Help with diesel ranger ideas
 

im looking to convert my 2005 ranger over to diesel. im not sure if this is still a good idea but would love to have one. i have a 2005 ranger edge, 2 wd with the 3.0l v6 engine and manual trans. so far the most ive towed is about 1500lbs but plan on eventually towing about 3500lbs. this is too much for my little ranger. the 3.0l engine cant generate enough torque, one reason i wanna swap a diesel. second is my ranger is too light at 5000lbs i dont feel safe trying to stop 3500lbs. so basically im trying to figure if converting it over to diesel would give me the weight i need yet still be fuel efficient, im trying for about 6000lbs total weight dry (this would also include a bed cap/shell and new bumpers and class 2 or 3 hitch). if anyone could help me with this, much appreciated.

Re: Help with diesel ranger ideas
 

idk about anything you just asked but if you do get a desiel make it a big one and the thing smoke.

Re: Help with diesel ranger ideas
 

u want a cummins 4bt diesel engine to fit in ur ranger not much hp but alot of torque

Re: Help with diesel ranger ideas
 

and cummins smoke like crazy lol. trust me i live in hicktown and if your desiel dont smoke like crazy your a laughing stock of town.

Re: Help with diesel ranger ideas
 

just realize that any weight you add to the truck whether it be a heavier motor or a bed full of bricks its takes away from your GVWR which for your truck is right around 4500# with the base curb weight of the truck being about 3200# not 5000# like you say it is. so say you put in huge motor that made your truck weigh 6000# that means your truck will already be 1000# over the max GVWR and thats before you add gas, a driver and a passenger and any cargo you want to haul. also you can forget about pulling a trailer because the tongue weight alone will put you way over the the GVWR of the truck. adding torque for pulling makes sense, but even with 1000 Ft pounds of torque you still cant safely pull more than your truck is rated for. and adding weight to the truck to make it stop better while pulling a trailer makes no sense at all, it doesnt matter if the weight is on the trailer or the truck you still have to stop it. a diesel swap is doable and has been done but your logic for why you need it is very flawed.

Re: Help with diesel ranger ideas
 

I was thinking about the same thing, swapping to a diesel for my plow truck, the neighbor had a '80's something Mercadies Benz that had a 5cyl inline turbo diesel. He was selling the car for $500. I thought that motor would be a good canidate.

Re: Help with diesel ranger ideas
 

do it lol now

Re: Help with diesel ranger ideas
 

LOL "get a diesel so it blows black smoke"
yeah, thats a great reason to buy a diesel.

Re: Help with diesel ranger ideas
 

The 4bt will fit, but to get the mpg you will need to re gear the rearend to a 3:08
atleast. There is one on youtube that is yellow.. and yes it smokes like hell.

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http://youtu.be/1STZ2iovuos

Re: Help with diesel ranger ideas
 

thanks 01_ranger_4x4, definantly the most help. in a few years ill have to decide on weather to get a bigger truck or convert it, and from what im hearing getting a bigger truck is probably the smarter idea. i got most my info off autotrader, but i guess that can be farely scewed.

having a smoking diesel out here in california is pretty much asking to get pulled over. that was part of my debate was the california polution laws; having a smoking diesel just wont happen out here.

Re: Help with diesel ranger ideas
 

BTW, 3500# is within the rated limit of what your truck can pull stock so you can pull that. you wont break any land speed records but your truck will handle that kind of weight with no issues. its wouldnt hurt to have trailer brakes but its not needed, just give yourself a longer stopping distance and dont forget to turn off the OD. as others have stated the cummins 4BT is a somewhat common swap in the rangers but im not sure what you would have to do to get it to pass smog in your state.

Re: Help with diesel ranger ideas
 

well getting a diesel just to over-fuel it is kinda dumb, but the best engine you can go with is a cummins 4bt, other than that you could try a euro-ranger diesel motor. The biggest problem to get past is PATS, but i heard you can by-pass that easily with a remote starter.

Re: Help with diesel ranger ideas
 

i want to clear up a little confusion i think happened. i want to convert to diesel for max mpgs and more torque. right now the biggest thing i tow is a 15 foot aluminum boat with a stainless steel trailer. My ranger does this admirable, anything more and i feel itll struggle. heres what im looking to tow:

http://www.golittleguy.com/teardrops...s/rough-rider/

http://www.golittleguy.com/teardrops.../6-wide-sport/

and maybe a single horse trailer. my question is would it be worth it to swap a diesel. my guess is itd be better to just swap the engine, trans, and axels out since the engine alone is gonna need new mounts so might as well go all the way. plus it needs to be cal legal since california is very strict with smog emissions.

Re: Help with diesel ranger ideas
 

your truck'll pull any of what you've mentioned withougt any problems, although for the horse trailer i would use something with trailer brakes.

as for MPG's, honestly the 3.0 will get about the same fuel milage as a diesel engine with some tinkering and carefull driving, for a cost of less than $1,000, plus the fuel's less expensive and you don't have to worry about emissions. sure the gasser lacks torque, but it also lacks the BS involved of performing a swap into a perfectly fine truck.

if it was me i would eather
A) wait till the engine in the truck craps out or has a gazilion miles and then try a swap or

B) find an older ranger for very cheap (less than $1200) to swap into that way if it dosint work the way you wanted you won't be out alot of $ or a perfectly good truck

Re: Help with diesel ranger ideas
 

Yeah, check this one out.