage and less wear on your larger, probably softer compaiound tires.

 

[mr.beanz]

Jimabena, I'm not sure what my tire size was before. I believe it was 26-27". So the increase I'm not sure about. I'm not sure if it can really mess up my mileage that much either. Here are some pics of the tires that are currently on the Ranger:
My Truck

RangerX, I'm somewhat car illiterate... how would I find the doorjamb?
And to answer your questions:
Yes I have an auto trans
The air filter and box were cleaned recently. I don't think I have any clogs but I will look at it again.

Mbrooks, I'm considering redoing the speedo... but how and where should I have that done? Or is it easy enough for me to do by myself?
And, I already have the tires with stock rims. No point in rims.

 

[Mbrooks420]

You can regear the speedo yourself. I've never done it tho, so I'm sure someone can elaborate on it more. You just need to change the gear. The door jam is the part of the door where the latch is. There should be a white sticker near the latch. The door sticker will also show your stock tire size.

 

[VtecGSR952000]

Mr Beanz, i have a little advice for you: for one, if you want a serious off roader, get rid of that 3 litre. they are gutless pigs. second, its a v-6.......you cant expect too much out of it!! your pulling a decend amount of weight, so fule mileag isnt going to be that of a honda insight! also, everyone was right about the speedo being off......so theres no way for you to really know what kind of mileage your getting anyway! and just remember.......these guys who do serious off roading dont use the trannie that is in your ranger, which i am not sure, but i believe is the 5R55e, which is a good tranny. maybe you should reconsider the equipment your using for your fun. i think you want your cake and to eat it too, and you cant do that. dont blame that on ford!! i am sure you could beat the **** out of any vehicle and blame them for your misuse of it causing its performance to not meet your expectations! also, all the engine flushes and ****.......the ones that work are the trans, coolant, power steering, brake fluid, and injector cleaners. i have heard of engine flushes, but never seen proof they work!! bottom line, if you want your truck to operate as ford specified, leave it stock.

 

[joehawk]

Re: engine clean

Re: engine clean. Best stuff out there is "Castrol Super Clean", degreases like you wouldn't believe. Plastic bags over sensors tho, before you start. Spray it on right at one of those car washes where you use a wand to clean it yourself. Let it sit for 5 minutes after spraying on the super clean, then put in the coins and spray if off. All the grease goes down their drain, not onto your driveway like it would if doing it at home. Then take off the plastic bags, and run the engine for a few minutes.

 

[FourXFred]

just checked out your pics. nice ranger man!

1-i have never heard any noises from my ranger while driving up hills

2- your door jamb is that area between the body and the interior, that yoiu can only see when you open your door. it has a little latch on it which keeps the door closed when you shut it. the sitcker may be on the door tho, as i think it is on mine. there will be a rear axle code on the bottom of the sticker, look at it, then look it up in your owners manual. it will be in the towing section of your manual.

3- all i can say about the mileage is do some maitnence. try changing your air filter, and clean your mass airflow sensor. also, check out the ranger station website for some helpful info on your truck, as explorers have never had the 3.0 engine, so people here dont (for the most part) have a lot of expierence with it.

4- to clean the engine, i never bother to put bags over anything at all. i go to the self service car wash, and pull it in the bay. then i let it cool off for about 5 minutes and go balistic with the pressure washer. then i let er dry off for like 5 minutes, and drive away.

is your truck a 4x4? i didnt see any tow hooks, so i couldent realy tell. and if you are only getting 16 MPG out of a 2x4, then there is serious problems, i get a solid 18 out of my 4x4 4.0 ranger, and so doesnt my mother with her 2000 4x4 4.0 ranger.