I am looking for something to do with my wifes 92 2.3l also. One thing i did was installed a resistor inline with the wires that go to the air intake temp sensor. That doesnt do alot but it did help. It tricks the computer to thinking it is taking in cooler air than it really is.
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88LX black 5.0, 5 speed,ported upper and lower intake,ported upper throat,phenolic spacer,3angle valve job,bbk 65mm tb & egr, jacobs ignition,dualfriction centerforce clutch,k&n,12-14 timing,plugs gapped 60,nitto450's,removed air sil,dual electric fans,after market rad,fms front lower arms,new o2 sensors,under drive pulleys,carbon brakes.
What are the first things I should do? Cold air intake and exhaust are no-brainers but what about a chip, spark plugs, porting the manifold and so on??????
Well, as far as spark plugs go, Autolite or Bosch Platinums are great if you upgrade your ignition system.
Manifold porting is best left to a good machine shop, and though I've yet to hear of a chip for the 2.3, I do know that you can do some amazing things with Ford's engine computers.
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1976 Ford Mustang II Ghia: 302 with a 600cfm Edelbrock carb, Edelbrock Performer 289 intake, Dynomax Blackjack headers, 2.5" exhaust with Flowmaster Super 44s. RJS 11-gallon fuel cell, C4 tranny, chrome 16" pony wheels, fuzzy dice, brown vinyl half-top, and painted in the tackiest color ever (harvest gold, that's why I call it "The Goldenrod").
Also have a 2003 Dodge Ram (lightly modded daily driver/tow rig/office/dining room/home away from home/workshop... I call it "The Big Blue Dawg".)
THE 2.3 Liter Natuarally-Aspirated Performance/Modifications Thread
Ok what excatly can you do to the 2.3 n/a to get more hp without going turbo?{with a limit about $600}
KnN filter?{hear about 1 to 2 hp lol?
remove knock sensor?NoHPgiven here but if your knocking it helps and i am}
headers ?
remove 2 of the silencer esgust of intake if there are 2?{seen 1 so far not 2 but heard there 2}?
mabey port and polish the heads?
boring the clyinders out ?
get higher conpresion piston?
have the miled?
this are things that i've thought would help with hp on the 2.3 n/a what would you think they cost and how much hp they mite add?
One more things cuz im new to messing with engine work is there anything else that you can do free to speed it up too?
swap that 2.3 for a 2.3 turbo. thats what I did to my 87 lx. the motor came out of a turbo coupe. the swap was pretty easy. the motors are pretty much the same. if your going to spend money dont even bother with the n/a 2.3., you wont make it any faster.
Hey all, I'm sort of new to the modding, but next week I'm looking to get in a new exhaust + probably some other stuff like intake, and anything else that might help. I've been trying to find how to do a dual exhaust setup, does anyone have any good ideas ? Now, intake wise, do I just switch the air box with a 9" (I think) K&N Cone Filter, or is there more to it / better ideas ? Also, any other suggestions on some relatively low cost mods that increase performance/power would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.
First of, duals would be a really bad idea unless you are going to use 1 inch pipe LOL. The 2.3 does not need a lot of exhaust and you would kill your bottome end. Just a good single setup would be fine.
You can adapt a ricer style inlet to the 2.3, but a cone style filter is not an absolute must. A panel style in an airbox, although flows less, still is an upgrade. You could try a larger 5.0 air box.
Other ideas. A 96 Ranger manifold is a tube steel header. Get one from a wrecker cheap. Remove the air silencer. Half shaft the TB and port the intakes. Unhook the Knock sensor if the engine is not detonating. There are bolt ons as well but they cost.
Originally posted by Flex Remove the air silencer. Half shaft the TB and port the intakes. Unhook the Knock sensor if the engine is not detonating. There are bolt ons as well but they cost.
I'm one of those guys who doesn't know much about mechanics, is there any easier way to explain what you're saying ?
Also, is it better to go with no cat with exhaust ?
Oh, and the reason I was asking about dual exhaust is because I've heard people use an 86 SVO Y-pipe to go dual with their 87-93 2.3L, but you're saying it's not worth it ?
A turbo is an easy way to improve performance but the 2.3 can make power N/A as well.
Remove the silencer and get a high flow filter. It is worth more than 2 hp if you do both. Do not disconnect the sensor if your motor is detonating. Get it running without detonation first as detonation can cause engine damage.
The sensor signals the ECM to retard the ignition when knock is detected only it knocks it back about 20 degrees and takes a long time to return to normal. The idea behind the sensor unhook is that the sensor detects knock so faint your ear won't hear it. Unhooking the sensor will keep the timing static and let the engine make power to its max rpm as long as the motor is in good working order
After we blew a rod/piston on my brother's 4 we performed this build up.
Went to the 5.7 inch rod KB piston conversion. The pistons were $122 from Summit at the time. Also put in file fit rings. Rods cost me $50 Canadian (about $5 US lol) and were considerably lighter than the stock four cylinder rods even though they were 1/2" longer. ARP waveloc rod bolts were installed as well. I also got the 89 grm tool steel pins. Lightened the rotating assembly by 2 pounds when everything was totalled up.
I bought a windage tray from Esslinger and installed that during the build up.
I heavily ported the heads and relocated the exhaust upwards. Manley 1.89/1.59 valves were installed along with a Ranger roller cam and followers. I also got a Ranger header and ceramic/aluminum coated it. Rest of the exhaust was 2.25 out the back with a Flowtech Terminator muffler.
The Intakes were ported and polished and port matched to the head. All internally projected fittings were cut down even with the intake wall. The TB was half shafted to increase flow. My own phenolic spacers were also installed during the buildup. It also has a rail mount gauge and Kirhban regulator.
For the timing, we got the round tooth gear set from Race engineering in Florida. Very light and adjustable. I also bought a %50 underdrive crank pulley from Unorthodox Racing and swiss cheesed the factory pulleys to lighten them.
I also bought a rice rocket CAI that came with a K&N filter which will be modified to take air directly from outside.
Other goodies include MSD 8.8 Wires and Coil, distributor cap and rotor, Turbo aluminum valve cover and Bosch +4 plugs.
Once the engine was running and the timing was set with no detonation, I disconnected the knock sensor. Those things kill the performance of the 2.3.
The last thing it needs, besides finishing the cold air box, is a newer mass air conversion. That alone is worth 17 hp on a stock 2.3. I also have some idiot making an aluminum drive shaft for it but he has been working on it for over a year (always too damn busy). .
Eliminating the cat will increase flow. You do not want duals on a N/A 2.3 cause the lack of back pressure will kill your torque. Just a single 2-2.25 inch exhaust and a good muffler like a Flow or Flowtech will work good.
I went on jet's site and they dont show one for the 2.3. Am i looking in the wrong place? Could u point me in the right direction or post a link? Thanks.
THE 2.3 Liter Natuarally-Aspirated Performance/Modifications Thread 
